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Xbox’s new $50 Nano controller looks like the cheek-pinchable baby brother of the relatively macho $65 Xbox wireless controller or the far more expensive Elite 2. Pocketability is one thing, but being half the size of a traditional Xbox gamepad is reminding me just how much I wish gaming could take itself a little less seriously. Some of us enjoy small and cute gaming gear, too.

The console maker says its Nano controller contains all the typical gamepad inputs, though it lacks any extra back buttons for you to accidentally press while gaming. It’s built for portability, weighing in at 3.5 ounces, or 0.2 pounds. The 5-inch controller’s baby butt grip shape adds a little more ergonomics compared to a few other squat controllers, like the more traditionally shaped $40 HyperX Clutch Tanto Mini or the 8BitDo Ultimate Mini. The Xbox Nano isn’t offering anything truly special otherwise, save for a programmable action button you can set to take screenshots or employ other shortcuts.

My humanoid brain, built to recognize miniature, oval-eyed creatures as “cute,” hasn’t had much reason to apply the term to gaming gear recently. The recent mountain of PC peripherals has all centered around the wannabe esports pro scene with expensive keyboards and mice. PlayStation has been promoting monitors , headsets , and arcade sticks . Nintendo, with its propensity to sell oddities like physical, playable ocarinas , is the only brand that remembers gaming can be a little more lighthearted and still have appeal.

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