Xbox’s new $50 Nano controller looks like the cheek-pinchable baby brother of the relatively macho $65 Xbox wireless controller or the far more expensive Elite 2. Pocketability is one thing, but being half the size of a traditional Xbox gamepad is reminding me just how much I wish gaming could take itself a little less seriously. Some of us enjoy small and cute gaming gear, too.
The console maker says its Nano controller contains all the typical gamepad inputs, though it lacks any extra back buttons for you to accidentally press while gaming. It’s built for portability, weighing in at 3.5 ounces, or 0.2 pounds. The 5-inch controller’s baby butt grip shape adds a little more ergonomics compared to a few other squat controllers, like the more traditionally shaped $40 HyperX Clutch Tanto Mini or the 8BitDo Ultimate Mini. The Xbox Nano isn’t offering anything truly special otherwise, save for a programmable action button you can set to take screenshots or employ other shortcuts.
My humanoid brain, built to recognize miniature, oval-eyed creatures as “cute,” hasn’t had much reason to apply the term to gaming gear recently. The recent mountain of PC peripherals has all centered around the wannabe esports pro scene with expensive keyboards and mice. PlayStation has been promoting monitors, headsets, and arcade sticks. Nintendo, with its propensity to sell oddities like physical, playable ocarinas, is the only brand that remembers gaming can be a little more lighthearted and still have appeal.
So when Microsoft drops a squat controller half the size of its age-old Xbox gamepad, I can’t help but feel an ounce of whimsy hit my brain stem like a shot of adrenaline. The Xbox Nano bears all the same buttons of a typical Xbox controller, but it’s more portable. That’s all it needs to be. The one lingering question is how its triggers feel and whether that will make for a less ideal experience playing games like Forza Horizon 6.
The Xbox Nano also has a rechargeable battery instead of the AA batteries that base Xbox controllers normally have to contend with. Xbox hasn’t revealed the Nanp’s battery size, so it’s hard to tell what kind of longevity we can expect from it. The controller supports Xbox and PC XInput as well as iPhones, Android devices, and select smart TVs, namely ones from Samsung.
The Xbox Nano is not as miniscule as some keychain controllers, like my favored 8BitDo Micro. However, it is far more transportable in a backpack or luggage. It may be a handy accessory when I’m trying to game on the go with a gaming laptop or, perhaps, one of the newfangled RTX Spark PCs.
The Xbox Nano controller should be available starting in early November. Microsoft will also be shipping one of these controllers and two months of Game Pass Ultimate with select Samsung TVs. If you were honestly thinking about getting one, just spend the $50 and get yourself a big boy controller for when you want true comfort when playing on the couch.
