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Setup / Controllers / current

Xbox Recon Tech Special Edition in my setup.

A 2017 Xbox One controller with a hybrid D-pad and double the wireless range.

XboxRecon Tech Special Editioncurrent
Why I chose it

The Recon Tech is one of the few Xbox controllers with a hybrid D-pad, which is the feature platformers and fighting games need and the reason most controllers are unusable for them. It also carries a 3.5mm headphone jack, so game audio goes to a headset without a separate adapter, and Microsoft doubled the wireless range on this revision specifically for playing away from the console. Textured grips help in longer sessions.

How I use it

The second Xbox pad. It covers the games that need a real D-pad and doubles as the controller for playing further from the TV than the standard pad reaches.

Trade-offs

This was a limited special edition and has been discontinued for years, so it exists only second-hand and the condition varies. It predates the Xbox Series layout, so the menu and share buttons are in the older positions. It has no USB-C and no Bluetooth pairing beyond the standard Xbox wireless.