The other day I reported on a modder-developed driver for the Xbox One controller. Due to Microsoft's vague announcements regarding official driver support for the controller on Windows PC, Lucas Assis combined several programs to work together to give PC gamers the driver support that they've wanted. You can grab that here, by the way.
While I was writing about Lucas' mod, it turns out Next In Gaming posted an article (by way of VG247) on the same day suggesting that Microsoft's plans for the Xbox One controller on PC were to create a Windows-specific version sans official driver support. Next In Gaming claimed that their Microsoft source said that driver support was going ditched in favor of selling more hardware. This news is frightening, but thankfully it was shut down almost immediately.
Microsoft's director of product management Albert Penello took to NeoGaf to tell concerned Xbox One controller owners that Next In Gaming's article was “100% wrong”.
“When the drivers become available, they will work with the existing controllers. There is no plan to do a new, separate controller that only works on Windows. It will be the same as it is on Xbox 360 – the Xbox One controller you have today will work,” Penello wrote.
Penello then went on to say that a PC-only SKU of the controller may or may not be developed, alongside a driver. He also stated that existing controllers will work via Wired Mode, which is as simple as using a micro USB cable from the controller to the PC.
As for native wireless functionality, Penello says, “How wireless will/could work is TBD. There are some options we are looking at.”
Despite Albert Penello coming to save the day for concerned gamers, he did not provide us with a less-vague “2014” release date. His comments state that support through Wired Mode is still being worked on, so I'm not sure how quickly they plan to develop the drivers. It's good to know that it's still in the plans, though.
