Phil Spencer Says Xbox Series X/S Will Probably Update Its Controller, May Learn From PS5

When Microsoft unveiled the controller for the Xbox Series X/S, the company played it rather safe in terms of design. The current Xbox Series controller mirrors its Xbox One predecessor with a few small additions – but Xbox boss Phil Spencer says the company will likely update it in future, and may take some pointers from the PS5 DualSense.

In a recent episode of Kinda Funny Gamescast, Spencer said that although Xbox is not planning on releasing any major hardware such as VR headsets in the near future, it is more than likely the company will make a model refresh of the Xbox Series X/S controller. He also complimented Sony, and the design and features available on the PS5’s DualSense controller.

“We’re definitely thinking about different kinds of devices that can bring more games to more places. There’s probably some work we’ll do on [the] controller,” Spencer told the Gamecast crew as transcribed by VGC. “I think Sony’s done a nice job with their controller, we kind of look at some of that [and think] ‘Are there things that we should go do?’.”

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Microsoft toying with the idea to implement similar features – like the haptic feedback found on the DualSense controller – comes as no surprise. In January, the tech giant sent out a survey to owners of its ninth-generation consoles asking if they would like to see any DualSense features on an Xbox controller.

Spencer also touched more into the topic of VR and Xbox, noting once again that Microsoft is not focusing on VR for Xbox hardware. “We’re watching what happens on PC. As it relates to VR specifically, the best experience I have seen is [Oculus] Quest 2. And I just think [the] ease of use, [being] untethered in its capability just doesn’t, to me, require it being connected to an Xbox in any way.”

While Microsoft has yet to explore VR for consoles and likely will not anytime soon, the company is exploring other ways to attract people to the Xbox brand. The company is planning to bring the Xbox experience to smart TVs and streaming sticks, though reaffirms that the Xbox hardware itself will remain a “flagship experience,” with Spencer hinting that while no Xbox hardware refresh is coming anytime soon, a roadmap for future models is not out of the realm of possibility.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

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