Microsoft’s Leaked Compact Xbox Cloud Controller May Be Coming To Eat 8BitDo’s Lunch

Microsoft has scarcely deviated from its regular Xbox controller design—with the obvious exceptions of the Duke and Microsoft Adaptive Controllers—but it looks like Microsoft will soon try its hand at a compact controller, if recent leaks out of Portuguese-language publication, Technoblog, are any indication. According to images and information leaked to the publication, the new controller design will be similar to the likes of the 8BitDo SN30 Pro, and it will have a similar cloud-focused feature-set, to boot. Although it will have a familiar Xbox layout, the controller will be designed around cloud gaming first and foremost, although it appears as though it will also function normally with the Xbox or PC, anyway.

Unlike its 8BitDo counterpart, the unreleased Xbox compact cloud controller will have the traditional offset thumb stick locations and a d-pad design that’s similar to, if not identical to, the one found on the current-gen Xbox Wireless controller that launched with the Series consoles. Additionally, there appears to be a little more care taken with respect to ergonomics on Microsoft’s new controller, with its small hump-like grip protrusions on the bottom of the controller. The leaked images show off the controller in both black and white, and the publication indicates that it will feature Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, and USB-C connectivity, with a Realtek RTL8730E SoC and a 500 mAh built-in battery as opposed to the regular wireless controller’s AA solution.