Everything seems to use USB-C these days, right?
I mean, my iPad Pro uses USB-C. My Playstation 5 Controller uses USB-C. My Samsung Galaxy S 20 uses, yes, you guessed it, USB-C.
So this got me thinking: with the usage of USB-C spreading universally across the world, does the Xbox Series X controller with all its new upgrades, make use of the USB-C?
After all, the old Xbox One controller used Micro-USB. And, let’s be honest, Micro-USB was an awful connection standard. It was easy to insert the wrong way up, easy to break your cables, and it could damage your device’s ports. I hated it!
Living in hope that the Xbox Series X controller had a USB-C port, I pulled out my Series X controller and took a look…
Does The Xbox Series X Controller Use USB-C? Yes, the Xbox Series X and S controller does use USB Type C. The USB C port is located on the top of the controller. This is the leading edge between both triggers that faces your TV when you play. The USB-C on the Xbox Series X controller replaces the Micro-USB port found on the older Xbox One controller.
Let’s take a look…
What benefits does the Xbox Series X controller get from using USB-C?
Microsoft’s move from micro-USB port on the Xbox One controller to USB-C port in the Xbox Series X controller is massively welcome.
USB-C offers so many advantages over micro-USB. A few of which I’ve listed below:
Faster Charging
One of the best benefits of USB Type-C is that it’s much faster at charge devices than the older USB standard.
USB Type-C can charge at a power output of 100W which is more than enough electro-juice to power a laptop, never mind an Xbox controller.
Universal connection
USB-C is being positioned as a universal connection standard in both Europe and the USA. So much so that governments are in talks with companies like Apple to make them dump proprietary cable such as the lightning cable, in favor of the USB-C standard.
But what does this mean for your Xbox Series X controller?
Well, it means that as more and more tech companies adopt the USB-C standard, USB-C cables will snake their way into nearly everybody’s home. You’ll be able to pop over mate’s house for a game knowing that they’ll have a USB-C cable for charging or connecting.
It’s reversible
Unlike previous USB standards, the USB-C connector is completely reversible. This means that you can put the cable in upside down and it will still work perfectly.
This makes USB Type-C connectors far easier to insert, even in the dark. This will save many a controller from wrongly inserted micro-USB connectors, which could irreparably damage a micro-USB port, in the future.
Stronger connector means accidents don’t lead to damage.
The USB-C connector is sheathed in a metal jacket. This metal jacket is a single piece of extruded metal with no welds or joints. This makes it incredibly strong.
This piece of metal not only protects all the internal connectors, but it all takes all of the force of inserting the connector and any bending forces it may encounter.
USB Type-C helps achieve ultra low latency controller input
USB-Type C can transfer up to 10 megabits of data. This Amazonian-river level of data flow has helped play a part in Microsoft’s effort to reduce latency between the controller and the Xbox console.
What USB Type-C cables are best for the Xbox Series X controller
There are probably millions of types USB-C cables to buy out there.
Short cables, braided cables, long cables, colorful cables, cables for every mood and personality. But there is one type of cable that, for me, really stands out: Magnet disconnect USB-C cables
Magnetic USB cables have magnetic USB-C connectors that magnetise to the end tip of the cables.
They work in a very similar way to the Apple MagSafe chargers found on older apple laptops. If the cable is yanked, the magnetic connector will disconnect from the magnetic cable end.
You might be thinking, “What good is that? A normal USB-C cable will just do fine!”
Well, yes, for a lot of people a normal 10 foot USB cable would be fine. But, if you have a life outside of gaming, if you have kids racing, or dogs rampaging through your house, magnetic USB-C cables are a must.
Let me explain why…
A “Magnetic” USB-C Solution
If you’re like me and have doggies, or even worse, children running around, at some point one of them will snag your charging cable when you’re game. That’s either going to rip the controller out of hand, pull the console out of your entertainment center onto the floor, or, in a worst-case scenario, both will come crashing down and be dragged out to the garden, into a mud pit.
Believe me, this can happen: it’s happened to me.
The controller’s USB-C socket really grips a USB-C connector tightly. So tightly that when I’m playing games, the light grip I have on the controller isn’t enough to hold onto the controller if somebody pulls the USB-C cable.
As you can imagine, nobody want’s their controller, or their console for that matter, flying across the room toward the TV after their dog has decided to do a runner with the cable.
That’s where Magnetic USB-C cables shine. The USB-C connector detaches completely from the the cable. So the USB-C cable’s connector can find a new home plugged into your Xbox Controller at all times.
Then, when you want to connect your controller to your Xbox Series X, S, or charge battery packs all you have to do is magnetically attache the USB-C cable to the USB-C cable connector that is already in your controller.
And if the dog does come along and trips over the cable, the magnet will simply detach itself, leaving your controller in hand, and your console under your TV.
A USB-C cable that can magnetically attach and detach itself sounds cool right? But which one should you get?
I recommend taking a look at this CJOY Magnetic charging cable bundle.
The bundle contains three USB-C charging cables, each of which is 10 feet long, that’s roughly 3 meters. That means you’ll easily have enough cable to sit back and relax while you are gaming.
Also, each of the cables has one end which has a magnetic tip that can have a USB-C connector attached to it.
The other end of the cable is a standard USB Type-A connector, of which the Xbox Series X has 3 Type-A ports: 1 on the front and 2 on the back of the console.
The CJOY mag charging cables also come with a few extra bits and pieces including 3 lighting cable adaptors for iPhone lovers and 3 micro-USB adapters for your older controllers.
Couple all this with over 100 5-star reviews and you’ve got a cracking set of cables that’ll not only let you charge your controller but let you charge your controller confidently knowing that if the cable did get caught by an errant leg, the cable would detach and no harm would come to console or controller.
Check out the CJOY Magnetic charging cable bundle here.