The Verge reports that Microsoft’s $49.99 Xbox Nano controller can connect straight to Xbox Cloud Gaming over Wi-Fi. It launches on 4 November, a day after the report.
Microsoft hasn’t announced the feature, and its own spec list doesn’t mention Wi-Fi. The point is latency, cloud gaming’s weak spot: a controller talking directly to Microsoft’s servers skips the console, phone, or Bluetooth hop. Google’s Stadia controllers also used the trick.
Tom Warren at The Verge says the feature is being tested privately on the new Xbox Cloud Gaming website. You’ll pair the controller over Wi-Fi to Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming servers using the Xbox mobile app. Warren expects a preview first:
I’m expecting Microsoft to announce this as a preview for the new Xbox Nano controller soon, before it’s fully supported across Xbox Cloud Gaming on the web and on smart TVs.
Tom Warren, The Verge
That timeline is Warren’s expectation, not a Microsoft schedule. Warren speculates that the upcoming Xbox Elite 3 controller will also get the feature. It’s unclear which regions, TVs, or browsers will support it, and nobody has measured how much latency it saves.
Officially, the Nano is a little over 5 inches long and weighs 3.5 ounces. It keeps all 18 inputs, a rechargeable battery, and a programmable Action Button, and it connects over Xbox Wireless and Bluetooth. When Microsoft announced it on 14 October, Windows Central noted it “has no direct WiFi connection for Xbox Cloud Gaming”, and it also lacks Hall effect or TMR sticks. In the US, Samsung and Meta will bundle the Nano with select TVs and Quest headsets, plus two months of Game Pass Ultimate for new users.
Microsoft planned direct-to-cloud support on a controller codenamed Sebile, meant for a 2024 Xbox Series X refresh that was cancelled. Earlier this year, Warren reported a Wi-Fi cloud controller was planned, and a Tecnoblog leak described a small cloud controller with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi 6. The Nano fits Microsoft’s wider cloud push, from its GTA 6 streaming plans to the monthly hour limits arriving in November.
Pre-orders are open on the Xbox website across 36 markets, with more to follow, but no Gulf country is on the launch list.
