Xbox has a teeny new gamepad

The $50 Xbox Nano Controller is five inches long and weighs 3.5 ounces.

Xbox

Xbox has unveiled its latest gamepad, which it says is the smallest controller in its lineup. The Xbox Nano Controller is just over five inches long and weighs 3.5 ounces. It offers the standard Xbox controller layout in a more compact format.

Xbox says the controller, which has a rechargeable battery, could be useful for younger players and others with smaller hands. It has an action button you can program via the Xbox Accessories app to, for instance, take screenshots or gameplay videos. There's Bluetooth support so, along with Xbox consoles and PCs, the Nano Controller is compatible with iOS and Android devices as well as certain smart TVs.

Samsung is bundling the controller and two months of Game Pass Ultimate access for new subscribers with select TV purchases in the US during the holiday season. A similar offer is in the works for Meta Quest headsets. It's worth bearing in mind that Xbox is enabling time limits on cloud gaming as of next month. You'll only be able to stream cloud games on a TV, Quest or other device for 15 hours with Game Pass Ultimate unless you buy time credits.

Xbox

The Nano Controller reminds me of the more portable gamepads that 8BitDo makes, though it's not quite as teeny as that brand's Micro controller. I'm interested in trying it to find out how the Nano's triggers feel. I play games on my phone using the BackBone Pro and OhSnap's MCON and while I broadly like both, I find the triggers on those controllers finicky.

Pre-orders for the Xbox Nano Controller are now open. The peripheral costs $50 and it'll ship in the US on November 4. It'll be available in 35 other countries next month and it will hit other markets down the line.