Xbox

Speaking to my own Xbox hardware sources, I was told that it's less about the discs themselves and more about the supply chain around optical disc drives collapsing. Factories and assembly lines previously oriented around making optical disc drives are moving towards other, more lucrative and more scalable industries, such as camera lenses and the like. Demand for optical disc drives revolves entirely around Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 right now, with laptops, Blu-Ray devices, and other formats essentially phasing out the tech. Consumers opted overwhelming for digital-only in the last few

Photology1971/Shutterstock While the evolution of Xbox controllers has involved progressive refinement since Microsoft's original console launched on November 15, 2001, a surprising number of elements have remained constant. The latest Xbox Wireless Controller still uses that OG asymmetrical stick layout, and the colored ABXY buttons have held firm for 25 years. Since the launch of the Xbox 360 in 2005, every standard edition wireless pad Microsoft has released also continues to rely on AA batteries (though you can purchase a separate rechargeable battery pack). The first milestone Xbox contro

Sam Bianchini/Shutterstock Ah, the good old story of the Duke, the Xbox pad that existed because it had to. Its colloquial name came from Xbox hardware project manager Brett Schnepf's son. As the first console controller Microsoft ever manufactured, the OG Xbox's gamepad was an absolute beast. Measuring 7 inches wide, 5.5 inches tall and 2.7 inches thick, this utter unit of a peripheral also tipped the scale at 14 ounces. For reference, the latest Xbox Series Wireless Controller weighs around 9.8 ounces.  There are several factors behind the Duke's mighty dimensions. First, the original Xbox w

djgis/Shutterstock Ask Xbox fans of a certain vintage, and they'll likely look back on the Xbox 360 controller most fondly. Though there was also a wired version, the 360's wireless gamepad was the first Xbox controller that didn't need to be connected to its console all the time. Its innovative home button let you jump straight to the console's "Blades" dashboard in swift and convenient style. The Xbox 360 pad also had a big impact on PC gaming, with robust Windows support and the rollout of Microsoft's Xinput API making it the go-to controller for PC users for many years. Pound-for-pound, th