Xbox One controller ingenious design

I recently decided to purchase an Xbox One controller to replace the old Xbox 360 controller I have been using for PC gaming for years. (I have an Xbox 360, which I haven't used for a couple of years. I don't have an Xbox One, but I like using the Xbox controller for most PC games.)

I have been using both an Xbox 360 and a PS4 controller for quite many years. The Xbox One controller immediately felt like a really well-designed and sturdy product, especially compared to the Xbox 360 one. The analog sticks felt less stiff and easier to use, as well as the triggers. The d-pad is a lot "clickier", making a quite clear click when any direction is pressed.

There was one thing, however, that at first felt like a massive disappointment and a huge design blunder: The massive shoulder buttons. This image compares the size of the shoulder button compared to the other two controllers (click on any image for a slightly larger version):

Of course size is not the problem, but the way they are positioned and how they work. Comparing the Xbox One and the PS4 controllers in profile shows how much higher the shoulder buttons are in the former:

In the image, the baseline (where the bottom part of the controller, where you hold it with your middle and rest of your fingers) as well as the shoulder button lower and upper edges have been marked. As you can see, in the Xbox One controller they are enormously higher.

This makes the shoulder buttons quite awkward to use, if you try to use them like with the other controllers. Not only that, but there's another problem: If you try to press them with the tip of your finger, as demonstrated in the picture below, they don't actually work! That part does not trigger the button (or, more precisely, it triggers it very poorly).

At first this felt like a huge disappointment. The entire rest of the controller felt really, really well designed, high quality, sturdy and easy to use. The shoulder buttons, however, were positioned very awkwardly, and were hard to press.

However, after a while of using the controller, I realized the actual idea behind the design. And it's quite ingenious!

You are actually not supposed to use the trigger button like above. Instead, you are supposed to press it with the part of your finger around the second knuckle, like this:

Why is this an ingenious design? Because it actually allows you to, if needed, press the shoulder button and the trigger at the same time! And you have full control of how much you squeeze the trigger.

If you compare this to how you press the shoulder button in the PS4 controller, you'll see that there it's just not possible to press both with the same finger:

Of course it's perfectly possible to use your middle finger to press the trigger while you use your index finger to press the shoulder button, and this can be a completely viable and comfortable way of playing. However, if you are using both fingers like this, then you'll be holding the controller itself only with your ring and pinky fingers, which is slightly less firm. Not that it can be a huge problem, but it can be less comfortable.