Xbox “The Duke” controller
I was tempted to add the Xbox One to this list due to Microsoft’s terrible decision-making in the buildup to its release. Then I remembered The Duke. There is no denying the outrage Microsoft faced when it revealed the first-generation Xbox controller, nicknamed The Duke.
Why the Duke? It was huge, ugly, and just awkward. When Microsoft introduced the original Xbox controller, fans reportedly threw garbage at Seamus Blackley, the console’s designer. Xbox didn’t want to build such a giant controller, but its hands were tied when the circuit boards were larger than anticipated. The Xbox controller ended up being nearly three times larger than the PlayStation’s DualShock controller.
A few months after the Xbox launched with the Duke controller, the Japanese version arrived with a sleeker Controller S. It didn’t take long for Microsoft to make the Japanese version the default controller for Xbox worldwide. And yet, the Duke would go on to live another life thanks to Hyperkin, which released a Duke-inspired controller for Xbox One and PCin 2018 (which is still available as of writing).
