I'm probably going to get a lot of hate for this one, but tiny gaming controllers just don't cut it for me. If your algorithm is tuned well to you, you'll probably have heard about the new Xbox Nano controller that Microsoft is launching. I'll be the first to tell you this little thing is absolutely adorable; it's definitely more portable than your bog-standard Xbox Series X controller, and at only $49.99 / £44.99, it's pretty easy on your wallet too.
It's for those reasons that I hate to say it, but it's almost certainly going to suck.
Hi, I'm Duncan. I review controllers for a living, and I'm here to tell you that while cute, tiny gaming hardware is adorable, it's almost never usable for players like me. I love to look at the CRKD Atom+; I love the idea of carrying around the most portable mobile controller in my back pocket, and I love the cozy vibes of playing on a nostalgic handheld in bed at night, but they're all so uncomfortable for me I just struggle to see the point anymore.
The Nano controller Xbox is launching is in that category for me: adorable to look at, amazing and convenient on paper, but something I'd use once, remember the hand cramp it gave me, and then avoid using for the rest of time as it decayed in a drawer while laughing at my wallet.
To be clear, I'm not telling you Xbox will have made a bad gaming peripheral here, or that the new Nano controller won't be worth your time, but I am issuing a word of caution because if you're reading this and you're over the age of 12, you're probably not going to enjoy using it. This thing isn't being made for me or you; probably, it's most likely designed for kids to carry around, or for gaming households that want to be able to have Switch-like gaming sessions that involve the whole family without forking out hundreds on new controllers for each player.
For that reason, I love to see Microsoft coming out with this. Xbox is in a sorry state and has been for a while, and adding more charm, more brand loyalty, and just a bit more whimsy for fans to hold onto is exactly why new CEO Asha Sharma is doing a pretty decent job of turning the ship around - or at least steadying it. It's just a shame new releases like this come a week or two after mass workforce layoffs - those aren't quite so tiny, or cute as the new controller.
I've been testing portable controllers, full-sized gamepads, and everything in between for years, and I can tell you that while every new, tiny controller gets me slightly giddy and filled with childlike wonder, using them is always a different story. I have pretty big hands - nothing freaky or out of the ordinary, but I'm comfortably in the large-hand gang. Wrapping my hands around a Joy-Con controller, for example, is not a pleasant experience. Even holding a Switch or Asus ROG Ally X is a pretty uncomfortable and hand-cramp-inducing affair, so tiny controllers like the Nano Controller, the new VoidJoy GC-P01, the CRKD Atom, or anything that hasn't had a bit more ergonomic oomph thrown at it, actively take me out of whatever game I'm trying to play.
Hell, even Razer's new genius foldable mobile controller, the Prio, which is a feat of engineering, had me so excited. Then I tried using it, and even though it wasn't designed to be the ELO Vagabond, it was still pretty hard to enjoy playing with. These things are not made to be amazing ways to play, and I try to grant them that leeway; they're built to be convenient. But I think there's a line that's crossed with each of them that can be seen even back with the original Backbone One.
In trying to be portable, convenient, and a "quick fix" for gaming on the go, ergonomics, comfort, and usability fly out the window. One of the reasons controllers are either good or bad is that they can be so comfortable they make you forget you're holding one, or so bad they prevent you from enjoying whatever virtual game you're running and jumping around in.
Where this changes, and the new Xbox Nano controller will likely find a market of its own, is with younger players, and that's great! Younger kids will be catered for with the opposite perspective. Expecting a 7-year-old to hold a heavy-duty pro pad like the Nacon Revolution X Unlimited is asking for it to get broken, and it's way too big for them to wrap their wee hands around, so something like the Nano controller is ideal. This is the year 2026; it's okay for us to have Mama bear, Papa bear, and Baby bear controller sizes.
Similarly, I have plenty of guy friends who are trying to get their female partners interested in gaming for the first time, and bigger controllers with tonnes of buttons can be downright intimidating for them. Coordination around a gamepad is already difficult enough to develop at first if you've not been used to it from an early age, so a smaller controller with fewer buttons is probably a much better jumping-off point, or will at least be a more accessible option should people want it. I'll let the hosts of our G+RLS podcast (which you should definitely listen to; be the judge, though).
So if I'm aware of all this, why am I bothering to tell you that the Xbox Nano controller will suck?
Because something happens when we adult gamers get a hit of nostalgia from seeing cutesy gaming memorabilia, and it's our wallets that pay the price. Essentially, I'm giving you tough love here. The Xbox Nano controller isn't for you or me, and that's alright. Just don't go buying it expecting it to be a revolutionary or enjoyable way for any adult to play games because it probably won't be. On the other hand, if you have younger gamers in your life, it's definitely one to keep around.
Want more controller buying tips? Check out the best PC controller, the best PS5 controller, and the best TMR controllers.
