With the MCC and H5:G coming out, it isn’t too much of a stretch to say that we will see a custom Halo X1 hitting store shelves in the future.
I am not trying to sell a skin or any propose any visual suggestions.
What I am trying to propose is a design that I saw back in the days of the original Xbox, and haven’t seen since.
A little back story:
I distinctly remember walking around a Best Buy when I was a little kid. My parents normally let me and my little brother go play on the demo consoles while they did their shopping. Occasionally, I would browse the game collection to see what I should beg my parents for next. On one such excursion, I was walking down the games and accessories aisle and I saw a really cool controller for sale. I can’t remember exactly what it was, but the color tan and the name Star Wars come to mind. This controller wasn’t shaped like a normal controller, either. Thinking back, I think it was aesthetically akin to one of the droids from the movies. Despite the odd shape and design, one thing about the controller stood out to me: the buttons. The A, B, X, and Y buttons were in two different places. The normal diamond of buttons was there, just like any other controller. A second set had been split in half and located on the backs of the grips! This blew my young mind. Ever since then, I have always wondered why that hasn’t become the standard for console controllers. Especially among the competitive crowd, such an addition would be unparalleled!
I know I’m not the only one who thinks this is a good idea. When looking around for an image of the controller I mentioned (and failing to produce results), I stumbled upon people selling controllers modified to incorporate such a feature! Others have seen the potential and are capitalizing off of it.
What I am proposing is that the next Halo-themed console come with a unique controller based on these principles.
I love Halo, that’s no secret. I want as many people to know about Halo and all that it entails as possible. With 343I being under Microsoft, they are in a unique position to make this possible. To seize the opportunity to own a controller and to make the only way to get it through buying a Halo X1 (and separately down the road, once sales are sufficient) would boost its player base with a lot of new, competitive players wanting to own this innovative piece of hardware.
With how finely made the X1 controller is, it could mean a couple of small changes in the shape of the controller. That change in ergonomics would be one of the biggest drawbacks to such a design. Sufficient play testing would be required to find an iteration that is both comfortable and natural. With pro players like Bravo, Ghostayame, Dursky, and Neighbor in their ranks, I’m sure they could find a sufficient number of volunteers to perform said testing.
The design is simple enough. As you can see in my expertly modified MS Paint masterpiece, it would be a simple copying of the bottons to the back. None of the software would have to be rewritten (unless some new exploits become evident) and they would simply require a branch from the current button wiring be brought down to the grips. The biggest problem would be the size of the buttons and their corresponding hardware internal to the controller. A simple solution could be to shrink the buttons like those modified by the vendor linked earlier in this post.
I’m certainly no designer. For instance, it would probably be more natural to vertically switch the button pairs (A on top, B on bottom and X on top and Y on bottom) for a more natural positioning where the more dominant finger (middle or ring, depending on your trigger preference) would press the more dominant buttons (A and X). Again, play testing. There is plenty of time before both games for this concept to get thrown into testing since it doesn’t interfere with any of the other projects 343I and it’s contracted accomplices have actively in development since it is as simple as using a different controller.
I normally don’t associate myself with the more strong-willed competitive community, but I have a feeling that this is something that we both can actually agree on!
Please provide feedback and discuss! If you would love to use a controller like this, then let’s get 343I mindful of it!