Xbox Exec Reveals How an Essential Controller Was Almost Cancelled in the Past

Published 10/27/2022, 11:42 AM EDT

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The Xbox Adaptive Controller is known for its multi-functional abilities and players of all styles simply love it. However, most of the gaming fans will be shocked to know that Microsoft, at one point, was almost about to cancel this controller.

During a recent interview, an Xbox official revealed this rarely-known fact. While mentioning the information about the Adaptive Controller, they told how Microsoft came close to not releasing the product at all.

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When the Xbox Adaptive Controller got nearly canceled

Robin Seiler, who’s the corporate vice president of Windows and devices at Microsoft, had an interaction with The Verge. While telling about many things, he told the outlet how the company was almost on the brink of canceling the controller.

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“There was a point in time when the Xbox controller that was designed for accessibility was on the cut list,” said Seiler. Giving the reason, he told that Microsoft was trying to manage the budgets. Thus, at one point, there arrived a situation when the Xbox Adaptive Controller was appearing to be nearly canceled.

“Across teams, Xbox and Surface, we said, ‘No this is actually important for the world. This isn’t about revenue or brand positioning; it’s just important for people to be able to play games if they want to,’” Seiler told The Verge.

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Simply put, the idea behind this product was not to earn massive revenue but to help everyone who wants to play video games. Hence, Microsoft ultimately went with the decision to ship this product publicly.

Talking about its performance since its launch in 2018, the Xbox Adaptive Controller has been a success. Especially for the modders who keep experimenting with different devices. It was possible for them to achieve desired results, as the controller is highly customizable. It’s made to support a wide variety of inputs to construct a dynamic setup for enjoying popular titles.

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Speaking of the accessibility itself, which is the controller’s main purpose to serve, Microsoft has also increased, focusing on this aspect a lot in the last four years. Nowadays, they make sure that all their products have the necessary accessibility features.

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Written by:

Mintu Tomar

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Mintu Tomar is an eSports author at EssentiallySports. After completing his bachelor's in Philosophy, he has followed his passion for covering news as a budding journalist. He lives and breathes video games and is a die-hard Call of Duty fan.
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Edited by:

Jito Tenson