You can now type on your Windows 11 PCs with your Xbox controller, recent updates hint
The feature arrives on both 23H2 and 24H2 versions.
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Key notes
- Microsoft launched a gamepad keyboard layout for Windows 11.
- It features button accelerators and vertically aligned keys for easier use.
- Recent updates also include mapping thumbsticks for mouse control and direct voice calls for Discord DMs.
Want to type on your Windows 11 PCs with your Xbox controller? We’ve got some good news.
Microsoft has just launched a new gamepad keyboard layout for Windows 11’s on-screen keyboard. The feature arrives in the recently-released KB5044384 and KB5044380 updates for Windows 11 24H2 & 23H2 versions, which now lets you use your Xbox controller to type and move around the screen.
“Button accelerators are also available; these include the X button for backspace and the Y button for the spacebar. For better movement patterns, the keyboard keys are aligned vertically,” Microsoft mentions.
Microsoft has been testing this feature on Windows 11 for quite some time now, and the keys have been vertically aligned for easier use. The Redmond tech giant wants to compete in the handheld gaming market so much, rivaling Valve, and has made a lot of changes & updates in Xbox and Windows to support it.
In another recent update for Xbox’s Alpha Skip-Ahead ring, Xbox also hints at the ability to map the thumbsticks of the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 and Xbox Adaptive Controller to button or keyboard inputs, allowing mouse control in supported games and apps.
The very same update also added direct voice calls for Discord DMs. And, a few weeks ago, Microsoft also the Windows Game Bar more compact and user-friendly for smaller screens.
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