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Apple Adds Microsoft's Xbox Wireless Controller to its Online Store

macfacts said:
You obviously forgot about the original Xbox that had a DVD drive but didn't play dvd movies.
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That was due to DVD video licensing royalties. I think they were up to $20/player at that time. Console hardware is already sold at a loss and the original Xbox was made from expensive PC components. The DVD remote dongle unlocked this capability.

Wii was the exact same, but there was never an official option. It was hacked in via homebrew.
 
oneMadRssn said:
Can anyone recommend an iOS controller that is portable, is designed to have the phone fit in it like a switch (or otherwise has a holder), and works with GTA SA on iOS?
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Gamevice supports a whole load of GTAs including SA. I used to have one for an iPad which I was pretty happy with. Nothing like an XBox Controller’s quality though of course. Downsides were that is was a bit bulky to carry around (it didn’t fold up when not in use), and it’s at risk of becoming obsolete if you get a phone of a different size, or decide to switch to an iPad,
 
PS4 controller would be more appropriate I would think. The PS4 has a gyro which mimic the Apple TV remote and the iPhone, the Xbox controller does not have a gyro.
Also I find the Steel Series controller to be the most comfortable design with quality buttons and construction, more so than Xbox or PS4, however it does lack some features.
 
ilikewhey said:
even xbox controller gets the apple tax? i got mine for like 30 bucks on black friday at bestbuy
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$59.99 is the MSRP for the Xbox controller. Apple isn’t doing anything wrong other than not discounting it the way other retailers do and probably won’t sell a lot of them this way, but it’s their prerogative to offer them for sale, regardless.
 
PSA: The controllers do indeed work with Catalina as well. I just put one of my Xbox One controllers in sync mode and the Mac found it and synced it. Works great. Loaded a couple Apple Arcade games up - no issues. Pretty manageable latency. I also tried Steam Big Picture - which also worked perfectly. This is a huge improvement over what we used to have to do.
 
konqerror said:
They still do when using the Xbox console. It's based on 5 GHz Wi-Fi, not Bluetooth. There's not enough bandwidth on Bluetooth to have low latency controls while transporting the two way audio streams for the headset, particularly because that needs high-res low-latency stereo game audio, while supporting two controllers simultaneously.

Bluetooth mode is limited to one controller without audio. If you want audio on PC, you have to use wired USB.

Look at the PS4 for why: you can enable game audio over its Bluetooth controller, but the quality is poor due to compression.
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Huh, I never knew this - I never actively used audio features on either system to where I noticed.
 
Act3 said:
Paying $60 for that controller is foolish, Black Friday or not, is the point being made. Normal price at walmart is under $50 and the article mentioned Best Buy and Targets prices.
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It's the retail price Microsoft suggest, and retailer are allowed to cut it (some do more than others), and if you feel it is not worth that much, it's up to you (but has NOTHING to do with the "Apple Tax").

So really do not see the need to bitch about Apple, they simply chose to apply the retail price, plenty of option to buy anyhwere you feel more confortable / find cheaper.

It's not like only Apple can sell the "iOS"compatible version, if that was the case, I would agree with you, but that's NOT the case.
 
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I approve of this move. Now, if only Apple could apply the same kind of logic on macOS. Provide a standard interface for game controllers, and maybe even a standard API that automatically figures out the correct icons, oh my that'd be sweet.

There is no reason whatsoever as to why macOS can't be a great gaming platform. After all, that's what consumers, which surely are the target market of half of Apple's hardware offerings, are going to use powerful hardware for. Given the existance of the iMac Pro for pros, why isn't the iMac featuring a GPU geared towards gaming? I'd love an iMac with a 2080 max-Q or even a 5700 XT in it. I'd buy it literally instantly. A beautiful 5K display connected to a great GPU, with 1440p gaming completely viable and a simple pixel doubling, and 5K viable in less graphically demanding titles? Yes please!

And yes I want to use macs for professional work as well, but that doesn't invalidate this point. There is no reason why the Mac cannot be a general purpose consumer computer.
 
konqerror said:
Bluetooth mode is limited to one controller without audio. If you want audio on PC, you have to use wired USB.
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You can also get an Xbox Wireless Adapter for Windows 10 that supports up to 8 controllers without audio, 4 controllers with a basic headset or 2 controllers with a stereo headset. It's also has much lower latency than bluetooth.
 
konqerror said:
You probably should buy it soon. They seem to be phasing anything that isn't Surface-related out. Joysticks left a long time ago, but webcams and headsets are basically discontinued. Notably there's exactly one name-brand external webcam maker in the PC world left: Logitech.
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You're right...I probably should. It's on my Amazon wishlist, and I've been casually tracking its price. However, I also just added the Logitech MX Keys to the list of keyboards to buy, so if I don't end up with the Sculpt, I have another one lined up. I could also see them rebranding the sculpt as the Surface Ergo or something similar.
 
YaBe said:
It's the retail price Microsoft suggest, and retailer are allowed to cut it (some do more than others), and if you feel it is not worth that much, it's up to you (but has NOTHING to do with the "Apple Tax").

So really do not see the need to bitch about Apple, they simply chose to apply the retail price, plenty of option to buy anyhwere you feel more confortable / find cheaper.

It's not like only Apple can sell the "iOS"compatible version, if that was the case, I would agree with you, but that's NOT the case.
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Where is my post have I bitched about Apple's price on this controller? If anything, I've defended that it isn't an Apple tax in this forum thread.
 
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