Microsoft Xbox Wireless Adapter for Windows
You can easily plug an Xbox One controller (or the excellent, expensive Xbox Elite Wireless Controller) into your Windows 10 PC
with a USB cable and play most games. These gamepads are wireless,
though, and tethering yourself to your computer via a cable isn't
exactly fun. That's where the Microsoft Xbox Wireless Adapter for
Windows comes in. This $24.99 USB dongle lets you connect up to eight Xbox One
controllers to your Windows PC wirelessly. It's easy to use and works
well, but you need Microsoft's latest gear and software to take
advantage of it—the adapter only works with Windows 10 and Xbox One wireless controllers.
Design and Setup
The adapter is a black USB
stick measuring 3.4 by 1.1 by 0.3 inches (HWD). It bears the Xbox logo
and a small indicator light on one of its faces, and a glossy black
pairing button on the side. Unlike the Xbox 360 Wireless Adapter, the
Xbox One adapter lacks a built-in cable for placing it wherever is most
convenient. Instead, it comes with a separate USB extender cable, so you
can choose between the neatness of having the adapter plugged directly
into your computer and the flexibility a cable provides.
Setting up the adapter is a simple process: Just plug it
in and your computer will identify it. After that, all you need to do
is pair it with a compatible controller by placing the controller in
pairing mode and holding the button on the side of the adapter for a few
seconds. When the Xbox logo on the adapter stops flashing and glows
steadily, it's paired with your computer. You might have to update the
firmware on your controller, which you can do with a wired USB
connection through the gamepad's micro USB port and the Windows 10 Xbox Accessories
app. This is also a simple, prompt-driven process, and one you can do
even more easily (and wirelessly) if you have an Xbox One.
The adapter supports up to eight Xbox One controllers,
with up to four chat headsets or two stereo headsets connected between
them. The inability for every connected player to have a headset is
disappointing, but you can at least have four with headsets at any one
time.
Peformance and Conclusions
The adapter
worked perfectly with my PC and the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller. I
could perform the same customizations I could with the Xbox One, and I
used the gamepad to reliably play Axiom Verge, Fallout 4, and Freedom Planet.
The connection was responsive, both at my desk and on my couch.
According to Microsoft, the Xbox One controllers have a range of 30
feet. I found the adapter to reliably keep a connection all through my
apartment, at least 20 feet from my PC.
If you have a Windows 10 PC and don't have a gamepad
picked out yet, the Xbox Wireless Adapter for Windows makes it easy to
get up and running wirelessly with an Xbox controller. The Xbox One
gamepad is very good, and the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller is even
better (though pricey), and you can connect up to eight of either with
one $25 stick. Alternatively, you can use a Bluetooth adapter and a wide
variety of other wireless gamepads, including the PlayStation 4's DualShock 4 controller, but Microsoft's solution is the most consistently supported method for Windows 10.
