(The Elite Series 1 has held its value fairly well, and you probably wouldn't want to buy used thanks to some early part troubles.) Going elite Xbox Elite Controller Series 2 review: A gamepad (almost) perfected Microsoft's original Xbox Elite Controller had lofty ambitions but collapsed under the weight of … Beyond the charging dock, a lot of the Series 2's new features are hidden away on the inside or in subtle additions throughout. The full kit comes with the controller (duh), a carrying case (like the original), a charging dock (with a USB-C cable to hook up to the back of it), plus two interchangeable d-pads, six thumbsticks, four paddles, and a thumbstick adjustment tool. I never noticed my first presses fail to register, but a rapid series of presses wouldn’t always lead to a rapid series of actions. © I’ve really been trying to torture them over the past two weeks, and I think it’s fair to say the grips are better designed than the original. The Xbox One Elite Series 2 features new textured grips, which now completely cover the legs of the controller, and reach up the sides all the way to the triggers. It’s a strictly monochrome affair for the Elite Series 2. Each of these broad upgrades, however, has more to offer in the Series 2. It does have a few new additions. The buttons and triggers have also gotten a little glow up. New to the Xbox Elite 2 is the ability to use shift options for buttons. From taking a screenshot with a single paddle press, to wireless charging, to using tighter analog sticks, it stacks the deck with tweaks that make a huge difference depending on what games you play and what controller you’ve been using to play them. Outwardly, it looks as though not a lot has changed, but it's all in the details. Mapping a new paddle to "Xbox, record that/take a screenshot." Ever since I first picked up the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2, I've had a hard time keeping it out of my hands. The Xbox One family may be reaching the end of its lifecycle, but Microsoft's Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 may see us through to the next-generation Xbox Project Scarlett. The range of inputs you can map to each button, however, has expanded quite a bit. The palm grips of the controller have a diamond-textured rubber material all the way around, an upgrade from the material that had previously only appeared on the bottom of the palm grips. The back of the controller has a pair of switches, which allow you to reduce the amount of travel on the triggers from a full press to half or even a “hair trigger” tap. It’s a huge boon for players who want to use the paddles and the face buttons together, rather simply use them as a finger-friendly replacement. Playing Dead Cells is where I started to notice issues with the ABXY buttons, though. It truly is one of the best PC controllers, and of course a real contender for the best Xbox One controller. The Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 improves upon the quality-of-life issues of its predecessor, offering a durable, premium controller with plenty of customization options for you to try out. One Reddit user noted that “after pressing up on the D-pad there is a very plastic/cellophane sound that sounds like an adhesive or the membrane under the D pad is off a little.” Sure enough, I noticed the same thing, exclusive to pressing up on the D-Pad. First up, take a look at this picture: the one in the header with the chicken (see, I gave you a reference point that just happens to be my favorite animal). It was also responsive in Dead Cells, but I preferred the softer feel of the thumbstick. The metal analog sticks glide along their surrounding rings like butter, and every button feels snappy. The main pitfall of this product is the $180 price tag. I love what Microsoft has done here. No spam, we promise. I wish these could be linked to the profile switch because, in a game like Destiny 2, I found that I wanted shorter trigger lengths on certain guns and I regularly swap my loadouts and weapons on the fly during PvP games. Please refresh the page and try again. Most of the body eschews the shiny, metal accents found on the original, going instead for a darker metal. However, while we preferred this heavier, chunkier game pad, there were some in TechRadar HQ who found it too clunky. If you can weather the bill, you won't find yourself disappointed, though. Microsoft has refined every aspect of this controller and added some great new additions like adjustable-tension thumbsticks, even shorter hair-trigger locks, USB-C, and Bluetooth connectivity. There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again. The one on the left is the new Series 2, the one on the right is the old Elite, which was somehow introduced in 2015 and still feels super new. During Amazon Prime Day this year, you may be able to snag one at a discount as well. The stuff the original Elite got right has been refined, and the stuff it got wrong has been fixed. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. It allows button remapping, thumbstick deadzone adjustments, vibration control, and more. I've set up a separate profile for Call of Duty, which gives me access to reloading and weapon switching on the paddles without having to take my thumb off the joystick, and another profile for TV controls and screenshotting. Ultimately, the stuff the original Elite got right has been refined, and the things it got wrong has been fixed, at least for the most part. The new controller visibly changes little about the previous Xbox Elite controller, with a few tweaks to the styling. I would like to receive news and offers from other Future brands. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. I have a story for that! Though there’s no substitute for the paddles, both thumbsticks and the D-Pad can be reconfigured. As with the original Xbox Elite, you can completely remap the controller as you see fit using the Xbox Accessories app. This means you can hold down a paddle or button and it can activate a remapped command for any of the controller’s other buttons. I’ve always found it more comfortable to use one or two of these paddles, and remove the ones I’m not using. The Elite controller stands out thanks to its customization options. Visit our corporate site. I was unable to lever it off using a guitar pick or even a blunt razor (but still, it's not something I recommend you try at home!). But when people were excited to find out that Sony is focusing on haptic feedback for their new PlayStation 5 controllers (presumably the DualShock 5), my first thought was "Microsoft had that as a basic feature in 2013.". In case you aren't familiar with the whole Elite suite, you can customize the remote to your liking with any thumbstick or d-pad you feel comfortable with, as well as add-on paddles (they go in the very back) that function as extra buttons. Save an insane 73% on a new IPVanish subscription for a limited time. USB-C charging is a great addition, though, and Microsoft has even included a clever charging dock inside the carrying case for the Elite 2 controller. The charging dock is by far and away the best solution we've seen in gaming for keeping an Xbox controller topped off, with a solid weight and rapid, 1-2 hour charge cycle to get fully topped off.