Quoting: vic-baythankfully steam controller 2 is around the corner, so i will be looking to that as my next controller.

wtf is firmware update in xbox controller? how and why it breaks any compatibility?

xbox controller should be a braindead simple device with design that has practically no changes for three decades, it is a dualshock 1 with dpad and left stick swapped. what firmware updates can it possible have?

i know what these updates do. they are made for the sole purpose of breaking compatibility with non-windows machines. although microsoft only shoot themselves in the foot with this decision.

at this point whatever they do just makes everyone hate them more.

I assure you that compatibility breaking frimware updates can have reasonable cause.
Things like EU cybersecurity laws, anti-cheat compatibility and cummulative memory corruption.
I do suspect you're right in this case though.