When it comes to game controllers, Microsoft is known for its lineup of Xbox Wireless Controller models, which sport a design that has now lasted two console generations. Now, it seems the company is expanding its family of controller offerings. Adding to the Standard and Elite options, Microsoft is working on a smaller variant seemingly aimed at portability and cloud play.
The Brazilian technology news website Tecnoblog revealed images of this unannounced controller today. As seen in the embedded images, it looks like a mini version of the standard Xbox Wireless Controller, with most of the two grips missing. This makes for a shape that looks more like an SNES controller with joysticks or offerings from third-party controller manufacturers like 8BitDo.
While smaller, all of the buttons from the normal Xbox controller seem to be available here, including the bumpers and triggers, the pairing button in the front, and even the Share button that was added with the Series X|S launch. The pictures show both White and Black variants.
The images reportedly come from the Brazilian regulator Anatel, where the controller is undergoing testing.
As for its innards, the leaker says that Wi-Fi connectivity for Xbox Wireless support, Bluetooth 5.3, a USB-C port, and an internal battery will be present for this variant. The rechargeable battery is supposed to be 500 mAh. A release date or a name has not been found for this model yet.
The Verge has corroborated this leak as well, saying that it will be a cloud-focused release that connects directly with Microsoft's Xbox Cloud Gaming servers for reducing latency. This is a trick that was also used by the now-defunct Google Stadia streaming platform. Microsoft is reportedly working on a third edition of its Xbox Elite model controllers as well.
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