14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has clarified recent rumors claiming that it will no longer allow the Xbox One controller to work on the PC platform, saying that official drivers are in development and will be released later this year, when they're ready.
The Xbox One launched last November in 13 countries around the world and, while the console was received with mixed feelings and poor sales when compared to Sony's PlayStation 4, the new controller was praised by quite a few.
Unfortunately, it doesn't work as standard on the PC, and Microsoft seemingly took down any attempts from hobby programmers and developers who wanted to create improvised drivers so that owners of the controller can use it on the PC.
This has led to new speculation about Microsoft planning to keep the Xbox One controller exclusive to its platform, which has now been completely denied by the company's Director of Product Planning, Albert Penello.
He replied to these new reports on NeoGAF and mentioned that "This is 100% wrong."
He went on to say that official drivers from Microsoft are in development and that they will allow current Xbox One controllers to work on the PC. What's more, a separate controller only for Windows operating systems won't be made, so expect practically the same situation as with the Xbox 360 controller.
"When the drivers become available, they will work with the existing controllers. There is no plan to do a new, separate controller that only works on Windows. It will be the same as it is on Xbox 360 – the Xbox One controller you have today will work."
Penello also admitted that a PC-branded version of the Xbox One controller, which can work easily on both the computer and the console, might be released at a certain point in time.
"That’s not to say that we may not ship also PC SKU of the Xbox One controller, much like we do on Xbox 360."
More details are going to be shared by Penello and Microsoft when the plans have been nailed down, however.
"No more updates on the timeframe beyond what’s been publicly stated. The plan is this year. When the update comes out and we have more details, I can explain the holdup."
The Xbox 360 controller has become the de-facto standard in PC games with controller support, as many users employ it when playing racing or fighting titles, for example, so Microsoft has a lot to benefit from endorsing the Xbox One controller.