Titanfall could be key to the Xbox One’s continued success, and Microsoft is well aware. That’s why the company is ironing out the Xbox One’s kinks ahead of the game’s March 11th release date. You might have heard that Microsoft will make some multiplayer tweaks and add a new headset adapter, but the changes go far deeper than that: Microsoft will also update the Xbox One controller specifically at the request of Titanfall’s development team. According to Titanfall design lead Justin Hendry, an upcoming software patch will make the analog sticks more precise than before.
Microsoft will ‘fix’ the Xbox One controller at the request of ‘Titanfall’ developer
is a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget.
“It’s just fixing the controller input, really,” he tells The Verge, adding that the team worked with Microsoft on the solution. “It wasn’t really where we felt it should be; it was a little overly twitchy with the current controls. Now it’s fixed. We’re happy with it.”
Update: According to a Microsoft spokesperson, the controller tweak will be part of the February update to the Xbox One, and will automatically take effect when an Xbox One controller syncs with the console. Specifically, it will “increase the sensitivity of the outer boundaries of the thumbsticks on the Xbox One controller.”
"Now it's fixed. We're happy with it."
Given that Microsoft spent a reported $100 million developing the new Xbox One controller, it’s not surprising that the company would pay a little more to get the sticks just right, particularly if — as Hendry suggested to us — the benefits won’t be limited to this particular game.
Respawn Entertainment also says it’s working with Microsoft on a new version of the console’s upscaler — presumably to convert games rendered at sub-1080p resolutions up to the full HDTV standard — but it was unclear whether that upscaler will only apply to Titanfall or work with all Xbox One games.
Titanfall begins a closed beta test this Friday, and you can sign up right here. You can also read our full preview of the game.
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