Are you happy with your Xbox Series X console? Microsoft certainly wants to know, and wants your suggestions on how it can improve your overall experience.
An Xbox console experience survey has gone out to consumers who purchased either the Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S, and it reveals some potentially exciting news as to the company’s future plans for the systems.
While the usual set of standardized questions appear, such as rating your satisfaction level since owning the console, there are some very specific and interesting topics that stand out.
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Chiefly, the question whether the Xbox Series X “feels next-gen” is asked, which has been a criticism some users have levelled at both Xbox consoles since release.
What’s more surprising, though, is the question where Microsoft asks whether users are “aware of features on PlayStation controllers” that they wish were on Xbox controllers. It also asked specifically which features users wanted to see.
The new Xbox Wireless Controller is a refined and improved version of its previous gamepad, with its main new features being a better D-Pad, textured grips and triggers, as well as a dedicated Share button. While it's visually similar at a glance, it it would be wrong to say the Xbox Series X controller hasn't changed.
Nevertheless, the PS5 DualSense controller has adaptive triggers that can change in resistance depending on what’s happening on screen, like when you fire a gun, and also includes haptic feedback, which can create far more subtle and immersive levels of vibration to mimic different sensations like rainfall.
The DualSense controller's impressive feature set has inevitably led to some Xbox owners asking for the same sort of technology to be used in the Xbox Wireless Controller, especially as developers seem to be taking advantage of them.
Microsoft also asks what users think of the console’s home screen UI, which underwent many iterations during the Xbox One’s lifetime, but remains largely unchanged for the Xbox Series X/S release. The new systems do benefit from dynamic backgrounds, however, which isn’t possible on the older Xbox consoles.
If you can't beat 'em
We’ve seen Microsoft borrow innovations from its competitor's controllers in the past, such as adding a headphone jack to the Xbox One controller and a Share button after both features were so well-received on the PS4’s DualShock 4 controller.
Sony and Nintendo are no different, of course: the PS4 DualShock 4 controller switched to concave analog sticks for the first time in PlayStation history (a previous staple on Xbox controllers) and Nintendo arguably introduced haptic feedback first in the console space with its HD Rumble tech found in the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con.
There's no doubt that adaptive triggers and haptic feedback would make the Xbox Wireless Controller better, but it'll ultimately depend on how many users feel the same way before Microsoft makes a move.
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