xbox one elite controller
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Xbox One Elite Series 2 controller gets $20 cheaper with Amazon Prime
Late last year Microsoft unveiled a second generation of its upgraded Elite Series gaming pad. It features a sealed-in rechargeable battery, USB-C port, Bluetooth connectivity, programmable profiles, new interchangeable thumbstick and paddle shapes and probably a few other things we forgot about (the new paddles are smaller, it can charge inside its carrying case, and the Profiles button on its face can switch you back to default settings with a long press). Just like other Xbox accessories, it's also going to be compatible with Xbox Series X when that's released, as long as you can live without a dedicated screenshot/share button. The only problem is that all of those tweaks and upgrades bring the price to $180. However, Amazon is currently selling the gamepad for $160 if you're a Prime member, so anyone looking for one last upgrade after the holiday season may have just found it. Of course, PlayStation gamers can add buttons to the back of their existing controller for a bit less. Otherwise,a standard DualShock 4 controller is cheaper at $47, a similarly-upgraded SCUF Vantage 2 for PS4 costs about $200, or you can grab a standard Xbox controller for $46. Buy Elite Series 2 Controller on Amazon - $159
Microsoft unveils an even more customizable Elite controller
Remember the Xbox Elite controller? Well, it's just been replaced. Microsoft says its new Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 (what a mouthful) has "over 30 new ways to play like a pro," including adjustable-tension thumbsticks and shorter hair trigger locks. The pad also comes with wraparound rubberized grips and up to three custom profiles so that you don't have to reconfigure everything when you switch between Forza Horizon 4 and the upcoming Gears 5. According to a quick teaser, the Series 2 Elite controller will last 40 hours on a single charge and can be replenished with a bundled charging dock. The entire package, which is available to pre-order today, costs $179.99 and will ship on November 4th.
This is how you'll customize the Xbox One 'Elite' controller
We got up close and personal with the Xbox One's incredibly expensive Elite controller at E3, but how do all those modular bits and bobs work? A new video from Microsoft out of Gamescom sheds some light on just that. The Elite's customization goes much deeper than just swapping out different lengths of thumbsticks: you can adjust trigger deadzone, download custom button-binding profiles for certain games, tweak haptic feedback intensity on a motor-by-motor basis and even completely remap button functions. Long story short: if standard gamepads regularly fall short for your high-level needs, this is the paddle for you.
Microsoft watched gamers at home to design the new Xbox Elite controller
By now, if you're an Xbox One gamer, you know that Microsoft has a pretty badass controller on the horizon. But what's truly interesting about the new Elite controller, announced at the company's major E3 press event this week, is that it's the product of several in-home research sessions. According to Xbox Hardware Project Manager David Prien, the company realized that today's gamers are all about "customization and personalization." And so Prien's team enlisted pro-gamers picked from leaderboards on the company's own Xbox titles to help mold this new modular controller design. But if you thought that the Elite controller was just for gaming's cream of the crop players, you'd be mistaken. Prien assured us that it's "not just for the pro-gamer. The idea here is that everyone can benefit from this." He also said that the hardware team had a "laundry list of over 100 feature sets," though, understandably, not all of that made it into the final design. We had an opportunity to get some close-up time with the new Elite controller here on the showfloor, so be sure to watch our interview with Prien below.
