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On the surface, the Xbox One controller isn’t too different from its Xbox 360 predecessor: four face buttons, two triggers, a pair of bumpers, a couple of analog sticks, a d-pad, the Xbox Guide button and start and back button facsimiles. So designing it was probably a fairly simple task for Microsoft, right? Not exactly.

Carl Ledbetter is the man who led the team of 35 responsible for designing the Xbox One and its controller over a three-year period. In an interview with MCV, Ledbetter revealed that the console’s gamepad went through 200 prototypes that were tested by 1,100 people over a period of 500 hours.

“Nobody says anything about the little things on the hardware,” Ledbetter said. “If somebody is using the controller and after 30 minutes is saying ‘my hands are starting to hurt,’ then that’s a fail. But if after 30 minutes all they’re thinking about is the game, then we’re doing okay.”

Though most gamers and reporters have named rival Sony’s DualShock 4 as the new gold standard for gamepads, Microsoft’s Xbox One controller has been warmly received as well. Small but important changes from the 360 pad have resulted in an already comfortable design feeling even more satisfying in gamers’ hands. Complaints about aches and pains after 30 minutes of playing time have been virtually non-existent, making the design a success by Ledbetter’s standards.

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Update: A prior posting of this story incorrectly stated that the trademark was acquired. The trademark was already owned by Microsoft and was just being renewed which is standard …
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Microsoft has reported a great first quarter, thanks in part to a huge boost in console sales. According to Games Industry International, sales of Xbox consoles were up 102 …
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Earlier this year Microsoft acquired indie developer Mojang for $2.5 billion. It was a big move, and it left many fans wondering how it might effect Mojang’s hit game Minecraft. In a recent interview with IGN, Xbox head Phil Spencer talked about the desire to meet the needs of the game’s community. He said that Minecraft 2 may not make the most sense, and his words were followed by every fan of the game breathing a sigh of relief. Minecraft already does what it was created to do perfectly, why would it ever need a sequel?

Why it works so well

From the beginning, Minecraft was a game all about building. Not only was the gameplay about letting you create whatever you wanted, but the game itself was designed to be built up into something better. If you look at its original release and look at it now, it’s a very different game. Thanks to Mojang’s constant support with free updates, the game was able to constantly grow into something more grand. Content is constantly being added, and bugs are always being squashed. A sequel could never improve on the Minecraft formula, because its formula is all about improvement. A sequel would be a radical shift away from the pre-established normal of the game, changing it from a single evolving entity to a standard game series with annual static sequels.

Now that Microsoft owns the game, the company’s best course of action to keep customers happy would just be to keep the updates rolling. Minecraft is now on more platforms than ever, catering to millions of players. Everyone who has purchased the game bought it knowing it would receive updates, that the developers would be adding more fun content. It’s essentially an Everlasting Gobbstopper: for a one-time price you get something you can never finish and that will remain good for years to come. If a sequel comes along it will make the original go stale, forever stopping progress in your old worlds. It’d be like a new Skylanders game that wasn’t compatible with last year’s figures, or a new box of Legos that didn’t fit your old pieces. New content shouldn’t intend to be a rigid standalone package; it should be an addition to the big Minecraft toy box.

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Microsoft has been rumored over the past week to be in talks with Mojang about a $2.5 Billion buyout of the small indie studio responsible for Minecraft. The purchase …
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In a small percentage of Xbox One consoles, users have reported hearing a loud noise while leaving the system on the dashboard.  The trouble apparently comes from the console …
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Microsoft is negotiating to purchase Mojang, the developers of Minecraft, for over $2 billion, reports The Wall Street Journal. Nothing is confirmed yet, but Microsoft’s interest is not surprising. …
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Xbox’s Twitch profile was hacked alongside those belonging to Playstation and the eSports League (ESL). The third party posted unauthorised messages and offensive language to the channels.

Highlights from their …
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Phil Spencer revealed while talking to CVG that Rare was in fact working on a new title. In recent years Rare had been seen as the “Kinect team” …
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At Gamescom, Microsoft announced three new bundles for the Xbox One to be released this holiday season. One of these bundles has been teased previously — it celebrates the upcoming …
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