Xbox One Controller: An Inside Look From Microsoft

Today Microsoft’s Director of Programming Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb spoke with the General Manager of the Xbox Accessories Business Zulfi Alam in an informative video looking at the inside and out of about the Xbox One controller. There is not much particularly new information coming from this video, but it does provide a rare inside-out view of the hardware straight from Microsoft employees themselves as Alam describes some of the “forty different improvements in the Xbox One controller.”

Some of those improvements of the Xbox One controller over the Xbox 360 controller include making the battery pack not protrude outside the regular contours of the controller, making the battery cover slide out without screws, providing soft rubber on the analog sticks, reduced travel time in the D-pad, added trigger vibration motors that are pressure and game environment sensitive, USB wired controller support and Infrared kinect support allowing you to transfer over Xbox profiles when you switch controllers with your friend or family member.

It’s an excellent video for hardware geeks like myself and others who are intrigued as to the inner workings of the consoles and controllers we use to play games. As well, it’s clear that these improvements were made with the core gamer in mind, as they made supposed “hundreds and hundreds of tests with thousands and thousands of users” to make sure they got it right.

You will get one Xbox One controller packaged with the console when the Xbox One launches this holiday season.