Google Chrome introduces Trigger Rumble for Gamepads; the browser will also support Xbox One Controllers on Windows 10 and later

Google will greatly enhance the gaming experience in its Chrome browser by enabling the trigger rumble feature for gamepads by default. This feature, which will become a standard part of Chrome, will support Xbox One controllers on Windows 10 or later.

According to the Chrome Platform Status, the new Gamepad API Trigger Extension is set to ship with Chrome version 126. Trigger rumble is the vibration feedback players feel through the triggers on their game controllers.

This feature, commonly used in console gaming, and particularly with Xbox controllers, offers a more engaging and realistic gaming experience. For instance, when a player fires a gun or revs an engine in a game, the triggers vibrate to simulate the corresponding sensation.

Extend the GamepadHapticActuator interface to expose the trigger-rumble capability on the web for compatible gamepads. This extension will enable web applications that utilize the Gamepad API to also activate the vibration of the triggers on gamepad devices equipped with this functionality.

Chrome Platform Status

The integration of trigger rumble into Chrome is facilitated through the Gamepad API, which grants web applications access to the functions of connected game controllers. By activating trigger rumble by default, Chrome maximizes the potential of this API, providing developers with a broader range of haptic feedback options for their web games.

Xbox-compatible gamepads, such as the Microsoft Xbox Wireless Controller and the Razer Wolverine Ultimate, are equipped with ‘impulse triggers’ that offer localized haptic feedback. Although the Gamepad Haptics Extension proposal supports haptic effects that vibrate the entire gamepad, it lacks an interface for ‘impulse trigger’ effects.

Chrome

The feature will be released to Chrome, but it will be exclusively available to Xbox One-compatible controllers on Windows 10 or later. However, there is a possibility of future support for other gamepad models, but for now, only Xbox One users can enjoy this new functionality.

More details about the upcoming feature can be found here.

Enable trigger rumble by default

This CL enables by default the trigger-rumble gamepad API extension.

In case you have never connected your Xbox One controllers to Windows 10, or Windows 11, you can do so by following our comprehensive guide. Once you’ve connected it to your PC, you can try out this Gamepad Explorer on Google Chrome, which lets you experience the rumble and trigger effects.