Microsoft's Xbox controller refresh kills its underused accessory port - Engadget

Xbox controllers may no longer include the proprietary expansion port commonly called the Chatpad port. Reports indicate the Forza Horizon 6 gamepad lacks the connection point, with the former port area visible but sealed. Leaked images of the Xbox Elite Controller Series 3 also show no expansion port. A store page note added in April states that not all versions of the controller include an expansion port, and the note was absent from an earlier cached version. The change aligns with the lack of major accessory releases for the port since the current console generation began. The Chatpad previously provided quick communication and programmable keyboard-like input, and it influenced controller popularity during the Xbox One era.

"First, reports are rolling in on social media that the new Forza Horizon 6 gamepad doesn't include a connection point for Xbox accessories, and the space where the port used to be is visible but plugged up. Second, last week's leaked images of the coming Xbox Elite Controller Series 3 show no signs of an expansion port. And third, a small line of text was added to the Xbox Wireless Controller store page in April that says, "Not all versions of this controller include an expansion port.""

"The port's major claim to fame was the Chatpad, which landed with the Xbox 360 but was most beloved in the Xbox One era as online console gaming found its footing, and players were itching for quick ways to communicate with teammates and adjust settings on the fly. On top of its duties as a quick-access keyboard with programmable buttons, the Chatpad fit snugly in the nook of the Xbox Wireless Controller and added a satisfying weightiness to its bottom half."

"This single accessory became a unique selling point for Xbox One gamepads in particular, helping to solidify Microsoft as the leader of the controller market in the 2010s. The company also produced the Stereo Headset Adapter for the Xbox One, which had some useful shortcut keys, and toyed around with charging accessories that made use of its proprietary connection point."

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