Been a long time coming but I’m glad it’s here.

Also known as “the thing which should have come with the Elite Controller“, the Xbox Wireless Adapter for Windows finally allows gamers to upgrade and hook up those nice shiny Xbox One controllers to their PCs without a cable.

The package itself is pretty basic. There’s the adapter itself which is a fairly bulky USB dongle about the same size of similar Wi-Fi adapters. In addition there’s a USB extension cable handy for those who hide their PCs under desks or out of reach. Finally there is the instructions which include a reminder notice that the controller itself may need a firmware update to work correctly. With all of the revisions that have been made to the controller’s firmware over the last two years, it’s good to keep them updated.

Setting up is dead simple in Windows 10 (support now available for Windows 8.1 and 7) with it being an entirely plug and play affair. After the OS installs the driver you’re ready to go and bond a controller to the adapter; the process is the same as it is on the console with a button on the adapter to press with the one on the controller. A white light on the adapter will flash and stay lit once the controller is ready to use.

After spending some time using both a wired Xbox One controller and also a 360 controller using its version of the wireless adapter, I’m happy to see the process being more streamlined here. The best part has to be using it with the Accessories app in Windows 10 which is identical to the Xbox One version; it even supports the Elite Controller and will pull in the settings from your Xbox account which is a nice touch, especially if you use Xbox game streaming.

Apart from my grumbles on the value proposition, it’s a nice unit that does exactly what’s expected of it. Being able to use my Elite Controller on a PC in exactly the same way I use it on my console is a luxury that you can get used to quicker than you might think. Now, if only Elite: Dangerous on the PC would support an identical controller configuration to the console I’d be set…

[UPDATE] – Elite: Dangerous on PC can also support controllers the same way as Xbox One, use either the Default or Classic control presets.