Services and exclusive releases are factors that end up defining the success of a console, but also what makes them different: Game Pass is the workhorse of Xbox Series X (and the Xbox brand in general) and DualSense, the new PS5 controller, the Sony one. Which begs the question naturally: to what extent has Microsoft wanted to innovate with a view to its control system?
At first glance the new Xbox Wireless Controller It looks very similar to the classic Xbox One model with a new center button. They are almost identical. And that has a positive aspect: by default, the Microsoft controller is one of the most versatile and widespread options when it comes to playing beyond consoles.
Because, like the Xbox brand itself, Microsoft’s great goal is for its controller to remain the standard for desktop gaming or through other devices wirelessly. And we are not going to fool ourselves, with those of Xbox 360 and Xbox One he did it wonderfully: they are the most used on Steam and, possibly on PC.
Don’t be misunderstood: the technology that the DualSense uses offers a very different and more ambitious degree of immersion in the game thanks to its haptic vibration system, its adaptive triggers or its gyroscopic sensors. It even has your own integrated microphone array. And despite everything, and this is a personal opinion, I continue to feel more comfortable with the alternative – batteries – from Microsoft.
Go ahead, in the end it all comes down to three simple premises: what kind of video games we enjoy, how we approach our predisposition (competitive, casual or neither) and how many hours do we usually spend playing. And although I have Mortal Kombat 11, GTA V, Dragon Quest XI and DOOM on both systems, I prefer the new Xbox crosshead and asymmetric analog sticks when destroying my opponents.
What is more accurate? Are the sticks (commonly called mushrooms) of the controller at the same height or the asymmetric model of the original Xbox? There, logically, the answer each one has to answer it. In my case I prefer to have the movement stick at the height of the main buttons, although I understand that the increasing use of the triggers makes it difficult to get used to the two systems. In fact, the debate is elsewhere.
The new Xbox wireless controller: conservative in novelties, successful in design
The command that accompanied the new generation of Microsoft consoles is not the same as the Xbox One, although they look very similar. In fact, early console adopters from 2013 (including myself) are quick to find the most subtle differences. I mean your input for jack headset, or the integration of a wireless connection system by Bluetooth.
Yes indeed, Microsoft continues to bet on batteries, leaving the door open to your own or third-party rechargeable batteries or forgoing their wireless nature and playing using a USB cable. Hit or miss? In my case, I use the rechargeable battery after using the batteries that came with the controller -as in Xbox 360-, but in its favor, and without pointing out anyone, the additional Xbox controls have been to share games, not by substitution.
While it looks like a Siamese brother when compared to the Xbox One controller, at least in design and with differences here and there, they feel different to the touch and weight. Its thicker triggers are a hit, and the texture of its grips is an added bonus. After all, it is the result of a series of innovations that have been implemented little by little over the last seven years.
The crosshead, on the other hand, is what convinces me the most. To play indies, retro games and, above all, fighting games. But also to move through the Cyberpunk 2077 menus with ease. Makes its own little noise, yes, but even putting the Switch Pro Controller on, it’s about the best crosshead of a serial control.
As I mentioned at the beginning, the type of games that I approach with greater assiduity and the predisposition that I have to these conditions my preference when choosing one controller or another. And although the haptic vibrations of the DualSense give a new level of sensation to the DIRT 5, games like FIFA 21 or Mortal Kombat 11 they fail to take advantage of their technology. The three remaining very much in the shadow of a modest in shape but convincing in results Astro’s PlayGround.
I confess that I would like to be more optimistic in this regard, of course, but the number of games that have taken advantage of the technology of the Joy Cons or the Steam Controller is what it is. And despite the genius of Nintendo Labo or Super Mario Party, Nintendo Switch Lite does not include HD vibration or gyroscopes, which gives us a clue as to the direction in which the Switch catalog is headed.
However, the real plus point that makes my main controller the Xbox one (a pity that the Nintendo Pro Controller does not have triggers, but flat buttons) is not its design, with which Microsoft is on the safe side, or its subtle novelties, but the way in which its use is implemented beyond consoles.
Wireless controller support: my ace up my sleeve
If I want to play on PC, and unless it is a strategy game or an FPS, the first thing I do is connect my xbox controller. Not only because I feel more comfortable with it in hand, but because almost all the games I have on Steam, Epic or GOG recognize Microsoft’s system the first time. Not to mention how easy it is to continue my games. from the Xbox Windows app.
Why have Xbox controllers become the standard for desktop gaming? Valve came to its own conclusions in September 2018:
A decade ago, Microsoft made a systematic effort to get Xinput, the protocol behind Xbox, adopted, and as a result there was massive support from game developers. Since support for Xinput is built into most games, the Xbox controller is a good bet for smooth playing a large number of different titles.
Microsoft’s plan to blur the differences between PC and Xbox gamers goes through Microsoft’s own store, of course, but it also keeps in mind that making the Xbox controller the standard is essential. Especially when opens the doors to alternatives, like cloud play or broadcasts.
Shortly before release Xbox series x I made the preparations and acquired for a very amortizable price the Moga mobile game stand. A simple clip that fits like a glove on the Xbox controllers and allows me to position my mobile in a stable way. And, at the same time, a window to Stadia, xCloud and classic mobile games (such as Castlevania: Symphony of the Night or Sonic 2) with the Microsoft controller at the epicenter of the mobile gaming experience.
While my gaming feelings with xCloud are not really positive, streaming from the console makes playing Cyberpunk 2077 or Mortal Kombat 11 from the screen of my mobile it looks like a thing of witchcraft. Or, rather, almost a portable console.
Is it possible to associate a DualSense with iOS and Android? Of course. And although there are mobile supports designed for the control of the PS5, without haptic vibration, with its four buttons in a cross-head arrangement and symmetrical sticks, I recognize that not exactly my first choice.
There are many more nuances to consider, and that Microsoft is conservative in design does not mean that it does not have a vision beyond the traditional player. Proof of this is the milestone of the Adaptive Controller and how it opens the doors of this passion that are video games to new player profiles.
Maybe, A year from now, when I meet Aloy again in Horizon: Forbidden West, I discover that drawing her bowstring through the PS5 controller adds new nuances to the whole. Perhaps, the return of Ratchet & Clank will make me change my mind about what I am writing to you today. But one thing is clear to me: as a preference, today I enjoy playing more Mortal Kombat 11 with an Xbox controller. Unfortunately for my rivals online and on the couch.
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