Xbox One controller might not look that different from its predecessor, but that doesn't mean that Microsoft didn't conduct extensive research and testing to ensure that it is its best controller yet.
Inside the controller testing labs at Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, Washington, a special custom-built stress-testing rig was used to test up to twenty different controllers at once. The rig pushed each button on each controller 4 or 5 times per second until each button is pushed more than two million times. This test is designed to ensure that the buttons are able to survive the frequent and brutal presses of excited gamers throughout the controller’s lifespan.
More importantly, the testing rig is hooked to computers that monitor the outputs of each controller to ensure that they perform consistently every time they are used. The testing team also made sure to perform "drop tests" where the controllers are filmed in slow motion while they fall on hard ground so that the engineering team would identify any weak spots in its body.
And the testing is not over yet even though Xbox One is officially in its launch count-down phase. In fact, some controllers currently attached to the stress-testing rig have already surpassed 3 million button presses. According to Microsoft’s accessories and hardware manager Bob Brown, this means that Xbox One controllers are expected to last at least for a decade at. Incidentally, 10 years is also Microsoft’s projected lifespan for Xbox One.
