The Evolution of the Xbox controller

In 2001 Microsoft released their first attempt at console gaming with the mantra "Bigger is better". The original Xbox was a massive black behemoth with an equally huge controller. As was the norm for Microsoft at the time, they released a product with very little usability testing, and then tried to improve upon it. Thankfully, with the release of the Xbox 360, this kind of thinking changed to fit with the console's name, and the company changed the design of their controller for the better.



The first Xbox controller, pictured above, was a nightmare in terms of usability. The Duke, as it became to be called, is bigger than any other hand held controller commercially available. Now, I am a big boy, but the size of this controller was just unnecessary cumbersome, especially to those who had been used to the Playstation's controller. Much of the controller is taken up by the Xbox logo in the middle of the device, which leads me to believe the large size was chosen in order to generate talk about the console.

The controller fits into the hands of an adult reasonably well, but small children, many of whom received Xboxes for Christmas, have trouble using it at all. For an adult, the two analog sticks are in good places; the left in the high position, and the right in the lower position. This allows both sticks to be manipulated with the thumbs in opposite directions without bumping into each other, which could occur on Sony's original Dual Shock controllers. However, the right analog stick is to rounded, which means a player's thumb can slip off during heated, and sweaty, sessions.

The buttons on the controller are another matter, and are the chief complaint about the Duke. Starting on the left, below the analog stick, is the directional pad (D-pad). The D-pad is in the same lower position as the right analog stick and can be manipulated easily with the left thumb. It is oddly shaped with an inverted and rounded design, the directions are sunken into the pad instead of raised above it, but this did not cause many problems.

However, the right buttons, which are used much more frequently, are not designed well. They are small, rounded, and slick, and, while the XYAB buttons are reachable, the black and white buttons are almost untouchable. Finger slips causing erroneous button pushes were a frequent problem, but the black and white buttons are the prime example of why is controller has very poor usability. It is all but impossible to press the buttons without removing your hand from the controller, which is a death sentence in the fast paced world of video games.

The trigger buttons, which are located on the underside of the controller, are great. They are easily manipulated by the index fingers and are in a comfortable position.

While the Duke controller scores poor in usability, it did have one innovative feature that probably saved thousands of dollars worth of damaged Xboxes. The cord for the controller has two parts, the connector that plugs into the console, and the length of the cord. These two parts are joined by break away connector that, when jerked quickly, separates with no damage and can be reconnected easily. This means that, if someone trips over a cord, the console is not pulled forward and should not fall from a shelf or table. This prevents possible damage to the console, saving the customer money.


Shortly within a year of the Xbox's release, Microsoft switched from the Duke to the Controller S, which was originally only available in Japan. Pictured here with the Duke, the controller S is an attempt to address all of the Duke's usability problems, and it largely succeeds.



Obviously, the controller is smaller than the Duke, and fits into smaller hands more easily. The analog sticks are comfortable and have a depression big enough for your thumb to rest in without slipping. The XYAB buttons are larger and spaced farther apart, meaning erroneous button pushes are much harder to accidentally do. The D-pad was changed to the classic raised design, making it much easier to make diagonal presses. However, Microsoft's endeavor to keep the black and white buttons still causes a problem for the controller. While they are able to be pressed now, their position means that the thumb must be cocked at an uncomfortable angle, or they must be pressed with the length of the finger, instead of the tip.

One particular scenario which I experienced illustrates the problems that can be caused by this setup perfectly. In the Rockstar game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, when trying to preform a drive-by shooting, the player must press the right trigger to control the car's acceleration, the left analog stick to steer, the white button to look left, the left trigger to fire, and the X button to brake. It took me a long time to even adequately master this control scheme, and I often resorted to just running enemies over instead of trying to shoot them.


The evolution of the Xbox controller occurred with the release of the Xbox 360 in 2005. Microsoft extensively tested their new product, and the result was what might be the perfect videogame controller. When held in the hands, the player's index fingers naturally rest over the triggers, the left thumb on the left analog stick, and the right thumb on the XYAB buttons, as pictured here. The D-pad and right analog stick can be easily and comfortably manipulated with minimal thumb movement, and the improvements to the D-pad and analog sticks found in the Controller S are kept for the 360 model. However, the best increase in the usability of the 360 controller was the replacement of the black and white buttons with shoulder bumpers above the triggers. This allows the buttons to be pressed with just a quick flick of the index fingers, and, if necessary, the middle finger can be comfortably used to manipulate the triggers if both buttons must be pressed in tandem.

In my opinion, the 360 controller is the best controller manufactured to date, and if Microsoft produced all their products with as much usability as it has, Apple would have never had the resurgence that it did.