[Digital Today reporter Jinju Hong] As Microsoft’s Xbox game console marks the 25th anniversary of its 2026 launch, attention is returning to how its controllers have changed over the past 25 years. The Xbox controller began with the early large pad known as the Duke. It then helped popularise wireless peripherals through the Xbox 360 and continues today with the controller for Xbox Series X/S.

In this regard, IT outlet Engadget on Aug. 25 (local time) highlighted how Microsoft has steadily refined its hardware design to match each console generation, tracing changes in the Xbox controller.

The Duke, introduced with the original Xbox, was a representative gamepad used in 2001 when players fought the Covenant in Halo. It became an iconic Xbox peripheral at the time. It was also known for its large size and bulky design. Engadget described the Duke as “one of the ugliest gamepads of all time” and pointed to it as the starting point for later changes.

The Xbox 360 later brought changes not only as a generational shift in consoles but also in how peripherals were used. Microsoft began rolling out wireless peripherals in earnest during this period and led the mainstream adoption of wireless controllers. Users were able to enjoy games freely without being tied to cables, and controllers became an even more important element in the console gaming environment.

Changes to the controller continued in later generations. Microsoft kept the basic control scheme and shape while making incremental improvements in size, design and feel with each generation. Rather than switching to an entirely new form, the direction was to maintain a familiar experience for users while raising overall polish in the details.

The controller used by Xbox Series X/S users today is the result of those changes. Engadget rated the current pad as “the current controller, refined very precisely.” It said the design moved away from the Duke’s excessive size and bulky impression and has settled into a sleek form familiar to today’s Xbox users.

The changes go beyond simply improving appearance. Because the controller is the piece of hardware users most often hold when using a console, its feel and convenience directly affect the gaming experience. Microsoft has developed the controller by improving it with each new console generation, keeping familiarity for existing users while providing an improved experience for new users.

The 25-year history of the Xbox controller also shows shifts in Microsoft’s hardware strategy. If the early era made the large, highly prominent Duke a symbol of Xbox, the focus later moved toward improving wireless usability, control feel and design completeness.

Ultimately, the Xbox controller that began with the Duke has steadily evolved over 25 years, through the Xbox 360 and to today’s Series X/S pad. The gamepad that was once huge and bulky has now become a sleek controller that modern Xbox users readily accept as familiar. Looking back at the controller’s changes for Xbox’s 25th anniversary shows how Microsoft has consistently improved its hardware while maintaining continuity in the user experience as console generations changed.