During a recent episode of The XboxEra Podcast, Shpeshal Nick mentioned that he had heard that Microsoft was internally prototyping and testing a new Xbox controller with a touchpad and tactile pad. Nick mentioned that he got this information from a social media source.
He also said whether this controller would see the light of day is anyone’s guess. He reminded the audience that Xbox had previously tested a controller for Xbox Keystone, designed to stream games from the Xbox Cloud Gaming service, but it was shelved.
He also noted that his source denied any connection between this controller and the patent for the Xbox controller with a screen. Both controllers are likely being tested by the console manufacturer for different purposes, with the screen serving as a second screen for local and cloud-based gaming, as stated in the patent.
Microsoft canceled the Xbox Keystone because of price issues, even though it worked well. During a recent interview, Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft Gaming, revealed that the company didn’t proceed with the development of the streaming device, stating that the idea hadn’t yet been realized.
