Standard Xbox One Wireless Controller buttons mapping features

Standard Xbox One Wireless Controller gets button remapping feature

Microsoft adds remapping feature for the standard Xbox One Wireless Controller, but if you want the ultimate remapping experience, you still need to buy the Xbox One Elite Wireless Controller.

Up until now the new Xbox One Elite Wireless Controller was the only kind of controller that offered buttons remapping. On November 16th, Microsoft is announcing that the standard Xbox One controllers will also get button remapping through the Xbox Accessories app as part of the New Xbox One Experience (NXOE).

Being able to customize the standard Xbox One controller was a highly requested feature on the community, but the “ultimate degree of personalization” will continue to be using the Elite controller, Microsoft says.

Here’s the difference between the Elite and standard Xbox controller:

EliteStandard
Button mapping
Remap controller buttonsYes
Completely customizable
Yes
Only swap button pairs
Remap same button multiple timesYesNo
Map paddles to buttonsYesNo
Swap thumbsticksYesYes
Swap triggersYesYes
Invert Y axis on thumbsticksYesYes
Button mapping supported on Windows 10 PCsAll featuresNo
Hardware settings
Adjust thumbstick sensitivityYesNo
Adjust trigger sensitivityYesNo
Adjust vibration motorsYesNo
Adjust Xbox button brightnessYesNo
Configuration management
Max number of configurations per user2561
Per user, per console
Configurations stored on controller2No
N/A stored on console.
Configuration sync to cloudYesNo
N/A stored on console.
Custom names for configurationsYesNo
Preset configurations from first-party publishersYesNo

As you can see from the above table, the standard controller can swap buttons in pairs. For example, if you choose to map LT to X, then X will automatically map to LT. Of course, you can always remap buttons in sequence to move a particular button to the position you like.

Another thing to keep in mind is the remaps are not transferable to other consoles. As such, if you move the controller to another console, you’ll have to go through the remapping process all over again. The new feature is available for both first-party wireless and third-party wired controllers.

Microsoft says that the new feature is only available for standard controllers on Xbox One consoles, and PC support is in the pipeline, but there is not a specific release date.

On the other hand, the Elite controller, the only required buttons that need to be mapped in the controller are A and B. Furthermore, the Elite controller includes the ability to map multiple buttons to the same function (e.g., multiple physical buttons or paddles can be mapped to X).

Another unique feature is that the Elite controller can store the remaps into the controller itself, as such you can bring your customization settings to another console or PC.

How to remap buttons on your standard Xbox One Wireless Controller

On Xbox One, you can access the Xbox Accessory app in three different ways:

  • Settings > Kinect & Devices > Devices & Accessories
  • Settings > Ease of access > Button mapping
  • Launch the Xbox Accessories app directly

While the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller packs the best remapping features, it’s still good to see that Microsoft is bringing some customization to the standard controller.

Will you be taking advantage of the new feature? Let us know in the comments below.

Source Major Nelson

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].