Microsoft is aware of unresponsiveness issues on new Xbox controllers, fix in the works
Some people are having issues with the newest version of the Xbox Wireless Controller that launched alongside the Xbox Series X/S, whereby button taps sometimes go unregistered, even on PC. The good news is, Microsoft has acknowledged the problem, and is working on a fix of some sort.
Now for the bad news—it's an annoying issue, and there is no time frame for the fix, or what it will entail. So if you're experiencing the same problem, the only thing you can do (short of returning the controller) is to sit back and hope it gets resolved sooner rather than later.
Controller design is tricky business these days. They have become infinitely more complicated in design and functionality than the Atari 2600 joystick I played on a million years ago, which simply consisted of a stick and a single button. Prehistoric by today's standards, but it was good enough to navigate Pitfall Harry across crocodile-infested swamps.
Multiple buttons, D-pads, analog joysticks, triggers, motorized rumbling, and other features are now common, and sometimes things go wrong, or wonky. Usually it's a drift issue we hear about, though.
Not in this case. As Microsoft's newest controller finds its way into more hands, complaints have started surface about it sometimes being unresponsive. A player who goes by SK Lee lamented to The Loadout that the "Y" button on their controller bears the brunt of the issue, and it wrecks the experience of playing FIFA on PC.
"The controller consistently failed me several times in a 15-minute game," said SK Lee, who has since gone back to using a Logitech controller.
Here's a look at the issue in action:
Whatever the cause, it seems to be platform agnostic, affecting both Xbox Series X/S and PC players. YouTube user TrueGamingHD demonstrated their controller going completely unresponsive while seemingly still connected to an Xbox Series X, prompting a reboot of the console.
"At Microsoft, we put all of our products through rigorous quality assurance testing and are committed to providing customers with an unparalleled gaming experience," Microsoft told The Loadout. "We are aware some players may be experiencing unresponsiveness with their new Xbox Wireless Controllers and our teams are actively working on a solution. For the best experience, we encourage customers to visit Xbox Support for assistance."
It will be interesting to see what exactly the eventual fix consists of, whether it's swapping the controller for a revised model (or sending it in for repair), or something that can be done on the software side. Since it affects multiple platforms, the latter seems unlikely.