What Does It Take To Revive Classic Controllers for Modern Hands?
As lead designer (and chief controller resurrector) at retro hardware specialist Hyperkin, Slade Suzuki has learned how to balance nostalgia and progress when it comes to reviving original Xbox controllers for the Series X/S.
Posted 3 months ago
Remaking a classic video game is a daunting prospect. Remaking a classic controller? Perhaps even more so. Those handheld houses for analog sticks, bumpers, and buttons spend hundreds of hours clasped in our palms. The right one could be your partner through an entire generation’s worth of digital adventures. That means any replica needs to stand up to the scrutiny brought by years of muscle memory, a wealth of nostalgia, and the demands of modern gaming machines.
That’s the precise gauntlet peripherals manufacturer Hyperkin faced in recreating Xbox’s iconic library of gamepads. The company has already tackled the gargantuan Duke and era-defining 360 controller (re-released as the Xenon). Now it’s preparing to invite another to that roster: The original Xbox’s Controller S, cheekily renamed as the DuchesS.
To dismantle the process of restoring beloved controllers, we spoke to Hyperkin’s lead developer and licensing director, Slade Suzuki. Despite holding the role for just two years, Suzuki has already worked on the Xenon and helmed the creation of the upcoming DuchesS. It helps that Suzuki’s younger years involved plenty of Halo 2 and Castle Crashers at his cousin’s place, but his interest in tinkering with toys stretches back even further.
Hyperkin's Xenon and DuchesS are replicas of the Xbox 360 controller and Controller S, respectively.
©Hyperkin / Restart
“When I was five years old, I absolutely loved taking things apart and putting them back together,” says Suzuki. “I told my parents [that] when I grew up, I wanted to be a Lego builder. … I wanted to be the one who designs the giant structures at Legoland. They told me that's not the most realistic aim. There are few and far between people that get to do that. So I opened it up a little and said: ‘okay, I want to be a toy designer.’”
While other kids would enter a store and look for the cutest plushies or coolest figures, Suzuki was more interested in elements like articulation and how to improve it. He came to the realization that he wanted to be an engineer. Right up until the point that math, his least beloved subject, got involved.
After changing tack and graduating from a public relations course at college, Suzuki managed to secure a job in Hyperkin’s warehouse. From the start, he was upfront about his interest in shifting to another area. And being a small team, Hyperkin proved receptive. Following a stint in marketing, he was alerted to the fact that a product designer position had opened up.
“They said: ‘Hey, we know that you like tinkering, we know that you like 3D modeling and 3D printing – do you want to try your luck at this?’” Suzuki recalls. “And I said no! [he laughs] I was like: ‘I didn't go to school for engineering. I don't know the first thing about it!’”
The original Xbox's Controller S was a popular alternative to the chunky Duke.
©Hyperkin / Restart
But Hyperkin encouraged him to make the jump. Before long, Suzuki found himself leading the charge on restoring a personal favorite: The Xbox 360 controller.
“I had help, and we have a great team here, but it was just whoa, this is being thrown into the deep end,” says Suzuki. “But at the same time, having that love and nostalgia for that controller, I really wanted to put my best foot forward and bring back something that I have great memories with.”
Personal connections aside, the Xbox controller lineage is particularly ripe for replicas. Unlike the PlayStation’s DualShock, which retained its core form factor across multiple generations, Xbox controllers have altered significantly with each iteration.
“Their designs are so unique, right?” Suzuki says. “The Duke is extremely different from the Controller S, and that's extremely different from the 360. The 360 was a revolutionary controller for the industry. If you look at the S controller and the Duke, they didn't even have bumpers. I feel like the 360 controller really set the tone for what everyone did going forward.”
Changes also bring with them a raft of challenges when it comes to porting designs to the modern day. Hyperkin’s controllers aren’t just for display – they’re made to be played with. To match the Xbox Series X/S, adjustments had to be made. In the case of the DuchesS, this included adding bumpers and shifting the triggers much higher, so that moving between the two wasn’t a chore. It’s the kind of core design alteration that Suzuki’s team can spend a long time agonizing over.
“That's probably one of the most stressful parts of the job,” explains Suzuki. “Of course you want to remain true to what people remember, to that nostalgia factor. You want people to look at it and say: ‘That's the Controller S’ right away. That they pick it up and say: ‘This is exactly how I remember.’ That's the goal. However, that might not be one hundred percent feasible in today's era, where we want to include the best stuff.”
Hall effect sticks have become a highly request controller component.
©Hyperkin / Restart
According to Suzuki, that conflict between past and present reaches its peak when it comes to a controller’s internals. A player may never realize it, but behind a controller’s casing is a battleground formed from limited real estate.
“You want to give the players the modern amenities like impulse triggers and Hall effect sticks and whatnot,” says Suzuki. “But having to engineer and design fitting something like an impulse trigger vibration motor into a form factor that you're not really allowed to change? That was definitely a challenge.”
The process of building a replica is a lengthy one. It typically starts with a 3D scan of the original. But in Suzuki’s case, his lack of an engineering background saw him adding in his own unique and demanding methods.
“I took the more traditional approach of measuring it by hand,” Suzuki says. “So I would take the controller and spend at least a week with it, almost six hours a day until my eyes hurt and I'm so tired of taking measurements. But just because I really wanted to get the best possible controller out, I would take measurements by hand and then cross reference them with the scan in the 3D software – just to triple check that something is 100% correct.”
Ergonomics come next, with Suzuki noting that Hyperkin can go through upwards of 10 different 3D-printed models as they seek the perfect fit for a player’s hand. After that, it’s the war of the internals.
“With the DuchesS, we have Hall effect sticks, we have impulse triggers,” says Suzuki. “So we really want to make this a controller that just doesn't sit on a shelf. It's something that you could actually use, you could play with every day. [That] takes a really long time to work out.”
Hall effect vs potentiometer: What's the difference?
Hall effect analog sticks utilize magnets and electrical sensors to track 3D positioning, removing the need for physical contact between components. Proponents argue this drastically increases longevity and reduces the chance of developing stick drift thanks to the removal of wear and tear. The lack of contact can also result in a smoother feel to the motion. Despite only recently becoming more prominent, Hall effect sticks were used in the Sega Dreamcast – all the way back in 1998!
Traditional potentiometer analog sticks are in contact with two potentiometers (go figure) which track X and Y positions through electrical resistance. They’re cheap, precise, and the current common standard for most controllers. That includes the PS5 DualSense, Xbox Series X/S controller, and Switch Joy-Cons. But those points of contact wear down over time and are susceptible to damage caused by dirt and dust, leading to that oh-so-dreaded stick drift.
Considerations like materials, structural integrity, and the thickness of the internal cables all unite to create a development that can last anywhere from one to five years. And throughout the entire process, the prototypes also need to be put through their paces.
“We're always taking it apart and playtesting it, every step of the way,” Suzuki says. “If we feel, for example, that the sticks don't feel as nice as they could, we're taking it apart right away and seeing why. If we see that the A, B, X, Y [button] travel distance is too long, that [might mean that] the sticks are too long and we need to shrink them and have the silicone raised up a little more in order to press down quicker. That's all stuff that we're going to be constantly adjusting every step of the way and we have to playtest.”
Some of the most crucial feedback, however, comes from outside of the company. Playtesting by focus groups gives Suzuki and his team a chance to reset and gain a better perspective on the real frustrations that average players are likely to run into.
“I'm literally spending eight hours a day, every single day testing a product,” says Suzuki. “I might really be focused on the pad. Then a focus group member might come in and say: ‘Wow, these bumpers feel really clicky.’ And it's like, whoa, we didn't even think about that because we were spending so much time adjusting the D-Pad or the face buttons.”
The DuchesS even comes in a white version to match the Series S.
©Hyperkin
Just as important is testing a diverse library. Revving the engine in a racing game, for example, is going to take the trigger through its paces. But shift over to Elden Ring, and you’d best hope that your dodge button is durable.
Suzuki is also keen to emphasize Hyperkin’s interest in user feedback, even if he wasn’t able to comment on one of the most requested replicas features: Wireless. Beyond acknowledging that the company had heard users and is “working with Xbox closely” Suzuki also noted that the technology can have a massive impact on a product’s price point.
It’s not clear what controller, if any, Hyperkin will begin training its replica talents on next. For now at least, Suzuki sees the DuchesS as an opportunity to both meet players’ interests and slot in the satisfying final piece of that green-logoed puzzle.
“The S controller I think is literally the most requested controller ever for us,” Suzuki says. “I was very surprised about that. So I think what's really special is that it's going to complete the trio. You could play with any Xbox controller that Xbox has ever come out with, which is crazy.
“You could one day start with the Duke controller and play Halo, and you work your way up to the S controller, then the 360, then the Series, and then an Elite if you have it. You could do a run with your friends where you go through every Halo game with the respective controller – that just blows my mind.”
Our thanks to Slade Suzuki for taking the time to speak with us about his work. Check out Hyperkin's range of products here.
