There’s something incredibly frustrating about typing on a numeric keypad with a controller. Whether you’re streaming or gaming, the slowness with which you often have to search for each letter is simply painful. Fortunately, there’s an improvement in store for Xbox controllers: Microsoft has announced a new gamepad keyboard for the Windows 11 touch keyboard.
The updated keyboard is supposed to make it easier to use the on-screen keyboard with an Xbox controller. It offers better navigation on the controller and useful key combinations. For example, the X button can function as a spacebar, the Y button as a spacebar, and the menu button as an enter. Microsoft also says it’s aligned the keyboard keys vertically for a more comfortable use.
Microsoft first announced the beta testing of this technology back in September. It’s now available in the Release Preview of Windows 11, so you’ll be able to try it out for yourself over the next few weeks. Hopefully this will save you a lot of time and frustration (and that streamers will come up with their own solutions soon).
