You may have thought it was an elaborate hoax, but the planned revival of the unfathomably monstrous original Xbox controller – we called it the Duke back then, out of fearful reverence – is a real thing and it’s really happening. Soon.
Initially unveiled at E3, we now have confirmation that the suits at Microsoft (presumably big, burly chaps who don’t see the problem with a gamepad that’s got the heft and ergonomics of a VW Beetle) have approved the final design.
#NewDuke has gone to tooling and is approved by @Xbox THIS IS HAPPENING! pic.twitter.com/zSVA4TFh08
— Seamus Blackley (@SeamusBlackley) September 20, 2017
Put together by peripheral developer Hyperkin (who seem to trade in precariously pirate-ish retro console hybrid machines, among other things), under the guidance of and with blessing from Seamus Blackley (co-creator of the original Xbox), the rebirth of the Duke is being kitted out to be a compatible match for the current Xbox One controller.
Besides its gargantuan proportions, it’s the new LCD screen where the original Xbox logo used to be which has us intrigued – but right now, we have no idea what it’ll be used for. If it’s just to show the logo animation, then… well, that’s just stupid.