We’ve reported on the SJW inclusive Xbox Series X controller before, which goes by the name of the “Wireless Controller,” and what ports and buttons it will bring to the table next-gen. However, in a recent interview, Microsoft’s Jason Ronald explains why the new controller will use double-A (AA) batteries.
For those of you that don’t know, the OG Xbox used wired controllers. There were other controllers that you could pick up that allowed one to play wirelessly, and the same concept applied to the Xbox 360.
When the Xbox One rolled around, it brought forth wireless controllers as a standard for Xbox users. These controllers, especially newer iterations, also sport many ports so that you can play with a wired cord or a battery/power bank to get around changing batteries.
Well, it looks like the new controller for the Xbox Series X will feature ports from the Xbox One S as well as the use of double-A batteries — much like any generation of the Xbox One controller.
We learn this from an interview that Digital Foundry struck up with Ronald, where website gamingbolt.com highlights the latter’s response as to why the Xbox Team kept with double-A batteries next-gen:
“What it comes down to is when actually talking to gamers, it’s kind of polarising and there is a strong camp that really want AAs. So just giving flexibility is the way to please both [sets of] people… You can use a rechargeable battery pack and it works just like it does on the Elite, [but] it is a separate thing.”
For clarification, Ronald and crew spoke with “gamers” and believe that keeping with double-A batteries will offer folks options to either keep with the first method, opt for a battery pack or find a third-party adaptor-cord that plugs into the next-gen console.
So there you have it, the new Xbox controller designed for children and women, sporting an inclusive design, will also don a new share button and tactile dots on the right and left bumpers/triggers.
Lastly, the new controller and the Xbox Series X are still on to release sometime in Q4 2020.