Xbox controllers will not include a proprietary enlargement port — generally known as the Chatpad port to many gamers — if all three of the latest indicators are to be believed.
First, studies are rolling in on social media that the brand new Forza Horizon 6 gamepad does not embody a connection level for Xbox equipment, and the house the place the port was is seen however plugged up. Second, final week’s leaked images of the approaching Xbox Elite Controller Collection 3 present no indicators of an enlargement port. And third, a small line of textual content was added to the Xbox Wi-fi Controller retailer web page in April that says, “Not all variations of this controller embody an enlargement port.” This word was not within the Web Archive’s cache of the web page dated March 31, 2026.
In case you are not one for indicators, we have additionally contacted Xbox for clarification on the change.
The obvious discontinuation is not an entire shock, contemplating Xbox hasn’t produced a significant accent for the enlargement port for the reason that daybreak of the present console era. The port’s main declare to fame was the Chatpad, which landed with the Xbox 360 however was most beloved within the Xbox One period as on-line console gaming discovered its footing, and gamers had been itching for fast methods to speak with teammates and modify settings on the fly. On high of its duties as a quick-access keyboard with programmable buttons, the Chatpad match snugly within the nook of the Xbox Wi-fi Controller and added a satisfying weightiness to its backside half. Loads of customers got here to desire the texture of the controller with the Chatpad, even.
Microsoft
This single accent turned a novel promoting level for Xbox One gamepads particularly, serving to to solidify Microsoft because the chief of the controller market within the 2010s. The corporate additionally produced the Stereo Headset Adapter for the Xbox One, which had some helpful shortcut keys, and toyed round with charging equipment that made use of its proprietary connection level.
After which, Microsoft stopped taking note of the enlargement port. By 2019, it was clear that the Chatpad had been quietly discontinued, although Xbox by no means made an official announcement. Its newest lounge {hardware}, the Xbox Collection X and Collection S, landed in November 2020 alongside a line of freshly designed controllers, all with built-in enlargement ports on their bottoms. Xbox did not dwell on the port (or even mention it) in advertising supplies, and there is been no whisper of revamped keyboards, headset adapters, chargers or different equipment this era.
It is a stunning miss not solely as a result of Xbox had a profitable accent on its palms with the Chatpad, but additionally as a result of Microsoft does not thoughts messing round with bizarre and cutting-edge shopper {hardware}. These are the oldsters who pressured online game followers to work together with the Kinect (twice!), and at present Xbox is a frontrunner in accessibility {hardware} with the extremely rad Adaptive Controller and its ever-growing suite of accessories, courtesy of Microsoft’s Inclusive Tech Lab.
From one perspective, the Xbox controller has merely and naturally outgrown the enlargement port. The inclusion of a 3.5mm jack for stereo headsets negates the necessity for a standalone adapter, and there is a keyboard perform within the Xbox app that lets gamers sort dwell in-game. From one other angle, Xbox is letting a degree of innovation die at a time when it is losing the broader {hardware} recreation. As corporations like Nintendo have demonstrated — and Microsoft actually understands well — there’s cash to be made in promoting offbeat, unique gaming equipment at lowkey-ridiculous costs. With the enlargement port, Xbox had the inspiration so as to add usability and whimsy to an already-successful gamepad empire, however with at present’s information of closed enlargement ports, that pipeline could also be sealed for good.
