Xbox Nano Controller: Microsoft’s smallest gamepad yet
The Xbox Nano Controller is a little over five inches long and weighs 3.5 ounces (about 99 grams), which makes it the smallest gamepad the company has ever made. It costs $49.99, with pre-orders open in the US and shipping set for November across 36 markets. Microsoft has a new Xbox controller, and it is small enough to slip into a jeans pocket. The bigger change is how it is powered. The Nano has a built-in rechargeable battery that charges over USB-C, so there are no AA cells to swap or separate battery packs to buy. Regular Xbox controller owners have lived with that for years. Microsoft has also added a programmable Action Button for screenshots, gameplay capture and other shortcuts, while Xbox Wireless and Bluetooth support let it pair with consoles, PCs, phones and tablets.
Leaked images from earlier this year showed the Nano with a small display that told you whether it was connected to the cloud or a console, but Microsoft has left it out of the final design. Neither deal involves an Xbox console, which says plenty about who Microsoft built the Nano for. Microsoft is also using the Nano to pull new players into Game Pass this holiday season. In the US, buyers of select Samsung TVs get the controller along with two months of Game Pass Ultimate for new members. Those TVs already run the Xbox app through Samsung’s Gaming Hub, so the Nano is all it takes to start streaming games using the monthly cloud playtime. Meta is running a similar offer with two months of Game Pass Ultimate and the Nano for Quest headset buyers.