What’s 5″ long and weighs just about 3.5 ounces? Let’s name some things. A deck of playing cards. A bar of soap. A chipmunk. The Xbox Nano Controller? That’s exactly what it is, a pocketable, full-fledged controller that Xbox shrunk down to a miniature size without omiting any of the standard buttons and control inputs of a full-sized Xbox controller.

How, and more importantly why, did they do this? No matter. It launched for sale on Wednesday, November 4, and now it’s widely available. Here’s where you can get it.

the reason for the nano

The reason for the Nintendo Switch 2’s controllers being the size of something you can throw in a bookbag, purse, or pocket is obvious. It’s a portable system. The Xbox is not. Ever since the Nano was unveiled, I’ve seen portability named as the reason for its existence. Fine, it makes sense if you’re going to a friend’s house for some split-screen multiplayer fun and they don’t have enough controllers for everybody. But that can’t be the primary appeal, can it?

Even if you never take an Xbox controller out of your home, the Nano makes sense for those who’ve never liked or been able to comfortably use the Xbox’s standard controllers. Hefty controllers are in the Xbox’s bloodline from the start. I remember the original console’s launch in 2001, and its controllers, the size of hubcaps, were a lightning rod for annoyance and complaint. It took years for Microsoft to introduce smaller controllers, and even then they weren’t small. They were just regular sized.

The current Xbox controllers aren’t nearly as large, but kids and people with hands on the smaller size can still struggle with them. It took Microsoft 25 years, but as of today people can alleviate that with the Xbox Nano Controller for $50 a pop. There’s no trading away key controls or inputs.

The Nano retains all 18 control inputs, the same D-pad, control sticks, triggers, and buttons in the same layout as the regular controller, just smushed into a smaller package. Microsoft did it in part by eliminating the need for removable batteries. There’s an internal, rechargeable battery instead. Along with WiFi, it has Bluetooth, so you can use it for PC gaming, too.

Who knows. Maybe in 25 more years, they’ll make one small enough to tuck into your wallet.