New Xbox Controller Release Date and Other Details Leak Online

A reliable source leaks a number of new details about the next Xbox controller, including its official name, price, and likely release date.

The next Xbox controller will be called the Nocturnal Vapor and is likely to hit the market in the first half of April, a well-known leaker has said. The insider also shared some other details about the upcoming Xbox accessory whose feature set is rumored to directly rival Sony’s DualSense.

While many Microsoft-made gamepads leak ahead of their market debuts, that ordinarily only occurs a few weeks before they are released, at most. In contrast, this upcoming Xbox controller emerged online way back in September 2023 following a mishap by the FTC, which accidentally published a number of Microsoft’s classified documents during its legal battle with the company over the Activision Blizzard acquisition. The unredacted materials revealed the black-and-white design of the device and confirmed its DualSense-like haptic feedback support, on top of listing its internal codename, Sebile.

Next Xbox Controller Reportedly Coming in April 2024

Dealabs’ Billbil-kun is now reporting that the upcoming accessory will be officially called the Nocturnal Vapor. The purported moniker suggests that the gamepad will be positioned as another addition to the Vapor line of Xbox controllers, which Microsoft unveiled and released in late January and early February 2024, respectively. Billbil-kun also claims the Nocturnal Vapor will retail at $69.99, which matches the price tags attached to the rest of the Vapor controller collection. Its pre-orders are expected to open on April 2, as per the same source. Microsoft has historically made pre-orders available on the same day it announces new controllers.

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The leaker also labeled April 9 as the Nocturnal Vapor’s likely release date. While none of this info is official, Billbil-kun’s track record with Microsoft hardware scoops is impeccable, with the insider previously leaking the name and release date of the Xbox Stormcloud Vapor controller, as well as a wide variety of other Xbox accessories.

Xbox ‘Sebile’ Controller Rumor Roundup

• Official name: Nocturnal Vapor
• Price: $69.99 / €69.99 / £64.99
• Pre-order start: April 2
• Release date: April 9
• Market availability: the U.S. and Europe; possibly other markets as well

Even so, the alleged early April announcement window doesn’t match some other recent rumors about the gamepad. Specifically, a January 2024 report from The Verge’s Tom Warren, who also boasts a long track record of Microsoft-related scoops, claimed that the Sebile Xbox controller will be announced in May 2024.

Unlike its release window, the gadget’s feature set appears to be less of a mystery; the 2023 FTC leak revealed that the Sebile won’t just feature precision haptic feedback similar to that of the PS5 DualSense gamepad, but also boast voice coil actuator (VCA) haptics that can double as speakers. Quieter buttons and thumbsticks have also been listed among its improvements, as were some “new mobile app features.” Similar to a number of Microsoft’s other recent Xbox accessories, the Sebile is said to largely be made of recycled materials, as per the FTC leak.

Thanks to Game Rant