Microsoft Is Ending Third-Party Controller Support For Xbox & Fans Are Not Happy

Microsoft has taken a page out of Sony’s book and has opted for a fairly anti-consumer move with the latest update. From now on, third-party controllers will no longer work on Xbox Series consoles. What makes this worse is that people who have been buying and using third-party controllers since the consoles’ release will have to buy new ones now. 

Xbox console users are unhappy with this change for obvious reasons, and they’ve been very vocal on social media, as most fans are. If you haven’t plugged in a third-party controller in a while, if you go to so now, you will encounter an error that says that the drop-off date for these third-party controllers is November 12. This is not limited to controllers only, as all third-party accessories will not work after the stipulated date.

People Affected Most By Xbox Removing Third-Party Controller Support

According to what Microsoft said to WindowsCentral, unofficially manufactured hardware may not meet quality standards for performance, security, and safety set by the company. And if you want to see if your device will work or not, head over to the full list of accessories that are supported on Xbox consoles.

This response from Microsoft may seem insufficient to some, as these same accessories were completely secure, performed well, and quality-wise, have stood the test of time. But now they suddenly fall short of Microsoft’s standards when the company plans on starting its own third-party program. According to fans, this is an Apple-like move from Microsoft that is unanimously bad for the fanbase. 

Although most Xbox users will not have much of a problem with this change, there are many people who use third-party controllers, and those will not be stoked. There are a couple of types of gamers that depend on third-party controllers and accessories. Pro players who either play first-person shooters or fighting games always go for specific third-party controllers and converters that allow them to perform at their peak no matter where they are playing.

The likelihood of any third-party controllers coming out for Xbox that match the same use case within the next two weeks is pretty much impossible. According to fans, Microsoft should walk this change back, as this is a great example of enforced obsolescence that should not be acceptable to most gamers, regardless of what kind of games they play.