Original Xbox 'Duke' Controller to Return in March

By Edward Leano, Christian Post Contributor Monday, January 15, 2018

Something big is coming this March, and that is literally the case with the original Xbox "Duke" controller making a return in a few months. The oversized peripheral is coming back with a few upgrades as well, including an interactive display on the center.

Seamus Blackley, known by Xbox fans as one of the pioneers that drove the development of the first-ever Xbox, has announced the revival alongside gaming accessories maker Hyperkin, according to Euro Gamer. That was back in June of 2017, and now, the idea has come a long way towards an actual product that's coming later this year.

Being the father of the Xbox has its perks, and in this way, Blackley was somehow able to secure the go-ahead from Microsoft to bring back the original "Duke" Xbox controller and have it work for this generation of consoles.

The new controller will cost around $70 when it launches this spring, sometime in March. An early prototype was demoed at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, and it looks to be as close to production quality as can be, according to CNet.

A few changes Blackley and Hyperkin made with the next generation "Duke" console includes an update of the round "jewel" at the center, which now houses an OLED screen that plays the original Xbox startup animation when pressed.

Hyperkin is also adding a few new features for modern consoles, including a USB compatible cable and two shoulder buttons so that it can support Xbox One and Xbox 360 games that need those. The peripheral maker has also done away with the memory card slots in this remake.

In all other aspects, though, the new release is a close replica of the original, down to shape texture, layout, and of course, the size. "I'd taken my eye off the ball when it came to the controller ... and the circuit board was given out to a vendor who was a friend of somebody or a brother of somebody," Blackley jokingly recalled.

"So the circuit board they came up with was the size of a dinner plate," he explained.