I'm probably going to get a lot of hate for this one, but tiny gaming controllers just don't cut it for me. If your algorithm is tuned well to you, you'll probably have heard about the new Xbox Nano controller that Microsoft is launching. I'll be the first to tell you this little thing is absolutely adorable; it's definitely more portable than your bog-standard Xbox Series X controller, and at only $49.99 / £44.99, it's pretty easy on your wallet too.
It's for those reasons that I hate to say it, but it's almost certainly going to suck.
Hi, I'm Duncan. I review controllers for a living, and I'm here to tell you that while cute, tiny gaming hardware is adorable, it's almost never usable for players like me. I love to look at the CRKD Atom+; I love the idea of carrying around the most portable mobile controller in my back pocket, and I love the cozy vibes of playing on a nostalgic handheld in bed at night, but they're all so uncomfortable for me I just struggle to see the point anymore.
The Nano controller Xbox is launching is in that category for me: adorable to look at, amazing and convenient on paper, but something I'd use once, remember the hand cramp it gave me, and then avoid using for the rest of time as it decayed in a drawer while laughing at my wallet.
To be clear, I'm not telling you Xbox will have made a bad gaming peripheral here, or that the new Nano controller won't be worth your time, but I am issuing a word of caution because if you're reading this and you're over the age of 12, you're probably not going to enjoy using it. This thing isn't being made for me or you; probably, it's most likely designed for kids to carry around, or for gaming households that want to be able to have Switch-like gaming sessions that involve the whole family without forking out hundreds on new controllers for each player.
For that reason, I love to see Microsoft coming out with this. Xbox is in a sorry state and has been for a while, and adding more charm, more brand loyalty, and just a bit more whimsy for fans to hold onto is exactly why new CEO Asha Sharma is doing a pretty decent job of turning the ship around - or at least steadying it. It's just a shame new releases like this come a week or two after mass workforce layoffs - those aren't quite so tiny, or cute as the new controller.
I've been testing portable controllers, full-sized gamepads, and everything in between for years, and I can tell you that while every new, tiny controller gets me slightly giddy and filled with childlike wonder, using them is always a different story. I have pretty big hands - nothing freaky or out of the ordinary, but I'm comfortably in the large-hand gang. Wrapping my hands around a Joy-Con controller, for example, is not a pleasant experience. Even holding a Switch or Asus ROG Ally X is a pretty uncomfortable and hand-cramp-inducing affair, so tiny controllers like the Nano Controller, the new VoidJoy GC-P01, the CRKD Atom, or anything that hasn't had a bit more ergonomic oomph thrown at it, actively take me out of whatever game I'm trying to play.
هەفتانە هەرسکردنەکان، چیرۆکەکانی ئەو کۆمەڵگایانەی کە خۆشت دەوێن و زۆر شتی تر
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.gamesradar.com/hardware/gaming-controllers/the-xbox-nano-controller-is-cute-as-hell-but-i-regret-to-inform-you-it-will-probably-suck
