Xbox Elite Wireless Controller (Series 2) reviews

When the first Elite controller came out it was light-years ahead of the standard controller in terms of build quality, functionality and design; it was hard to imagine what Microsoft could do to could make it better (apart from stopping the rubber grips from peeling off after a year or so of use) . The Series 2 is about as far away from the original elite as the original elite was from the standard controller. The best bits from the original are better and the new features really give the edge over any other controller on the market. Standardised Bluetooth makes it a must have for PC too. It may be expensive as far as controllers go but it's worth every dollar.

Much easier to play games. Don’t have to take your thumb of the right toggle stick to press a,b,x,y. So on COD u can shoot and jump and run at the same time. Really helpful to beat people-

Best controller I've ever had.

I owned the series 1 which was plagued with Build quality issues. After reading that this series 2 had supposedly fixed those issues I reluctantly brought this one since the series 1 was a great controller despite it failing multiple times in the lifetime I owned it. Well turns out after just two months of owning the series 2 this one has already begun to fail. The left stick has permanent drift upwards and also gets stuck 50% time when pushing it left or up. The A button has also started having phantom clicks (pushed once but sometimes double taps). To say that I’m beyond disappointed is an understatement because if it wasn’t for the build quality issues this controller would be 5 stars. All I can say to other potential buyers is buy at your own risk and pray that you get one of the good batches (if they do infact exist!-)

I bought the Elite wireless (Series 2) controller from Mightyape when it was first released last year in November, though I'm still getting use to it as well as still using the “regular” Xbox One controllers, this is hands down the best gaming controller ever, especially with the mapping to use the paddles underneath so your thumbs don't have to leave the thumbsticks.

Okay, so, there's a few things you have to know about before you buy one of these. If you're a console user, it works well, you can bind the paddles using the Xbox Accessories app to other buttons and various system features such as screenshots. The button which is in the same position as the screenshot button is actually a profile switcher which lets you switch between three sets of bindings (with a fourth option being off) and cannot be rebound even on PC. So you'll probably end up wasting some of the paddle functionality on restoring the use of that button. That aside, what you see is largely what you get. The battery is built in and lasts about as long as a play and charge kit, and the controller comes with a magnetic charging dock and cable which is very convenient and works great. The controller is fairly heavy, but I personally like that, though I know that feeling isn't universal. There are replacement joysticks of several styles in the box as well as an Xbox One style D-Pad replacement should you prefer that style instead. You can configure the tension of the sticks, and there are switches on the reverse of the controller which allow you to limit the depth of the triggers with the deepest setting matching a stock controller and the most shallow setting being much like the Switch Pro controller with one level in between. The paddles can be removed should they not be desired. They are easy to activate by mistake, but this is something you'll adapt to.

With all of the above in mind however, if you're a PC user, there's a few important corrections. As of the latest firmware right now (Mar 2022, so 5 months old now), the paddles no longer register anywhere but the Xbox Accessories app. On Windows, this app can only bind the paddles to OTHER BUTTONS ON THE CONTROLLER. It will not even allow you to do things like taking screenshots using Windows Game Bar! Understandably, this pretty much defeats the purpose of the entire controller. BUT. There is some mostly good news. First of all, you can roll back the firmware on the controller on PC very easily by launching the Xbox Accessories app with a command line argument easily found online. This will roll back the firmware to the previous version which allows the paddles to act as generic gamepad buttons that most games and software will recognize. From there, you can use things like Steam Big Picture's con­troller support to do more advanced bindings. Personally however, I'd strongly recommend forking out a bit more ($25 USD for the complete package, but you may not need everything) for reWASD which pretty much positions itself as the definitive software for the Elite 2 despite supporting pretty much everything else under the sun as well. With reWASD, you can rebind just about everything in the wildest ways you can imagine from emulating keyboards and mice to controlling media and stacking commands under varying shift levels accessible with different combinations of bindings. ReWASD is also capable of holding several profiles and this fully integrates with the controllers profile switcher, allowing you to swap between four in total (with the “off” setting actually being a profile as well!) using the dedicated profile button on the controller itself. Truly, reWASD takes the Elite 2's lackluster experience out of the box and realizes the controllers potential and I strongly strongly recommend it. Yes, it costs extra, but if money was a concern, why are you even buying this expensive ass controller?

Unfortunately, I can't wrap up without mentioning the wireless issues as well. These controllers are just like their normal Xbox peers in that they offer Bluetooth as an optional method of connecting to your PC, however how well this will work can and often will vary wildly. Also note that when connected via Bluetooth, there are certain limitations such as gamebar being unable to show the battery level on the controller. Fun fact, the light underneath the guide button is actually RGB and can be controlled with reWASD to do things like cycle a rainbow (for you “epic gamer” sorts out there) or throb red when the battery runs low. This unfortunately does not function at all over Bluetooth. If Bluetooth isn't satisfactory for you, you can either connect the controller via USB (kinda defeats the purpose though doesn't it?) or you can purchase the official Wireless Adapter which bypasses Bluetooth entirely using RF as a communication medium which prevents interference and delayed inputs, a common complaint over Bluetooth. It also fully supports those aforementioned features like the battery readout and controlling the LED. Unfortunately, Mighty Ape is not currently selling these, so I had to purchase mine from another retailer, but they can be found and even if you're fine on Bluetooth, I'd recommend getting one anyway for the best and most consistent experience with no interruptions.

I'll be honest. I love this controller and will assert that it is by far the best controller you can get for your PC. But I cannot pretend that Microsoft hasn't completely dropped the ball with their support for it. Nobody should have to spend an extra $83 dollars (!!!) to get the controller doing the things it's supposed to be able to do! And 5 months and counting with no fix for the broken firmware update, shame on you! Despite that, with a wireless dongle and a full license for reWASD, you'll have yourself the absolute best controller experience on PC that money can buy… Just be prepared to part with a lot of it! And if you're not? Get the Xbox Series X pad instead – seriously, they're great. (Though you may still need the wireless adapter.)

Sticks have so bad stick drift and the left bumper is broken. When I click it once it registers as twice randomly in game

I have purchased two elite controllers in the past year, and that should tell you something. They are an excellent controller, with fantastic customisation, and the paddles on the bottom give you a real edge in battle royales. My only grief with them is the thumb sticks. After a year of use I started to get drift, unresponsiveness and paddles not working. But I can’t go back to the original Xbox controller because this one is too good

The SCUF ELITE SERIES 2 PADDLES.

My Elite V1 grip peeled after 1 year, filled in the repair form on the Xbox site. After 3 weeks, I am shocked that they sent me 1× Elite V2 for free. Thanks, Microsoft!

Great gamepad to use, works effortlessly with Windows PCs and the remappable buttons and changeable trigger / stick depth etc are all nice features, though be aware Microsoft does not let you remap the buttons to keyboard functions without external programs.

The new console looks and feels brilliant. The buttons are nice and the D-Pad and bottom 4 triggers are of metal build. Nice hefty weight to it and feels premium all around.....except for the trigger and bumper buttons which are made of plastic. They're not just plastic, they feel like cheap plastic. The click on the bumpers feel hollow and cheap. Extremely good controller except for those bumpers and triggers.

Not as good as I hoped these would be the trigger stops broke off and both analog sticks have bad stick drift. 2 out of 5 rating my opinion

Have had the elite controller for a couple months now and everything was pretty sweet until the right bumper stopped working completely. Huge let down as Xbox claimed that the Xbox elite controller s2 would much more durability but yet fails to last less then a couple months. Definitely don't recommend anyone to buy this I just stick with my normal controller as my elite controller is practically useless.

The Elite Series 2 Controller is an amazing adaption of the normal Xbox One controller. The customization of the controller is insane – you can change the joysticks, the d-pad, how far the triggers can go in, the tension on the analog sticks and add paddles onto the back of the controllers. The grips are one of the best things about this controller as they are so soft and much better than the standard plastic grips on the regular controllers. They wrap around the entire surface of which one would hold the controller, so your hands will be comfortable as long as you hold the controller correctly.

The joysticks you get are two standard ones, two that are smoother than the standard ones, one convex one and one tall one with a standard head. I haven't used the convex or tall ones at all but I have used one of each from the other two groups. The trigger stops are another great thing about this controller – when playing a game with bows and arrows I keep them on full press but when I use guns I put them on button press. This gives you a slight advantage over other players but isn't enough if they are better than you.

One thing that may make you better is the paddles, which you can remap any button to by using the Xbox Accessories app. I have remapped the A,B,X,Y buttons to the paddles so I don't need to take my right thumb off of the right joystick. Once you have mapped the buttons, you can change to that button map by changing the controller profile. Simply pressing the button in the middle will do this and you can do it up to three times as you can have up to three different profiles. I have two profiles set up and I can switch between in a click of the button.

Another great thing about the Elite Series 2 is the internal battery. Although I don't mind using AA batteries, the internal battery is very useful as you can charge it wirelessly with the included charging stand. I have hooked mine up to my Xbox, so whenever I have finished playing with it I just pop it on the stand and it automatically charges. There is even a small light that slowly flashes when it is charging and stops when it had finished charging. This charger can also be put in the travel case that is included in the box, and you can even charge the controller from the outside of the case through a closable hole at the back. The case is also the place where all the unused components are stored. The case is very easy to pack as it doesn't take up much room in my bag and it is hard so no knocks or bumps will cause damage to the controller.

I have two small problems that don't effect my gameplay but still annoy me a little bit; the bumpers/triggers and the A,B,X,Y buttons. The bumpers and triggers are made out of this plastic that feels very cheap and doesn't feel as good as the glossy triggers on the regular Xbox One controller. The problem with the A,B,X,Y buttons is that they are not as clicky as the buttons on the regular controller and they sometimes don't respond after one of them has been pressed down. This doesn't effect me much because I use the paddles instead of the buttons themselves.

Overall I highly recommend the controller as it is well worth the amount of money (that could buy a One S) that it asks for. I haven't yet gotten the problems that people have mentioned (bumpers double-clicking, joysticks drifting etc) and I hope that it'll stay that way.

Bought this for my son’s birthday-was one of his wish items, he absolutely loves it, I might need 2 get one!! Getting jealous!!

I've had my elite 2 for about 12 months now and I've had nothing but trouble with it. The latest is the right bumper, which now barely works at all. For a piece of hardware this expensive, it's an enormous let down.

The controller is the best feeling controller Ive ever used in my life, however they have notorious bumper issues and Ive now purchased 2 ($280!! x2) and the left bumper has always failed me. In my opinion thats poor form from a flagship controller and version 2.0 at that.

Firstly I purchased this to use on PC, and microsoft said it would work on normal bluetooth – this was/is only partially true as it will work for a while over normal bluetooth then disconnect. As far as I know this has been a known issue since its release and still isn't fixed. ( Buying xbox adapter for pc fixed the issue… ) Secondly, these have a high fault rate – from sticking buttons to analog stick drift, they're not all made equal at all. I know 3 people who bought this controller and 2 had stick drift. Luckily I didn't have this issue but I think it needs to be noted when considering buying a ‘premium’ controller.

Only had this controller for a month and right bumper is already starting to stick. Not happy about that. Its a really nice controller but its starting to annoy me that this is already happening. Ive only used it a handful of times too. Hopefully, I can return this product and get my money back.

The controller is expensive but worth it. It has weight to it and feels sturdy. The adjustable buttons are nice.

The elite controller did take some getting used to, with all the new buttons. I thought they were a bit odd but after a few rounds of Halo MC, it's made playing games a bit more easier to navigate. It is pretty pricey, yes, but it is worth it. No issues so far or none I haven't noticed. All-in-all, I very good controller.

I’ve had different pro controllers and this is the best one I have (aside from my Elite controller series 2 Halo edition) where everything is in the right place and all what you want from a pro controller.

Definitely worth my money, my gaming has gone far and beyond, basically like a keyboard mouse for consoles

Very comfortable and so many customizable options

Comfortable and holds it battery for good amount of time. 👌

Heavy duty controller, once charged up endless game playtime for days before next charge. Invested in more for others.

Had this unit for a few months now, and still no issues and only complements of the great features and ruggedness of the controller. Thanks gorilla for the great deal. Cheers

Cannot use any other controller since playing with the elite. Also super fast postage especially in today's climate. Thanks Mighty Ape

The device came in as expected for the elite controllers. Feel great to use and have a great variety of thumb sticks.

Excellent controller, won’t regret purchasing one of these! Easy to customise button mapping, remove paddles etc.

My son loves this controller – especially the ability to customize the buttons etc. It also feels great and looks great!! 🤣

Great controller worth every cent

This controller increased my overall precision, aiming and control overall all my inputs, hands down the very best controller on the market right now, what are you waiting for- Get yourself one!

The Controller is actually better than I thought!

The Controller is actually better than I thought!

Just wow – feels great and super customisable for any game setting – and works on PC as well :)

100 % recommend, excellent controller. I dont think I could go back to a regular one now. It definitely gives you an advantage.

I picked this up just before the lock down and it is amazing, has great battery life and is perfectly weighted. Still get used to the flappy paddles but on the whole very impressed

Buttons feel better (especially the paddles), has a nice weight to it and the battery life is amazing. Teamed with the built in dock that comes with the case I never run out mid game. Xbox One Stereo mic adapter still fits as well.

A very nice controller and the quality is good. Wireless charging and long integrated battery life makes gaming longer better!

If you don't understand why these controllers are expensive then go waste your money on batteries and more parts for your imported sh!tbox

While this is still an awesome controller, and far superior to the with console controllers, I can't help but think I may have been better off getting a new first edition elite controller. My series 1 still works, but the grips have almost all begun to peel off, and I figured it was time. The old controller had more sensitive paddles, and the home button actually pressed in; the new one has clunkier textile feedback in the paddles, and the home button is a little TOO discreet; almost can't tell if I'm pressing it if not looking at the controller. As well as that, the triggers are a LOT louder; there's a definitive clicking with each fire. Some people might consider this an improvement, but for those around me having to listen to it, I don't. I really thought they may have made this one lighter, as the weight and the grip peeling is the only critique I'd have for the first edition, however there's only about a ten gram difference. I'm sure as I get used to it, these things will improve, but so far (a week or so in) I'm a touch disappointed. In the grand scheme of things, though; an incredible device. I loved my first elite controller, and I love this one too. Makes playing so much smoother and faster; as well as that it helps my wrists as I'm not twisting them around so much.

At first I liked the look and feel of the control and the paddles made gaming more efficient. I've had the control for 12 months and sadly need to find another control as over the last 3 months I've had issues. At first the right bumper started faulting every now and then until it completely stopped working 2 months ago (Used a paddle instead which was slightly annoying as being used to bumpers for over 10 years is hard to change). Last month the left bumper started doing the same thing and recently is faintly registering (1/10 presses) and just this week the left analog doesn't register moving upwards.. At all. I don't game as often now compared to years back so I am very disappointed in the elite control especially for the high price. Would not recommend for anyone expecting a years worth out of a $250+ controller.

It's a shame that these fall apart so easily since the customisation and compatibility with both PC and consoles is great. The issues from the original version persist here, stick-drift, sticking buttons, etc. Maybe they'll get it right with v3.

RB button becomes unresponsive after some time, happened on my old non elite controller and now elite too

The controller has a massive snapback on the left stick, meaning when I move the stick e.g. To the left and release it, it “overshoots” the center/resting position and registers move to the opposite direction.

Not only that, but the Bluetooth disconnects for 5 seconds each 2 minutes.

We are talking $300 hardware. I was expecting much better build quality for that.

All 3 replacements from Microsoft eventually suffered from left stick drift , non responsive shoulder and pad buttons. None of the replacement joysticks lasted longer than 3 months. Shameful of Microsoft ( and Sony ) to build the controller with joystick modules that have a very short life span.

I play competitively and to have a controller that is very fragile and the bumpers braking in 3 months is not good. I recommend not buying this controller and sacrificing the paddles and buy a normal Xbox controller or some cheaper option.

I’ve only had this controller just over a month now and my A button is sticking. Tried rubbing alcohol and what not but it’s done nothing and it gotten worse to the point it sticks to about 5 seconds at times. I want to know if I had warranty on this controller as I would like a replacement.

The good: I received my Elite Series 2 controller within 3 days of ordering it. The product looks great, it's sleek and just straight up looks amazing. It has some weight to it so that would “hint” to quality you would think. You're able to charge the controller on a dock that can sit in the storage case that comes with it which is great for organising my desk set-up. The parts are interchangeable and are easy to do so. Configuration of the controller software is easy to do.

The bad: The first time I played with it, within 10 minutes I noticed that the Y button would intermittently not register presses which caused big issues with playing games. I'd say it has about a 5% failure rate of registering a press.

I messaged Mighty Ape support who took a few days to respond, which is fine. In the meantime I re-mapped the Y button to one of the paddles to the back of the controller so I could still play games while waiting for support. In this time while waiting for support, the left analog stick began unscrewing which led to it becoming stuck in the direction I moved it during gameplay making the stick literally unusable. I was able to take a few seconds to fix it by tightening it again but it'd re-occur every 30 minutes or so, severely impacting gameplay.

Mighty Ape (MA) Support finally reached out about the Y button issues and said I had to contact Microsoft support directly as MA could only act as a middle-man. I advised I had new issues since my last ticket raised and wanted a refund. They said they couldn't and that I had to go through Microsoft support. So I did.

Turns out with Microsoft support that the only option is to return the faulty controller and receive a “refurbished” replacement. I found this beyond ridiculous as it was a 5-day old controller when I raised the ticket with Microsoft. If I'm paying $250+ for a brand new product, I want a brand new product as a replacement. Microsoft wasn't having any of it though.

I haven't received the replacement as of yet, and will be updating this review if I can when I do receive it.

I give Mighty Ape 2 stars, because of fast shipping and friendly support, but the fact they told me I had to go to Microsoft myself was a major let down, and that they didn't even consider offering a refund despite multiple issues with a brand new product did not meet my expectations. However, I gave 1 star overall because of Microsoft in the end (I'd prefer to give 0). To have issues with the controller such as the ones I did within a week of use does not bode well for what I am to expect of the product across its lifetime, especially considering the price, it's meant to be a top of the line controller after all. But the biggest let down was Microsoft support itself, especially for a premium product. I now receive a refurbished product of an unknown age as a replacement and my requests to have a newer product sent as a replacement fell on deaf ears.

Love the product , however I payed for the same day delivery and didn't receive it in time.

Fast quick shipping trusted nz company

Been working as it's supposed to, didn't fail my expectations.

I have owned mine for over two years now and it has been the best controller I have ever owned. Much better than a scuf or standard controller for sure with the customizations available and super easy to use accessories app on PC and Xbox. I was hesitant to get this as I had been reading about the stick drift some people had complained about with the first series of elite controllers however I have had no issues whatsoever since owning mine. The only complaint is that after a year or so the rubber grips started to degrade and actually become a bit slippery, however that is to be expected when it has been used as much as it has. The carrying case and the wireless charging dock it comes with are great. Once you try this controller there is no going back!

2 years on and the rubber grips have started to peel, and the front faceplate has cracked. The left stick is a little loose, which will probably become a problem later on. In those 2 years, though, this controller has served me remarkably well in all sorts of games, and I'll likely get it refurbished to continue using it.

I'll try and focus this review on the things I think are useful that people want to know. I've had the controller about 1 week, and used it for a good several hrs each day. I don't play competitive and don't thrash the controller around. Been playing twin stick with reasonable amount of trigger usage, and some coverage of all other buttons including the infamous Y button.

So far I have had no issues, no double clicks, or missed clicks etc. Both sticks are perfectly tracking as shown in the xbox accessories software. And the response curve on the triggers is also as it should be. The trigger adjustments work as expected and feel solid, but by the same token I wouldn't be too rough with them when shortened. The stick tension provides three settings, standard, firm, and extra firm. This worked fine for me, but I'll be sticking with standard.

Accessories: I love the convenience of the charging stand and case it comes with The different stick options are a plus and easy to swap, but I will probably just use the default ones. The faceted (default) dpad has a nice action, but for me the + dpad is the better choice and has a decisive response! The paddles work fine, easy to remove if desired, I do use them with a couple of remappings (view and left bumper in my case).

IMO, the new white elite 2 controller could have at least been a consideration if it had the + dpad and the paddles.

Software/Other: I use the controller on PC coupled with the wireless adapter (got mine from Noel Leeming) The XBox accessories app works as expected and allows me to setup the profiles. You can remap all functionality on the controller, but only to existing actions the controller supports. SO…

• No keyboard mappings
• Doesn't allow a mapping for the “Share” button found on newer xbox controllers.

I think (hope) both those shortfalls will be resolved in a future firmware update, it sounds like keyboard mappings was possible on older firmware! (Steam cannot get around the keyboard mapping issue at least not on the paddles, reWASD might be able to??). My current firmware is 5.13.3146.0

Quality concerns: There is a lot of discussion about maybe QC issues with the controller, it almost put me off getting one. So far I have not encountered any issues, and for a premium product you would expect not to! What helped me buy one was to research the issues people had with other controllers and brands to get a sense of how often people have issues with controllers in general… But ymmv.

For people in NZ some peace of mind may be gained from reading the consumer guarantees act, and understanding what the rules of it are, I would expect MS/MA to be complaint with the act without too much fuss, but know your rights. That also helped me to have some confidence that if there were issues I could elevate the concern and not simply be fobbed off with a refurb or whatever.

With all of this said – I've only had it a week to replace my older xbox one gen 3 controller that was kaput. If I remember I will try and update/re-review this in a year and or if I encounter issues before then.

But otherwise I am glad I got one, and on sale too :)