Coinciding with the launch of Halo 5: Guardians tomorrow (you’ve read our review, right?), Microsoft is also gearing up to unleash their professional Xbox One controller – the Elite. Revealed at E3 even more drooling inducing at Gamescom. the Elite is billed as the controller for the serious Xbox One gamer. Whether that translates to purely professional play of extended lengths of time spent in front of your console is up to you, but it certainly looks like the Elite is a controller like no other.
While we haven’t received our own controller to put through some tests yet, many other media around the world has. In short, they’ve all arrived at the same consensus – praising the Elite Controller as the best ever created, while questioning its incredibly high price. But even nearing R2500 for a single controller must have its benefits, right?
It does, and it’s no better encapsulated by some of the reviews.
Engadget praised the look and feel of the controller, which is slightly heavier than the one standard with the Xbox One. The extra weight goes hand in hand with the paddle design though, giving you a comfortable fit in your palms.
That heft likely comes from the Elite’s revamped innards. The thumbsticks feel incredibly springy and precise, thanks to their metal construction. I’ve never been a fan of the sticks on the Xbox One pad. They’ve always felt rough and just weren’t comfortable to me. With the Elite, I had the option of choosing among three different sets (standard, tall and a pair of convex heads) and changing them on the fly, but most of the time I was perfectly happy with the standard set. All are incredibly comfortable, though, and have the same premium feel as the rest of the controller.
Kotaku also loved not only how customisable the controller is, but the ease with which you are able to pull off the thumbsticks, D-Pad, extra back paddles and more. The shortened triggers are also easily changed without having to take the controller apart thanks to sliders on the controller itself. A mile above what the likes of Scuf make you do.
What’s amazing to me is that the interchangeable components are held to the controller’s face with magnets. Pull straight up and they come off easily.
Yet when in place they’re just as strong as the connected parts on the traditional controller, if not a bit stronger. The analog sticks snap to center position with more authority. That strange directional disc registers movement more tactfully than anything Xbox d-pad before it.
Should you want to go deeper still, the Elite ships with an app on the Xbox One that finally lets you remap button commands around the controller. This gives the Elite (and by extension every other Xbox One controller) a lot more depth to customisation – although the additional paddles and buttons give it a slight edge. As described by Ars Technica:
The Xbox Accessories app also lets you choose from a few preset adjustments to the analog “power curve” for each stick. On the “slow start” setting, for instance, small movements of the stick send barely any input to the game, allowing for extremely fine control if, say, you want to make a tiny adjustment down a sniper scope.
Of course it seems everyone is a little divided when it comes to actually nailing down who this controller is meant for. In a year which saw Microsoft lose Call of Duty’s DLC exclusivity but gain a far more eSports focused Halo 5, it’s easy to see that professional, competitive gaming is certainly top of the list. But with the host of improvements over the traditional controller, it seems fit for someone who spends more than a few hours a day using the Xbox One.
Is it worth the asking price, and how well does it stack up to the competition? Those are questions we’ll be answering in our own review very soon.
Last Updated: October 26, 2015
RinceThis
October 26, 2015 at 12:45
R2500 for a controller? For that price I would expect it to be able to make coffee, offer massages and do the housecleaning ‘Xbox One, sweep up!’
Ir0nseraph
October 26, 2015 at 12:47
Looks great and will have great performance, but hell at that price nope.
Hammersteyn
October 26, 2015 at 13:02
This controller is like Viagra. It gives great performance but no one will admit buying it.
Greylingad[CNFRMD]
October 26, 2015 at 13:04
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
Ir0nseraph
October 26, 2015 at 13:49
XD
Darren Peach
October 26, 2015 at 14:02
Dude, Whenever I read the word Viagra, I inevitably think Vagina. I reckon that is by design from the manufacturer……Or I am a pervert.
oVg
October 26, 2015 at 12:51
and play COOL games at 1080p… runs
Allykhat
October 26, 2015 at 13:19
“Massages” 😉
Nikola
October 26, 2015 at 13:25
I was about to say R2500??? and let’s be honest the Xbox controller is sooooo shit experienced it first hand at Rage x was where it is not supposed to be I mean just a catastrophe!!
RinceThis
October 26, 2015 at 13:30
HAHAHA! Yeah man! I mean wtf?!
Sageville
October 26, 2015 at 12:54
I’m jelly, but I’d never pay that much for a controller.
Darren Peach
October 26, 2015 at 13:15
Whoever came up with this new language that includes terms like Jelly, Amazeballs ( That one deserves a death warrant, Reminds me of this producer that said it all the time and destroyed my belief in humanity just by saying it…. ! ), Fomo and the many other cutesy ways of abbreviating perfectly good words are destroying the fabric of modern society and will personally be responsible for World War 3.
Sageville
October 26, 2015 at 13:21
It’s ok, the yolo revolution will continue without you! #OldFartSpeechMustFall
Darren Peach
October 26, 2015 at 13:26
Yolo. That’s another one. AHHHHHHHHHGGG. I need a Nuke….Now !!!
Darren Peach
October 26, 2015 at 13:29
Ahhhh. My first Old Fart. 🙂
RinceThis
October 26, 2015 at 13:30
Totes agree with ya.
Greylingad[CNFRMD]
October 26, 2015 at 13:34
*Left eye twitching uncontrollably…
Alien Emperor Trevor
October 26, 2015 at 13:34
*wit
Darren Peach
October 26, 2015 at 13:39
Many say it’s the greatest time to be alive, But when the Aliens find the remnants of Humanity in like a million years similar to that Movie, AI, They are going think to themselves, WTF ? And then just leave us there to rot.
RinceThis
October 26, 2015 at 13:55
Yolo? *RUNS
Darren Peach
October 26, 2015 at 13:58
I am aiming my Nuke at you right now, Finger on the trigger………;)
Darren Peach
October 26, 2015 at 14:04
It just occurred to me, I used Fomo recently on a post on this website. Yikes, I am infected.
Francois Knoetze
October 26, 2015 at 12:56
I preordered this thinking it would be around R1600…then I saw the price a little later on and just left the preorder. its a wee bit too steep for my liking and for a controller I will stick my current one. might be interested in the lunar white one with the better grips though.
Grand Admiral Chief SpaceNinja
October 26, 2015 at 12:58
I’d rather put that money towards a moerse GPU
Greylingad[CNFRMD]
October 26, 2015 at 13:01
For that price, if you are going to go for such a solution, you might as well get a proper PC and just get it over and done with… R2500 is quite steep, add a kinect and you have the price for an enthusiast PC….
Greylingad[CNFRMD]
October 26, 2015 at 12:58
Does it come with a graphics card for the XboxOne?
RinceThis
October 26, 2015 at 13:01
hahahaha
WitWolfy
October 26, 2015 at 13:29
In all honestly I’d pay R2500 to MS to give the Xbox One to have a CPU and GPU boost! Heck I’d pay R2500 just to give me a console design that doesnt look like a 1990 VCR!
Hammersteyn
October 26, 2015 at 13:01
R2500 for a single controller…. Well hopefully this sells better than their consoles so that they can start making more money.
Darren Peach
October 26, 2015 at 13:19
#Microsoftmustfall….alongwithAppleandtheIdeathatSteveJobwasavisionarywheninfacthejusttookotherpeopl
esideasandprofitedfromthem.
Hammersteyn
October 26, 2015 at 13:50
XD this!
Nikola
October 26, 2015 at 13:26
Hahahaha!
WitWolfy
October 26, 2015 at 14:27
Right in the “Red ring”!!!
Titsmcgee
October 26, 2015 at 21:06
Hopefully? Hopefully? Call/check your gamestops. Check amazon. Check the ms store. pre orders have been sold out for weeks. Amazon/gamestop doesnt know when theyll even have more in stock. The ms store says december, and that means if u havent pre ordered it, u wont be getting ur hands on one for months
Hammersteyn
October 27, 2015 at 07:54
Still a lot of money
Titsmcgee
October 27, 2015 at 13:32
Not too much apparently. If you didnt order one 2 months ago, you wont get one until atleast jan 2016. Sold out like hotcakes.
Hammersteyn
October 27, 2015 at 13:35
R2500 not too much for a controller?
Titsmcgee
October 28, 2015 at 02:26
theyre sold out everywhere and will be for atleast 3 months or so. huge demand for them. ppl are buying them and selling them for well over 200 bucks. so pull the “they wont sell any hahah” card out of your wallet, and throw it away. Jokes on you.
Hammersteyn
October 28, 2015 at 09:12
Sold out everywhere except in South Africa?
Titsmcgee
October 28, 2015 at 20:05
Not even being a dick. But do they even have xbox 360’s there? let alone a special controller for a newer console
Hammersteyn
October 29, 2015 at 08:05
We do, as well as XBOX One. Some of my friends even own both PS4 and XO
Os Money
October 27, 2015 at 15:57
check Walmart online. looks like they have it listed for reg price. price on eBay or amazon 3rd party is almost $100 mark up to $250. Preordered the day they announced it, great price compared to scuff.
Titsmcgee
October 28, 2015 at 02:25
yep. hell there are ppl in denver on clist begging to buy it for 200 lol
Titsmcgee
October 28, 2015 at 20:04
Walmart is sold out too, jus looked. i mean, I have mine. HAd it pre ordered months ago. Ppl are comin onto my twitch streams all mad cause sony doesnt have a similar controller
WitWolfy
October 26, 2015 at 13:26
Nope nope.. Will get it at a pawnshop… Eventually..
Nikola
October 26, 2015 at 13:27
Why does not MS instead of selling people R2500 controller rather give players the option to upgrade their Xbox GPU so it can play games in 1080p??? 😉
40 Insane Frogs
October 26, 2015 at 13:31
For that price, you’re better off buying a PS3.
40 Insane Frogs
October 26, 2015 at 13:39
That price… that price…
Greylingad[CNFRMD]
October 26, 2015 at 13:43
Would this be the right time to say #FeesMustFall ? too soon?
Hammersteyn
October 27, 2015 at 07:54
BWAHAHAHAHA!
MisterSmurf
October 26, 2015 at 14:25
Please provide and example of a game where those under-side buttons could be used, anyone…?
WitWolfy
October 26, 2015 at 14:28
Forza probably… Other than that it just seems like a gimmick…
MisterSmurf
October 26, 2015 at 14:32
I guess the buttons are customizable, so you would add functionality as you require. but I almost always use the default controller settings.
A Garcia A Garcia
October 27, 2015 at 06:54
Battlefield, you play support and want to lay down a crate of ammo and currently have to take your finger off a stick to hit the directional pad. Now, you birdie finger is already sitting on the button underneath the controller
Alessandro Barbosa
October 26, 2015 at 15:32
I played the Halo 5 beta with a Scuf, and used the paddles to jump and boost so that I never had to take my finger off the right stick for aiming. Stuff like that
MisterSmurf
October 26, 2015 at 15:38
Yeah I guess I don’t have enough imagination at this point… There was a time when the too analog sticks were an additional button too :)….
HairyEwok
October 26, 2015 at 14:43
Buys R2500 remote… Still plays shitty.
CypherGate
October 26, 2015 at 15:53
Gees the controller costs almost the same as an Xbox 360 lol
Guest
October 26, 2015 at 16:34
It’s good not to be poor and able to afford nice things.
RandomInternetGuy
October 26, 2015 at 16:45
“What!! R 2 500.00 for a controller, THAT’S RIDICULOUS!!” ~He said, while typing on his R 2 000.00+ Gaming Keyboard.
onstrike112
October 27, 2015 at 05:14
So… It’s a controller that does what? Nothing more than the Razer gear my desk has…. actually a LOT less. You’re better off waiting for Razer to one-up this overpriced garbage.
They already did:
http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-controllers/razer-wildcat-xbox-one
Os Money
October 28, 2015 at 18:21
So you do know the consensuses is that all of Razers Xbox stuff has been complete shit right? (other than maybe a flight stick or some other random accessory)
onstrike112
October 28, 2015 at 19:03
So you don’t know the consensus that Xbox is a joke?
Os Money
October 28, 2015 at 19:26
So you do know the consensus is your knowledge on anything you post on is a joke right? #haveaniceday
onstrike112
October 28, 2015 at 19:40
And the same to you and all xbone fans out there. Even the crapstation is a better device.