Xbox’s Cloud Gaming Controller Leaks and It’s Pretty Small

The design of Xbox’s upcoming cloud gaming controller has leaked online and it looks pretty different from your average Xbox controller. New images of the controller were discovered by Technoblog and reveal that it is much smaller than your typical Xbox controller. It has all of the buttons you’d expect for an Xbox controller, but it is far more compact, making it almost closer to a Joy-Con in terms of size. It also appears to have slight grooves on the triggers closer to what you’d expect on a regular controller. It’s hard to tell if this would be very comfortable for long periods of play, but we have seen similar designs in the past from companies such as 8BitDo with the SN30 Pro for Xbox.

The cloud gaming controller looks to have rechargable batteries, USB-C support, and Bluetooth connectivity. The controller will also seemingly be released in two colors: black and white. As of right now, it’s unclear when the controller is expected to be released, but these kinds of leaks tend to happen ahead of a reveal sooner rather than later. Perhaps this will be part of Xbox’s summer showcase with a release before the end of the year. Although Xbox is hard at work on its next console, known as Project Helix, Microsoft has invested heavily into the cloud gaming space and has been looking for new ways to support it.

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If the console market ends up being a wash for Xbox, the platform is set up to exist in other forms like in smart TVs, mobile devices, and non-gaming computers. Xbox’s cloud service is surprisingly fluid, allowing players to stream games to a variety of devices, including a console itself. If there’s a major game you want to play on the Xbox app but don’t have the storage or time to download it, you may be able to stream it (which will be indicated in the app itself).

It’s an interesting strategy, but one that appears to be working. Former Xbox boss Phil Spencer noted last year that cloud gaming hours were up 45% on console and 24% on other devices between 2024 and 2025, proving that it’s becoming an increasingly viable option for the Xbox base. Putting out a compact controller to further support this style of gaming seems like another way in which its investing in it.

Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.