The Largest Xbox Controller Was a Monster, Here’s Why We Need Another

Gaming history has seen countless bizarre peripherals, from the NES Power Glove to the GameCube’s infamous chainsaw controller. Some of these are clever; others are questionable. But there’s nothing quite like the massive controller created for Xbox exclusive Steel Battalion.

Steel Battalion‘s Absurdly Complex Controller

Developed by Capcom and released in 2002 for the original Xbox, Steel Battalion is an immersive first-person shooter that places you in the cockpit of a bipedal mech known as a “Vertical Tank” (VT). Throughout the game, you’ll be engaging enemies in tense firefights while maneuvering through steep terrain, managing radio communications, and putting out fires in your VT. Steel Battalion is unwavering in its commitment to being a hardcore mech-simulator, but that’s not the only reason people still remember this game.

Steel Battalion came bundled with a roughly 34-inch (88 cm) controller that featured nearly 40 buttons, three foot pedals, two control sticks, a radio dial, a gear shift lever, and an instruction manual for assembling and understanding each of these inputs.

Because of the controller’s complexity, Steel Battalion was released in limited quantities and initially retailed for around $200. Unfortunately, the price of the controller alone has skyrocketed in recent years, now selling for anywhere between $300 and $700 in good condition.

Steel Battalion‘s overwhelming control scheme isn’t just for show. Every single input on the controller serves a unique purpose in gameplay. Starting up your VT at the beginning of each mission requires you to complete a lengthy procedure that involves 8 different buttons. Moving around is a delicate process that demands careful use of the foot pedals and gear shift.

Most importantly, there’s a dizzying number of inputs involved in aiming, firing, and reloading your weapons. There’s even a button for cleaning your VT’s windshield.

Once you’ve grasped the controls, Steel Battalion will still challenge you with its unforgiving combat. Unlike the mechs found in similar games such as Titanfall and Armored Core, the VTs of Steel Battalion are slow, lumbering titans that require strategy and patience to pilot.

Encounters with enemy VTs often devolve into hectic shootouts that force you to carefully line up shots while evading an onslaught of gunfire and cannons. However, careless maneuvering can cause your VT to lose balance and tip over, adding an extra layer of challenge and tension to every battle.

The most brutal part of Steel Battalion is how it handles failure. The controller includes an eject button, allowing you to evacuate from your VT during a mission. However, if you fail to eject before your VT is destroyed, that death is permanent. The game wipes your save and forces you to restart the entire campaign.

Steel Battalion‘s punishing design won’t appeal to everyone, but the game is unmatched in its ability to immerse you in the role of a mech pilot. Whether you’re in the midst of combat or traversing the desolate battlefields between objectives, it’s hard not to get engrossed in the action when you’re seated behind a real-life control panel.

Steel Battalion probably didn’t need a hulking, 40-button controller to deliver a decent shooter, but its inclusion results in an experience that even the best mech games can’t replicate. At its core, Steel Battalion is a simulator, and it dedicates every element of its design to delivering the most realistic-feeling experience you can possibly get out of a game about giant robots.

Although this immersive quality was a niche taste back in 2002, it’s the main reason that Steel Battalion and its controller deserve a modern revival.

Steel Battalion for the Modern Age

Despite its niche status, Steel Battalion received two sequels that took the series in very different directions.

One of these sequels was the infamous Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor, released for the Xbox 360 in 2012. Heavy Armor ditched the original’s controller in favor of the Kinect, replacing the 40-button panel and foot pedals with motion controls and voice commands. Unsurprisingly, the Kinect’s spotty motion detection couldn’t keep up with Heavy Armor‘s ambitious demands, and the game was widely panned for its horribly unresponsive controls.

In contrast, Steel Battalion‘s other sequel—Steel Battalion: Line of Contact—has kept the series alive for over two decades. Line of Contact was released in 2004 and essentially served as a multiplayer expansion for the first game.

Using the original Steel Battalion‘s combat and controller, Line of Contact lets players battle online in a variety of team-based modes, as well as taking part in a faction-based “Campaign mode” that sees players fighting to conquer different regions across the game world. Although Line of Contact‘s online servers shut down in 2010, the game maintains an active playerbase through LAN multiplayer and online matches supported by XLink Kai.

Due to the limited availability of the original Steel Battalion‘s controller, Line of Contact didn’t have any chance of becoming a major success. Even so, its dedicated playerbase and enduring popularity among fans of the mech genre proves that there’s still a demand for games like Steel Battalion. More importantly, Line of Contact demonstrates exactly how Steel Battalion could be revived for a modern audience.

In the age of online-shooters and hardcore action titles, a game like Steel Battalion could easily become Capcom’s next big hit. Games like PlanetSide 2 and the Battlefield series have featured similar experiences to Line of Contact‘s Campaign Mode (albeit on a much larger scale), and recent popular titles like Armored Core 6 and Mecha Break have sparked a resurgence for the mech genre.

Even the complicated control scheme and unforgiving design of Steel Battalion wouldn’t scare off modern players, especially when games with mind-boggling depth like Eve: Online and Dwarf Fortress have amassed sizable fanbases comprised of hardcore gamers. Recent successes like Elden Ring and Hades 2 also prove that many modern players love challenging experiences. These were some of Steel Battalion‘s most divisive qualities back in 2002, but they would easily be considered the game’s greatest strengths if it (or a potential revival) was released today.

The most important part of the Steel Battalion series—and possibly the reason it hasn’t received a new entry in years—is its iconic controller. Capcom took a huge risk by creating such an elaborate peripheral for a niche Xbox exclusive, and it didn’t necessarily pan out well. Between its high production costs and moderate sales, the original Steel Battalion likely wasn’t as profitable as Capcom hoped.

Fortunately, there’s a much higher demand now for immersive peripherals like the Steel Battalion controller. Racing wheels, flight sticks, and other simulation controllers have become immensely popular in their respective genres, especially among fans of home setups for simulators. Additionally, a multi-platform release with cross-platform multiplayer would ensure the next Steel Battalion game reaches a wider audience than the original.

Times Change, But Mechs Are Eternally Cool

Despite its age, Steel Battalion is a truly one-of-a-kind experience, and that’s largely thanks to its stunning controller. The game is still fairly niche due to its age and rarity, but a sequel that revives the original’s iconic peripheral would be a guaranteed hit among longtime fans and new players. Since Capcom has been recently revisiting some of its other seemingly forgotten franchises such as Dragon’s Dogma, Ghost ‘n Goblins, and Dead Rising, a new Steel Battalion might not be out of the question.