Xbox Nano Controller is $49 — good enough for couch co-op with my kid, or a cheap toy?
My 8-year-old wants to play co-op with me and my full-size controller is way too big for her hands. The Nano is $49 and looks about the right size. I've also seen used standard Xbox controllers around the same price. She's going to drop it, that's guaranteed. Anyone bought the Nano? Do the sticks and bumpers survive actual kid use, or should I just get the used standard one?
1 answer
- Check the stick hardware before buying
The deciding spec is whether the Nano uses hall-effect sticks or standard potentiometers. Potentiometer sticks develop drift — that's the failure mode that kills cheap controllers in 6–12 months of kid use, and it's checkable: iFixit-style teardowns and disassembly videos will confirm within weeks of launch. Also compare input-latency numbers against the standard Xbox controller. If the Nano's sticks are pots with no drift data yet, the used standard controller is the safer $49.