Catering for pro gamers, the Xbox team created a highly customisable controller featuring 4 re-mappable back paddles, hair trigger locks and high quality components, but is it worth your cash?
Product on Review: Xbox Elite Wireless Controller
Manufacturer: Microsoft
Street Price: UK: £119.99, US: $149.99
Controller modding has become big business, there are strange attachments available for standard controllers, replacement parts, stick on grips and there are even established businesses which were are centric to the game pad like SCUF which deliver to gaming community what they are looking for, a competitive advantage. In games where analogue sticks are vital to every movement, function of the game, like action shooters, FPSs or even racing games, there are times when moving your thumb away from the stick, even for a fraction of a second, means win or lose, life or death, yet that unpredictable crunch can come at any time. Use paddles on the underside of controllers is not a new idea, in fact, controller modding has existed for as long as controllers have, converting D-pad into joysticks and vice versa, creating new buttons to act as a combination of buttons, and it all whittles down to that competitive edge. As competitive gaming is booming the need and demand has risen dramatically yet there has been little to no response by the official console makers to really meet this need.
As the Xbox One was being launched, Microsoft had pride in the R & D they invested into the Xbox One controller, why wouldn’t they? It was set to become the main interface with a next-gen console and PC for the next number of years, yet on release it faced a list of issues and complaints including stiff/ near unusable bumpers, lack of headphone jack and reliability issues, worse still the customer service and warranty was abysmal. Microsoft then responded by announcing that they have a refreshed controller in the works which addressed all these issues, followed by the announcement of the Elite controller. Showing off replaceable magnetic parts, re-mappable rear paddles, hair triggers and a lot of metal, Microsoft directly responded to the needs of the enthusiast and pro gamer.
Overview by Microsoft
Pro-level customization for a competitive edge.
We set out to create a performance-class controller to meet the needs of today’s competitive gamers. Designed in collaboration with pro-level players, the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller unlocks your full potential and adapts to your unique style of play. Experience game-changing accuracy, faster speed, and a tailored feel unlike anything before.
We set out to create a performance-class controller to meet the needs of today’s competitive gamers. Designed in collaboration with pro-level players, the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller unlocks your full potential and adapts to your unique style of play. Experience game-changing accuracy, faster speed, and a tailored feel unlike anything before.
Technical Specifications
System requirements: For use with Xbox One systems and PCs running Windows 7 or later. PC use requires included USB cable or Wireless Adapter (available Holiday 2015). Drivers available at xbox.com/xboxone/PC-controller.
Xbox Accessories App requirements: Available on Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs.
Audio: Includes 3.5mm stereo headset jack. Also compatible with the Xbox One Stereo Headset Adapter and all other 1st party Xbox One controller accessories.
Haptic feedback: Features Impulse Triggers* and rumble motors. Motor control can be adjusted in the App.
Weight: 348g (+/- 15g) when using with 4 paddles, faceted D-pad, AA batteries and standard thumbsticks attached.
Connectivity: Wireless, or wired using included 9’ USB cable. Data transfers through the USB cable when connected to the controller and console/PC.
Batteries: (2) AA (included). Compatible with Xbox One Play & Charge Kit (sold separately).
Assignable inputs:
A, B, X, and Y
D-pad up, down, left, and right
Left and right bumpers
Left and right trigger activation
Left and right thumbstick click
Now enables wireless firmware updates which eliminates having to connect the controller via USB cable to receive updates.
Xbox Accessories App requirements: Available on Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs.
Audio: Includes 3.5mm stereo headset jack. Also compatible with the Xbox One Stereo Headset Adapter and all other 1st party Xbox One controller accessories.
Haptic feedback: Features Impulse Triggers* and rumble motors. Motor control can be adjusted in the App.
Weight: 348g (+/- 15g) when using with 4 paddles, faceted D-pad, AA batteries and standard thumbsticks attached.
Connectivity: Wireless, or wired using included 9’ USB cable. Data transfers through the USB cable when connected to the controller and console/PC.
Batteries: (2) AA (included). Compatible with Xbox One Play & Charge Kit (sold separately).
Assignable inputs:
A, B, X, and Y
D-pad up, down, left, and right
Left and right bumpers
Left and right trigger activation
Left and right thumbstick click
Now enables wireless firmware updates which eliminates having to connect the controller via USB cable to receive updates.
Packaging & Bundle
The exterior packaging is high quality and says very little of what is inside. The design is minimalist and lets the image of the product do the talking.
At the back is a diagram which details various features of the product, while at the side there is a list displaying what is included.
Once opened up we are greeted with a good quality hard case which contains the controller and various accessories.
Opening up the clamshell case there is a rubberised storage area which contains some attachments for the controller, while there is some foam floating around to help keep the controller in place.
Included as extra accessories, is a cross type D-pad, 2 ‘tall’ replacement sticks, 2 domed replacement sticks, while the standard height sticks are attached to the controller.
Underneath the packaging there is another box containing a good quality, long braided USB to microUSB cable as well as some Duracell batteries.
Closer Look
The design an shape of the Elite controller is mostly identical to the standard controller, though from up top, you can note the toned down colour of the buttons, and the large satellite dish D-pad.
At the side, we get a view of the rubberised grip and the first look at the metal bumper and trigger buttons.
Heavy metal, at the top we get to see a large chunk of attractive, cool looking metal, with the pairing button in an eye catching green.
from this angle we can see how the Elite controller keeps compatibility with the previous adaptor and devices, but also includes a dedicated port for 3.5mm jack. Not sure the lines for the D-pad are needed…
Underneath we get to see the full grip, the four paddles, the battery cover and the switched for the hair trigger lock.
The paddles are positioned ergonomically for a natural hand grip, while the switch for the hair trigger is made in an attractive green colour.
It’s a shame that the Elite controller didn’t come with a rechargeable battery as standard, but at least there is a nice greeting on the inside.
The sticks, D-pad and paddles are all magnetically removable and are a lot more study than your would think, each easily falling into place exactly as it should, making it incredibly convenient to customise and adapt your controller for different situations.
Software
The Xbox Accessories App is available on the Xbox One or Windows 10 App store and allows a huge amount of customisation. You can save 255 configurations or use any available presets which can be assigned to either of the 2 on the fly profiles which can be stored on the controller. The software can feel a little long winded at times and could be optimised to be more fluid, but it works well. Other than button re-mapping, you can adjust the sensitivity curve of the sticks, adjust the sensitivity of the triggers and adjust the vibration intensity in the triggers and handles.
Performance Testing
Setup, Design & Observations
In hand, the Elite controller feels insanely good though a little front heavy, some may in fact find it a little too heavy at around 350g but I had no real issue with it. The paddles fell almost perfectly in position with your hand grip, though I felt that the actuation force was a little too light and it was rather easy to press them by accident, or even they could be activated simply by placing the controller down on a hard surface sometimes causing an annoyance. However, due to how quick it is to customise, it was easy to remove 2x of the paddles, and just use 2 remapped buttons, for example in Halo 5, I used the shorter right paddle for melee, and the left for jump. This easily allowed for full motion in an intense situation. Sure I could have used the other paddles for reload for 100% stick time, but I found just the two adequate in this scenario. In Gears of War Ultimate Edition, it is very easy to become a 2piece whore with melee attack re-mapped to the paddle, having full control of the aiming while hitting the melee button gave that next level accuracy which will make others rage quit. It is worth noting that the redesigned thumbsticks and enclosures were specifically designed to reduce wear around the full circle of the housing, where previously, the plastic on plastic could grind.
The various accessories came in handy too, for example, the taller sticks gave better control and accuracy for sniping (Gears, Halo 5) and steering in Forza 6, while keeping the comfort of the shorter stick where needed. The biggest confusion after experiencing the Elite controller is the satellite D-pad. This should be standard for the Xbox controller. The standard cross type, while is a massive improvement upon the abomination found on the 360 controller, as a stand alone D-pad, if used for actual games and not just glorified extra buttons, is still quite bad. This is because of the distance between each directional position makes it very difficult to press diagonal directions. The satellite dish does away with this problem, giving you a working 8 way directional dish which feels great, without being too big, gives little resistance to your thumb, so no big movements of friction destruction, and gives that exact precision you desire, finally making a high quality, viable D-pad which can actually be useful on the Xbox.
The hair triggers felt mostly pointless in my experience, even once you customise the trigger sensitivity, this seems like quite a missed opportunity. For games which simply require an ‘on-off’ function from the trigger, many, including myself, would prefer a short travel distance with a quick return. Though the ‘hair trigger’ stops still give you 50% travel distance and is not adjustable like what is found on SCUF controllers. At 50% travel distance, there is actually little, physical distance left to actually move and seemingly the whole thing seems to be a waste of time. Though this isn’t to say that people will not like this feature, it just seems ‘poorly’ implemented.
Battery life of the Xbox Elite controller seems to be quite reasonable, easily exceeded 15hours, though considering the extra features like 4 point vibration it is unlikely to achieve the 40hours which is toted by the SteelSeries Stratus XL. You can then move on to used wired by the decent braided cable which was included, though it does seem a bit cheeky that they didn’t include a rechargeable battery as standard.
Conclusion
Many have slated Microsoft’s new Xbox Elite controller for its price but the truth is, the pricing is actually very competitive considering its primary target audience; hardcore gamers, gaming enthusiasts and pros. If you are considering buying a SCUF controller, the Xbox Elite controller may actually be the better buy. Being compatible with existing accessories, it seems highly possible you could customise the Elite controller further with specially made grips which exist too. That being said, this controller should set the new standard for how controllers are made and designed and a fall in price should certainly be the aim. The competitive advantage of having easy to access re-mappable paddles allowing for 100% thumb stick time is an insane feeling and if/once you get used to something like this, there is no going back. You will forever notice the cumbersome disadvantage of not being able to utilise more of your hands.
The build quality feels and seems great, but like many things, time will tell if there are any production flaws, and Microsoft have a bad track record of dealing with the returns of faulty controllers. The 1 year warranty too seems a bit underwhelming and I am sure many would like to have seen a 2 year warranty on this, still 1 year is significantly better than the 3 months offered on standard controllers. The Xbox Elite controller is not perfect and there are some adjustments that could make it that bit better, including, adjustable hair trigger stop, stronger actuation force on the paddles, being shipped with a rechargeable battery and having a 16.8 million colour LED under the Xbox button. Other than mentioned drawbacks, there is little to reason to not recommend the Xbox Elite controller. If you are a gamer on Xbox One or PC and: Love gaming, want to up your game or play competitively, the Xbox Elite controller should be your new standard. For that matter it should be the new standard, period.
Finally, after realising the huge demand from the gaming community, Microsoft hit the market hard with an enthusiast grade controller which could change everything.
Pros.
+ Highly customisable
+ Good quality construction (lots of metal)
+ Great D-pad
+ Easy to use paddles
+ Variety of replaceable parts
+ Included hard case
+ Good software support
+ Rubberised grip
+ Features new ‘easier to press bumpers’
+ 3.5 mm port compatible with 4 pole headsets
+ Compatible with all existing 1st party accessories
Mediocre
+- Some may find it a little heavy
+- Trigger stops not adjustable
Cons.
– The longer paddles may actuate when placed on a hard surface
– Rechargeable battery not included
– Only a 1 year warranty
– Requires a £20 adaptor to be used wirelessly with PC
+ Highly customisable
+ Good quality construction (lots of metal)
+ Great D-pad
+ Easy to use paddles
+ Variety of replaceable parts
+ Included hard case
+ Good software support
+ Rubberised grip
+ Features new ‘easier to press bumpers’
+ 3.5 mm port compatible with 4 pole headsets
+ Compatible with all existing 1st party accessories
Mediocre
+- Some may find it a little heavy
+- Trigger stops not adjustable
Cons.
– The longer paddles may actuate when placed on a hard surface
– Rechargeable battery not included
– Only a 1 year warranty
– Requires a £20 adaptor to be used wirelessly with PC
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