For nearly twenty years, Microsoft’s Xbox has been a constant force in gaming, nestled alongside Sony’s PlayStation as one of the most popular gaming brands. With the coming shift that the upcoming Xbox Series X will bring, fans have been clamoring for more details on what’s to come with next-gen. While the console itself has some impressive features, the one thing that players are especially excited to see more of, and to get their hands on, is the controller itself. The many controllers throughout Xbox’s history have placed themselves among the pantheon of gaming’s most iconic devices, and the Xbox Series X’s controller looks to continue on a tradition of being an accessible peripheral to get a grip on.
With this in mind, we wanted to take a look at the history of the Xbox’s key controllers and upgrades. Many of these controllers would possess features and innovations that would go on to become trailblazers for more exciting and accessible ways to play for the audience. In this video, video producer Jay Julio takes us back to the beginning with the Xbox’s original controller–often known as The Duke–and explains how each device in the console’s history paved the way for what came next.