Could A Controller To Use On Both PlayStation And Xbox Be Coming?

One of the biggest developments in the video game industry has been cross-platform play, the ability to play with other gamers on other consoles. One video game company could actually be working on a controller that could be used on multiple consoles.

What Happened: Reggie Fils-Aimé served as the president of Nintendo of America, a unit of Nintendo Co NTDOY, for 15 years. While at the company, Fils-Aimé helped lead Nintendo’s release of several new products such as the Wii, the DS and the Switch. The former executive was also working on a new product, which was never released.

Fils-Aimé, who left Nintendo in 2019, said the company was working on a controller that would be compatible with the PlayStation and Xbox video game consoles for Sony Group Corp SONY and Microsoft Corporation MSFT, respectively.

“Imagine an adaptive controller that you could play with your latest Xbox, PlayStation or Nintendo platform. That’s what we were working on three years ago,” Fils-Aimé said in an interview with Inverse.

The former Nintendo executive isn’t sure if the company is still working on it, but hopes someday a controller that can be used on multiple platforms is a reality.

“My hope is that the effort has continued. My hope is that controller — and the ability for that controller to connect with all of the various systems — is launched and shared with consumers as quickly as possible.”

Fils-Aimé said he hopes to see the video game industry make further developments to help with accessibility for users, including on the hardware side.

Nintendo used the Xbox Adaptive Controller as a “jumping-off point” to work on a controller that would be platform-agnostic and adaptable for consumers.

“I do believe the best solution is an industry solution that can work for all of the dedicated gaming platforms and for PC, and can truly be tailored to the player depending on their physical capabilities and what they can do.”

Related Link: Nintendo Acquires A Movie Company, Are We Getting More Video Game Movies? 

Why It’s Important: Sony and Microsoft have battled for dominance in the video game console market for years and often find themselves competing head-to-head for money from consumers in each new product release cycle.

Video game companies have to create games for each specific console with different controllers and specifications.

A controller that could be used for consoles from Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo could be a big win for video game companies and also for consumers.

Given the historical rivalry between Sony and Microsoft in the gaming space, consumers will have to wait and see if the two companies would support a controller usable for different gaming platforms.

Photo: lassedesignen via Shutterstock