Gaming consoles are launched once every several years and along with them come new controllers. These controllers are also sold separately as replacement units, and you can use them with a gaming PC or laptop. After all, a large majority of games irrespective of platform are designed to use gaming controllers. Microsoft makes one of the most popular gaming consoles, the Xbox One X and they have a history of making successful controllers to go along with them.
The search for a controller for a gaming PC takes us far and wide, and there are models starting from as low as Rs. 1,200. They tend to be wired controllers, from somewhat newer brands. Go a little higher up the price range and you find wired controllers from popular brands priced at around Rs. 2,000. Decent wireless controllers only begin at around Rs. 3,000 or so and you can find third-party licensed controllers for the Xbox in and around that price range. These are only certified as being compatible with those consoles.
A gaming console manufacturer has usually seen years and decades of devices used by a ton of gamers. They design controllers to bear the brunt of an aggressive gamer, for years and years on end. An original controller shipped with gaming consoles should then last a lot longer than the cheaper alternatives. When a search for a controller began, it ended with the Microsoft Xbox One Series Wireless Controller. Hands-down, it’s one of the best controllers for the Xbox, and any gamer who uses a laptop or PC.
Priced at Rs. 5,390*, it’s a bit higher in price than the cheaper alternatives, but one glimpse at the product and the price starts making sense. Having used quite a few controllers in the past, the weight and the feel of the new Xbox One Series Wireless Controller becomes apparent. It’s heavier than a phone, but that is without the AA batteries needed to power it. With the batteries plugged in, the weight is substantial. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, since you won’t be travelling and walking around with this.
Unlike other controllers, this doesn’t feel like a hollow mess. It is heavy, but because it’s strong and packed, with no loose nuts and bolts rattling about inside. Other third-party controllers may look identical, but this one feels like the real deal.
The Xbox One Series Wireless Controller is like any other controller, two analogue triggers on one end, two analogue sticks up front, a D-pad and four control buttons. There is now a Share button that can help you quickly share content on any of the services you may use. The Start/Pause game and menu buttons haven’t changed since the last iteration.
Moving on to how this controller feels. The triggers are chunkier, with little to no sideways movement. The pressure as you pull on them is even, all through the ranges. The D-Pad is one of the unique points. The four directions are distinctly pressable. There is a quick ramp up from pressing them down, and they suddenly getting acknowledged with a hard click. They are noisy, and that is one of the big differences between other controllers and these. Unless you are playing titles that wholly depend on the D-Pad, you won’t find them annoying. A similar click is heard if you press down hard on the analogue sticks. The other buttons offer feedback and aren’t mushy or too clicky.
There are a few models of the controller available, some with colour variations, some just the unit without the cable, so you can pick. The one we are using is the Xbox Wireless Controller that ships with a Type-C USB cable. This is handy for several reasons. One, you can choose to use the controller without the Bluetooth functionality, if say the batteries are low on charge, or maybe you like the peace of mind that you’re always connected to the console or gaming PC. The performance difference between USB connectivity and Bluetooth is indistinguishable for all of us, maybe except for some professional gamers who can notice the tiny milliseconds of added latency.
The Bluetooth functionality also allows you to connect to your smartphone or tablet. You could be playing some native titles on these platforms, like you would on a laptop or a gaming console. There are other opportunities. Steam allows for remotely streaming games from a gaming PC or laptop to a tablet or smartphone. You could setup your phone using a third-party mount to the controller and play games remotely like a handheld console lazying in bed, for example.
The Type-C USB cables enables another functionality that makes the Xbox One Series Controller an absolute joy to use. If you are like us, you can play late into the night without any speakers waking up everyone. You can plug in a pair of 3.5mm headphones or earphones straight into base of the controller. This is a feature you will not find on most game controllers. There is also an expansion port that lets you attach an Xbox controller compatible keyboard or headset if you’d like.
Gaming using the Xbox One Series Wireless Controller is fun. The tension on all the analogue units is flawless. The feedback from the controller is strong, reliable, but more importantly, accurate. Even the smallest of bumps and anomalies on the terrain you’re driving over in a racing game makes its presence felt. The weight we mentioned earlier is a non-issue. A lot may be to do with being so engrossed, that you won’t notice that the controller is a bit heavier than your phone might be. There is no directional bias or sway in any of the analogue sticks or noticeable change in how any of the buttons feel over the time we used the controller.
The battery performance may differ from one player to another, based on how many games use the feedback aggressively. It’s safe to say you should be able to use it for a few weeks before replacing the AA batteries. It may make sense to buy a pair of rechargeable batteries and never worry about them. You will still always have the option to use the USB cable connectivity as a backup. Microsoft also sells an optional Xbox Rechargeable Battery that is exactly what its name says – a rechargeable battery unit that charges and sits in the controller where the two AA batteries would normally go.
The Bluetooth performance is impressive too, and it gives you the advantage of getting around obstacles around the house. Pairing is simple and takes a few moments and then on, connecting is almost instantaneous. Just remember, if you’re using a gaming PC without an inbuilt Bluetooth adapter, you will need to purchase one. You can also choose to purchase the slightly more expensive model of the controller that ships with the Bluetooth adapter.
The Xbox One Series Wireless Controller is a pricier option in a crowd of controllers, but it does everything and does it better than every one of those. In all honesty, it’s not a lot more than the popular options, so why compromise? Its robustness gives confidence that you can use it over several years like it was intended to be. You should not be running into troubles with this anytime soon. I purchased the Xbox One Series Wireless Controller from reliancedigital.in, and it was delivered well within a day. In some locations, you might even get it delivered in under three hours. If you’re close to a Reliance Digital store however, you can also head right over and purchase one.
Rating: 9/10
Note: Prices are subject to change. Please refer to the product page for the latest prices, details, and availability.
