The Xbox Feature No One Remembers

When Microsoft first broke onto the scene with their Xbox console a feature was introduced that only lasted a few years and no one really remembers it.
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[@RGT85]

I for one totally forgot about the B button

[@PoutingTrevor]

The what?

[@BxB510]

The removed the white and black buttons for this soft era 😡😂😂

[@Queenalfa995]

​@@BxB510are you secretly a 42-year-old man?

[@823jordanr]

Shouldn’t you be watching oiled up men touch each other

[@evilmandrake]

What the hell is a Bee Button 😮

[@podunk3202]

the best feature the Xbox had was letting you rip music from CD as well as games and put them on a playlist to play on certain games. I would rip the best music from the Tony Hawk series and play them on whichever current TH game i was playing with the BEST OF music from the series

[@HelFrostKara]

Oh yeah same with 360. Also neat about it was it would pause the music during cutscenes* so it was kinda a different vibe than just using spotify or whatever. *Just with the caveat that it unfortunately didn't register anything in-engine as a cutscene from what I remember.

[@adamninezero]

This feature was awesome in GTA3! I'd just cruise around Liberty City with whichever new album I was into playing in the car. Good times.

[@ShadowFoxInfinite]

Used to do this all the time on Wii in Excite Truck. Fun times.

[@AlphaladZXA]

Makes me sad it doesn't seem like any other console let you do something like that

[@zaneiken07]

@@HelFrostKara The 360 implementation was just terrible though - the music would just play on top of everything.

[@woozi36]

Netflix used to have Netflix parties on Xbox 360. You could watch a Netflix movie or show in a little theater with up to 8 people with your avatars and you could chat and emote with your avatars while watching the movie or show.

[@SolidSnake240]

Ps3 had a similar thing but you could only do it in PlayStation Home.

[@nickm5419]

they took it away cause it was done at a loss $ which is just absolute BS

[@ramrodbldm9876]

​@nickm5419 if it's at loss then it isn't complete bs. You're a complete bozo.

[@ramrodbldm9876]

​@@nickm5419 clown

[@beefy45]

Now imagine if that feature was available during the pandemic

[@Rappa002]

Wow. Jon actually found a legitimate excuse to use the phrase, "I'm playing DOA Beach Volleyball for "research" purposes." 😂

[@0JayDoubleU]

Lol i too played DOA Beach Volleyball for research purposes. Modded systems were perfect for doing so

[@bj0urne]

Morrowind also features pressure sensitivity, but only in barter menus when setting the price. Goes up or down faster depending on pressure on the white and black buttons.

[@MyNameDolan]

Jon was a man of taste by playing DOA Beach Volleyball

[@DallasRabot]

My favourite feature from a previous generation that did not carry over was from the 360. Games like Counterstrike would automatically disable party chat when entering a game, and switch everyone to game chat. Once the game was over it would reenable party chat back in the lobby. It allowed Xbox Live to be a more social place. Halo 2 was the peak of online console community and I think it’s because of party chat that was rolled out afterwards.

[@seereebee]

I get what you're saying about Xbox being more social, but being forced into game chat is kinda dumb. It should always be a choice

[@ianhall6614]

The original modern warfare series did that for specific playlists. The audio quality was so bad, made everyone sound like a robot.

[@inkrot]

@@seereebee the problem is if it’s a choice… it’s not gonna be used. We have 2 generations of consoles now to see this.

[@roadrash2005]

@@seereebeewhen I play online games nowadays they feel very lonely compared to when I was a kid.

[@JAGO_Tech]

LOL yall remember proximity chat w/ opposite team? Some major trash talk

[@hadamana]

I only knew about this because the XBCD Windows XP drivers for Xbox controllers supported mapping the buttons as an analog axis. I never played MGS on Xbox, and never noticed the pressure applying to the bows in Fable. Sidenote: that breakaway cable was great for adapting the controller to USB, since it meant you could buy a cheapo controller and splice a USB connector onto that breakaway piece for use with the OEM controller so you didn't render it useless with an actual Xbox.

[@TheRealAmericanMan]

Every one of the big three consoles this gen had pressure sensitive inputs and no games would ever say if it was the case. PS2’s face buttons and shoulder buttons, GameCube’s trigger buttons, as well as what you say here…

[@mikeuk666]

The ps2 face buttons had so little travel they were impossible to use that way though

[@Manic_Panic]

It was barely used though, most games that used it were racing games to control your acceleration, mostly on the PS2 and a few had your character walk if you pressed the dpad gently. On Xbox for example, I can only think of 6 games that made better use of it. Somehow this feature still existed on PS3 but far less games supported it, Nintendo and Xbox had already moved on.

[@YoDzOnHalo]

Ps2 didn’t have pressure sensitive on the LB1/2 RB1/2 buttons. Only on the face Buttons. But PS2 games would advertise if they had the feature on the back of the game case where they list other features such as online play or vibrations

[@adrianshephardOP4]

@@YoDzOnHaloevery buttons are pressure sensitive except for Start and Select

[@Tempora158]

@@Manic_Panic This feature existed on the PS3 controller because the initial PS3 was backward compatible with the PS2, so the analog buttons had to be there.

[@puddel9079]

I'ma throw this out there: the buttons on the original XBox were pressure sensitive, and the only game I played that used them was Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance. Ooh boy, talk about a hair trigger.

[@themidnightbarber524]

It’s funny, I found the DoA pressure sensitivity pretty intuitive and played like that for years. I remember finding it pretty reliable and preferred to use it.

[@properkroe]

The first time I played the pool hopping mini-game I didn’t quite get it at first. After a couple tries I found it very accurate and intuitive. It’s neat way to convey to the player how delicate and precise buoyancy can be.

[@skycloud4802]

The pressure sensitive buttons can work very well on some titles. Although I hadn't played Pro Evolution Soccer series on the Xbox, I had found the pressure sensitively very intuitive for football (soccer) games. For example, hard press for faster and longer passes (but more likely to overshoot the pass), or soft press for more accuracy when a teammate is nearby (but opponent more likely to intercept). The feature was a great idea for the time, and although holding down the button today on modern systems has the same effect, it takes longer, so you can't get a nice fast and diverse playstyle.

[@0JayDoubleU]

Yeah! I did too, it really wasnt as difficult as he made it seem to me.

[@leftblank]

I miss the black and white buttons. The placement was so much better than what they turned into. Bring them back and also keep the lines and squares button or whatever they are called

[@natheannzbar7925]

Black, white, white, black, white, hold A. Restores meter in Morrowind 😆

[@antnuh765]

I put like 100 hours into that version of the game and never knew about that button combo! Gonna try this tonight, thanks!

[@natheannzbar7925]

@@antnuh765 there's 2 others , one each for mana, health, and fatigue, you'd have to look up which is which, cheers

[@john_hunter_]

I had no idea Fable used pressure sensitive buttons the whole time I played the game. I was pretty good at the mini game in DOA beach volleyball.

[@Bennett1430]

I remember the pressure sensitive buttons all too well and haven't forgotten about them. Playing DOA3 on a 360 is a nightmare because of it.

[@SKvldlf]

Loved those break away cables

[@jaimegarcia767]

I miss the xbox snap feature...

[@TE72GOD]

Me too. I used it all the time. :(

[@jaimegarcia767]

@TE72GOD I found the solution....you buy a monitor and a galaxy with a hdmi to usb c cord 🥲. It cost me way too much 😂😭

[@WonderBread4020]

With today’s CPU, Xbox Snap should definitely come back

[@BxB510]

Man, just when I thought we got PIP back via Snap. They took it away too...football game playing on the side while grinding your favorite game was top tier... My nerdy ass would hook up another console to the HDMI-in but there's some latency

[@stapuft]

What was that?

[@BlaineEvans]

Not only do I remember this, I actually did some experimenting with mine early on. Before the hacking scene really took off, I found an extra breakaway dongle at GameStop which I cut and spliced onto a spare USB cable. I hooked it up to my Windows Me computer (lol) and found that it registered as a DirectInput controller automatically. I ran the built-in Windows controller calibration tool and it showed the analog range with real-time input representation for the face buttons just like it did for the triggers. I think the tool in Me had been updated with changes added for the original DirectXBox development.

[@thingsiplay]

The very first Street Fighter game in the arcades had sensitive keys. The harder you punched, the harder the punch and kicks in the game was. This is a feature we had in the 80s.

[@TheThirdDaySH]

And they immediately removed it for the first revision because it was a bad idea lmao.

[@No-mq5lw]

It was 2 pressure plates, the feature sucked and people broke them. Capcom made a new cabinet that split each different pressure level a discrete button, spawning in the 6 button layout.

[@CommodoreFan64]

@@No-mq5lw Yep, it was so bad, arcade operators could send their gen 1 Street Fighter cabs back to Capcom to have the new control interface put on them, and many who had them did, which is why the pressure pad cabs are rare as hens teeth now if you can find an actual working one.

[@joe_schmoe_420]

Those buttons were hard af to hit to get the different punches and kicks

[@Matanumi]

.... its in smash bros for Ryu and Ken

[@rtyuik7]

also, the controller's Breakaway Cables were hilarious to me, because the Xbox's User Manual warned about how the sheer heaviness of the console could cause serious damage or injury, to small pets or children...

[@skycloud4802]

Could the breakaway cables also be used to extend the cable itself even further via third party? It seems to me that it would be a handy feature.

[@rtyuik7]

@@skycloud4802 they were a bit less common, but im pretty sure i remember seeing them...itd always be MadCatz or Pelican or whatever, but yeah, instead of the breakaway adding about 6in. to the controller (as in, "controller-female" on one side, "console-male" on the other) the 'extended breakaway' would be 6ft. long...but that kinda ruins their effectiveness as a "breakaway cable", and this was at the start of Wireless Controllers taking over anyway (Nintendo themselves even throwing their hat into the ring with the Wavebird, for the Gamecube) so these Extenders never really caught on, for the OG-Xbox...

[@njones621]

I could see that being a real problem they wanted to address considering the weight of the Xbox compared to current and previous systems (Xbox was 8.8 pounds/4kg). Only thing close up to that point was the PS2 at just 4.85lb/2.2kg), not much more than HALF the weight of the Xbox. Dreamcast, PS1, GameCube and older systems were feathers comparatively.

[@sentakuselect]

There's a reason why the eight button variant of the Hori Fighting Stick EX for the original Xbox goes for over $150 second hand from Japanese shops...DOA2 Ultimate was basically the original Street Fighter arcade cab but as a 3D fighter lol.

[@P0W3RH0U53]

Okami, one of my favorite games ever, used it for the calligraphy mechanics. Pressing harder smushed the brush against the paper and made a bigger ink blot.

[@joemac5363]

One title I remember that used the pressure sensitive buttons is The Elder Scrolls Morrowind. I remember it being very useful to make a ton of potions. Yes, I was a potion seller.

[@MedalionDS9]

Never owned an OG Xbox, but I did have some desire to get one but that original behemoth controller was ridiculous

[@Usernamehear]

I remember when it came out I thought it was actually comfortable to hold. Like I could actually grip it instead of holding it in my fingers like PS controllers. But the button layout was crap. They got it better on 360.

[@shoot646]

​@@Usernamehearsame. I have big hands which certainly helps but that one and the original xbox one controller are probably the most comfortable ones ever to me

[@mark030a]

Yeah, ridiculously comfortable.

[@tarajoe07]

You mean "awesome"

[@37Kilo2]

I love the Duke. You can attach it to a big stick and out becomes a war hammer.

[@M1XART]

Pressure sensitite is not always good thing. When i got my brand new PS2, game called The Bouncer did break my new controller, due heavy usage of the feature during battles and game was full of those. I think DC/NGC/XBOX made right choice by relying analog triggers instead.

[@rtyuik7]

i knew the buttons were pressure-sensitive because of the game Mercenaries...get in a Helicopter, and barely-press the A button, and the chopper will slowly rise up...really lay into that A button, and youll shoot up a lot faster...

[@nubbinyou1]

Shout out to brute force an awesome OG xbox game! I dont think many people know about it, but the couch coop is amazing!

[@colettechausser7879]

I just realised how much I need an OG xbox controller with the chunky half of TJ&E on it. The Duke of Earl...

[@bland9876]

I always thought that Sony had a patent on it and that's why no other company did it because with the switch it would make so much sense especially for the shoulder buttons to be pressure sensitive. With the switch you don't want the shoulder buttons to stick out because otherwise that will make it less portable but if you make the buttons pressure sensitive you still get the analog triggers. I will say that the Wii and Wii U have no excuse though.

[@andresbravo2003]

S-Type Controller looks compact and comfortable compared to the DUKE controller that came with originally.

[@williamcase426]

No

[@vermiform]

Pressure sensitive for MGS2 was awesome. Also that one motorcycle demo on Live. MotoGP, I think? I also remember making a usb dongle out of that break-off cable to use it on PC by just splicing the cables together with a USB end

[@justinreschke3642]

Pepperidge Farms remembers...

[@AmaroqStarwind]

I miss analogue buttons. The Playstation 3 held onto it. The GameCube also had half-analogue/half-digital triggers.

[@adultmoshifan87]

I hope Nintendo are considering them for the Switch 2

[@carmatic]

pressure sensitive buttons would make a good fit for VR games , I think .... because there would be an additional focus on immersion , in addition to the usual skills of timing and precision

[@theblubus]

Didn't even know the Xbox had pressure sensitive buttons. I always thought the buttons were 'mushy' but never thought much about it.

[@zombl337og]

OG Xbox was the connection from 2D & early 3D games to the modern conveniences we have now

[@HokusaiXL]

I used it when playing GTA Vice City, but Retrofighters brought it back with their PS2 and Xbox controllers.

[@TheGreatMunky]

I've never heard them called "Pressure Sensitive" before, I always heard them called "Analog Buttons". But yes, I was aware that the original Xbox had that. I guess I didn't realize that they had gotten rid of them with later consoles.

[@zacharyhia]

Perfect Dark: Zero used this on the triggers iirc. Halfway down would zoom in partway and full down was full zoom.

[@RyuuTenno]

other games to use the pressure sensitive buttons were the GTA trilogy, and the Splinter Cell games. Splinter Cell used it for adjusting the trajectory of thrown objects, and GTA for punching, throwing, and a few other things

[@Joe3D]

Isn't there any homebrew to test the pressure on those buttons?

[@Johnebs]

Funny, you made me remember that I accidentally enabled that feature in DOA and I could not figure out why I was no longer capable of playing the game. That is how I came to realize the existence of pressure sensitive buttons on the Xbox OG.

[@tsiefhtes]

The breakaway chords probably saved every Xbox from a fall at least once. It's a feature that should have been added to nearly every retro controller being produced.

[@rodrigodavet7512]

Tecmo* really looked at Street Fighter 1 and thought "huh, that's neat"

[@Kwincy5]

Koei didn't buy/merge with Tecmo unitl 2009. Pretty much everything before DOA 5 was Tecmo Team Ninja.

[@turbinater99]

I pulled my PS2 controllers out of storage a few years ago, and like half of them had non-working buttons (approx 8 of them). That is how I learned those plastic membranes they used for pressure sensitivity can be very unreliable

[@GeneralNickles]

On DoA2 ultimate, I actually got really good at using the pressure sensitive buttons. It takes a ludicrous amount of practice, but it does make a difference. That said, it's almost always optimal to use the heavy attack, so it's kinda pointless outside of some very specific circumstances.

[@alangjr93]

I had an og xbox back in the day and I don't even vaguely remember this existing lol.

[@mmasek]

I loved my OG Xbox, and yet never knew this feature existed. Great video!

[@Mastercar77]

Loved Sega GT 2002 so much. It came together with Jet Set Radio Future. The good old days.

[@dogbunns]

I remember discovering this on Gta on the PS2 and I was mind blown.

[@quatjohn4375]

I didn’t know the S controller still had analog buttons. I don’t think it was designed with analog button presses in mind. It was more implemented in the original Duke controller and there is much more travel for the button presses with that controller

[@Amp1771]

The pressure sensor buttons and vibration features during that gen was the shit

[@jefgirdler7232]

The fact that DOA BV is the best display of the implementation for this feature is HILARIOUS to me. "Hey you know that one game that's almost entirely fan service? Let's completely over-engineer the input for it." Like the PRIORITIES my guy.

[@dffagundo]

Curious how Sega hadn't made use of both triggers as the default scheme for Sega GT 2002, as that scheme was the way themselves followed with their racing games on the Dreamcast.

[@nicolaywoods9817]

I miss the Duke controler because you dont hold the Duke, the duke holds you.

[@nicolaywoods9817]

The duke is the big ass controller, I loved it.

[@CuteBridge]

i honestly thought only the ps2 and ps3 had pressure sensitive buttons. Interesting surprise. As someone who grew up with friends who had the original xbox i never thought i would learn something new about the console.

[@Gunnumn]

I personally hated the breakaway cable. Im mainly speaking for Guitar Hero II for 360. It was independent from the controller so we had a guitar hero controller with no cable for over a year and it suckes because they werent readily available at the time. Amazon 2 day shipping didnt exist and you either had to find a third-party cable on eBay or buy a broken guitar and siphon the cable, which is what we ended up doing.

[@auzyauzborn]

BG: Dark Alliance and Champions of Norath were a massive part of my childhood. Good times playing coop with my dad

[@DeafCope]

2:52 this is how i lost my dreamcast and my favourite game of all til

[@CyprienCole]

I loved the breakaway cable... you could make custom cable which could hook up to the PC.

[@talibong9518]

in spiderman 2, the harder you press A the faster the jump meter fills

[@Nucebru]

I put so much time into DOAU and trying to string together certain combos was so rough

[@randipoling635]

Yup... We all played DOA: Beach volleyball... For the volleyball...

[@VaporRonin]

Sega GT is a nice looking game tf, never knew about it.

[@BxB510]

It was our Gran Turismo for that time and pre Forza. The gameplay is actually pretty good. I just started playing it again and genuinely enjoying it

[@TheLastLineLive]

Rallisport Challenge on the original Xbox is a real looker of a racing game on there.

[@VaporRonin]

@@BxB510 Looking at it, my personal favorite racing title, Ridge Racer V, looks like it was heavily inspired by it, or tried to some how clone it? Which came first?

[@crunchybee]

I had the xbox that came with Sega GT and jet set radio combo. I always thought they were such a weird pair.

[@BxB510]

@@VaporRonin ridge racer was definitely before Sega GT. If anything Sega GT was inspired by Gran Turismo. And both inspired Forza

[@joshd108]

Growing up, losing real away cable ends was the absolute worst

[@NovusDundus]

I don't remember it having pressure sensitive buttons. But I do remember being annoyed at the controls being "off" in some games. So maybe there's a connection 😂

[@DwAboutItManFr]

Analog buttons instead of force button would be cool perhaps, still want the force one anyway.

[@nickm5419]

2:51 there should have been 2 controller port types; the normal big sized one and then a smaller circle shaped port if you lost your breakaway cables; so you could still use the controllers

[@cube193]

I liked being able to burn your own music to the system hard drive and actually play the music in game in place of the game's default soundtrack.

[@johnnyvolvox2932]

The original Xbox was so innovative it was such an underrated console

[@BonkedByAScout]

Having made adapters from/to xbox controllers I'm going to assume pressure sensitivity before hitting play.

[@borka7824]

Only remember this feature from a music quest in star ocean til the end of time.. on ps2 tho and it was a pain in the ass... Different tune depending on how hard you pressed the button

[@RodgertheNegotiator]

I remember JSRF on the jumps was hard to master.

[@primecalibur]

Someone's making a Bluetooth adapter later this year that can use the PS3 controller, so we can finally play DoA beach volleyball with pressure sensitive Bluetooth lol

[@ORLY911]

Another game that used pressure sensitive face buttons was Far Cry Instincts and its expansion Evolution. In the map editor it could change how lightly or hard to manipulate the terrain. Try it out sometime if u find a copy.

[@trooper427ss]

I miss pressure sensitive buttons. I use the front buttons on race games, not the triggers.

[@ghqebvful]

"No one remembers" I never knew in the first place. I always mash that button Also I think using buttons that recognized when touched over pressure sensitive is a better way to get more out of a button.

[@cwise610]

Is this why I still forcefully press my buttons in dire situations? 😂

[@cicabeot1]

The game that comes to mind for me with the pressure sensitive face buttons is Silent Hill 2. Though I know more people see that as a PS2 game, I’m more familiar with it on Xbox. I remember being so confused why I wasn’t using melee weapons the way I wanted to until I realized it had to do with the pressure sensitive buttons.

[@DavidPeveto]

It could totally be a false memory, but I remember sports games used them on the PS2. Like in Madden you'd tap the button for a soft high arcing pass and you'd press it hard for a hard bullet throw.

[@herohunter81]

Remember when LB and RB were the white and black buttons?

[@feeamerie5011]

I had a great custom soundtrack of beach boys tracks for playing doax. Great times.

[@shieldtablet942]

The Controller S is arguably the best ever made. Not out of nostalgia, as I hadnt used them for a decade prior to getting an adapter last month. Even my 6y old kept remarking how good the controller is, after only having used DS2/3, 360 and other stuff we have around. All other controllers have just been "controllers" up to trying this one. The dpad is especially good, after many years of wear, and ergonomics are top of the line.

[@someguystudios23]

I had no idea this feature existed my entire xbox-having life.

[@apex6186]

We had it so good back then

[@GRIFAbyte101]

That would explain a lot about some of the games back then, just that strange inconsistency with the controls at times. Didn't really help with the fact that this was basically NOT an advertised feature of the Xbox, even in games that used it.

[@MrScottyTay]

I really wish we kept pressure sensitive buttons

[@melodicatofficial3065]

Found this out through Sega GT 2002 that came with JSRF, it used A for throttle...ugh why? The Xbox controller had TRIGGERS!

[@tarajoe07]

The break-away was genius. Am I the only one who likes the Duke? I have one converted to USB. Lol

[@HobzVHS]

I completely forgot about this feature. As I kid remember for some racing games I would have to hold down the “A” as hard as possible. Now I remember why I did that because there was indeed pressure sensitivity.

[@jettesides420]

white and black buttons = Tiger Woods

[@johnnyj4787]

This means everyone whose said pusing the button harder for stronger attacks were actually on to something

[@valdotorg]

I was vaguely aware of this, assumed incorrectly the 360 also did this, and then forgot for 15+ years.

[@deandreilee]

We need a DOA Beach Volleyball: GYATT Edition

[@lemonfraid8136]

I can't even begin to express how much I don't miss analog face buttons. Sure, MGS 2 certainly used it in a way that worked, but most of the games I remember were driving games, where your thumb hurt after a while trying to press the button as hard as possible. Even MGS 2 would have worked better with analog triggers, which are way easier to maintain control of, feel more natural, and aren't as tiring. Then there's Nintendo, "Yeah, we don't need these anymore..."

[@xXxSiNiiSTERxXx]

I never knew until recently that the PS2 had that as well… everyone thought I was crazy when I was like 10 and would say that if you press harder on the X button the zoomers would go faster in Jak 2 lol

[@markvicferrer]

I thought only the PS2 had pressure sensitive face buttons.

[@Kall_Mii_Kemo]

This explains why I was so bad at og xbox games. My buddy had xbox I had DC and we compared and contrasted at length

[@michaelm9211]

I grew up with an original Xbox and never knew this. I even had SEGA gt 2002, and didn’t know. Side note saga gt 2002 is probably the best racing game ever made.

[@th00perman_]

I remember my right thumb always hurting when playing with pressure-sensitive controllers 😅