TechGamingMicrosoftXbox\u2019s smallest-ever controller is surprisingly comfortableThe Nano controller is designed for young people, anyone with smaller hands, and gaming on the go.The Nano controller is designed for young people, anyone with smaller hands, and gaming on the go.by Tom WarrenNov 3, 2026, 5:00 PM UTCShareGiftPhoto by Tom Warren \/ The VergeTom Warren is a senior correspondent and author of Notepad, who has been covering all things Microsoft, PC, and tech for over 20 years.Even though I knew Microsoft\u2019s new Xbox Nano controller was tiny, I still gasped when I unboxed it a few days ago. The compact controller is small enough to slip into a pocket unnoticed, and it has been designed specifically for younger people, or for anyone with smaller hands.I\u2019m not young, but I do have small hands, and I\u2019ve been surprised at how comfortable the Nano is during gaming sessions. At just over 5 inches long, almost everything on this controller has been shrunk down somehow. The ABXY buttons are ever so slightly smaller than a regular Xbox controller, and the thumbsticks feel like miniature versions.<\/p>\n
Microsoft hasn\u2019t changed the D-pad, though, or the size of the glowing Xbox button at the center of the controller.The big difference I noticed with the Nano over a regular Xbox controller was the size of the triggers. While they are fully analog and pressure sensitive, they have more of a click when you bottom them out compared with the thud on a bigger Xbox controller. They\u2019re noticeably smaller, as you\u2019d expect, and the bumper buttons above the triggers feel less clicky than the regular ones.I thought the Nano controller would feel awkward after a few hours of gaming, but the grips really help with comfort levels \u2014 a lot of smaller controllers sacrifice grips to keep the controller thin and lightweight. It does mean the Nano doesn\u2019t sit flush on a table, but at 101 grams (0.22 pounds) it\u2019s still really lightweight.PreviousNext1\/10The Nano controller is ideal for young people.I can\u2019t speak for those with bigger hands, but I\u2019d expect the Nano controller won\u2019t be well-suited to everyone.<\/p>\n
The size makes it ideal for young children, though. I tried to get my 1-year-old son to try the Nano, and he responded with a smile, so I guess he likes it.I haven\u2019t had enough time to get a full idea of battery life yet, but it seems to drain around 10 percent in around 30 to 40 minutes. That suggests a lot less battery life than the 30 hours you\u2019d get on a rechargeable pack for the larger Xbox wireless controller. Thankfully, the Nano charges quickly, and I found I could get from 30 percent to 60 percent charge in less than 10 minutes.<\/p>\n
You can plug in a USB-C charger to top up the battery and carry on playing while you charge.The only thing missing on the Nano controller that I would have loved is vibration support. I assume it\u2019s not there because of an impact on battery life, because even the smaller Nintendo Joy-Con controllers have rumble support.The Xbox Nano controller will be available on November 4th, priced at $49.99.Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Tom WarrenGamingHands-onMicrosoftReviewsTechXboxMost PopularXbox\u2019s former COO has \u2018serious concerns\u2019 about her abrupt departureOne of Google\u2019s Android partners turned 1.3 million set-top boxes into a botnetThe 16GB Raspberry Pi 5 got another \u2018unavoidable\u2019 RAM price hikeSquarespace is laying off 19 percent of employeesThe 2026 iPad Mini is a terrific tiny tablet \u2014 for a big priceAdvertiser Content FromThis is the title for the native ad<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TechGamingMicrosoftXbox\u2019s smallest-ever controller is surprisingly comfortableThe Nano controller is designed for young people, anyone with smaller hands, and gaming on the go.The Nano controller is designed for young people, anyone with smaller hands, and gaming\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33549,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33548","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.tcjhomeaccents.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33548","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.tcjhomeaccents.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.tcjhomeaccents.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.tcjhomeaccents.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.tcjhomeaccents.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33548"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/demo.tcjhomeaccents.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33548\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.tcjhomeaccents.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33549"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.tcjhomeaccents.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33548"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.tcjhomeaccents.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33548"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.tcjhomeaccents.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33548"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}