The FTC vs. Microsoft battle may be over, but the leaks don’t stop. In a new wave of documents discovered, still unedited and publicly available for some reason, Microsoft’s Xbox hardware plans have been prematurely revealed. One of them is a brand new Xbox Wireless Controller, which is reportedly in development with features Sony PlayStation fans may be familiar with.
Codenamed Sebile, the controller’s shape appears to remain the same from the Xbox One and Series X editions. However, what appears to be a more grippy material covers the bottom half of this iteration, while the top half remains the same plastic finish that fans have come to expect from Xbox controllers. The middle share button is shifted somewhat.
As the document shows, the biggest additions are inside, with the Sebile including “precise haptic feedback” drivers as opposed to the current noise functionality. The pickups of these VCA’s can also be used as speakers. An accelerometer as well as quieter buttons/thumb sticks are also part of it.
Haptics for more immersive gaming experiences were a key selling point of Sony’s PlayStation 5 DualSense controllers. If Microsoft also jumps into the technology, we should see many more titles supporting the refined vibration technology.
The Sebile Xbox controller also appears to ship with Xbox Wireless 2, Direct-to-Cloud (perhaps similar to the Stadia controller), and Bluetooth 5.2 support. The removable battery compartment is also back. A new Lift to Wake feature and modular thumbsticks are also mentioned, with the latter hopefully being a cheaper solution to the analog stick drift problem.
The documents reveal that Sebile will be included with the recently leaked Xbox Series X|S refresh. The controller itself will come in at $69.99 with support for consoles, PCs and mobile devices. As expected, special and limited versions are also planned.