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Up your game: There’s £20 off the Xbox elite wireless controller series 2 at the official Microsoft store

The company’s most advanced gamepad can now be picked up for £139.99 with free delivery

Steve Hogarty

Wednesday 20 April 2022 12:54 BST

The Xbox elite controller 2 launched in 2019 and introduced a raft of improvements (The Independent)

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Is the standard Xbox controller the only thing holding you back in Elden Ring? Well it just became a little easier to put your theory to the test, as right now Microsoft is discounting the Xbox elite wireless controller series 2 to £139.99 on the official Xbox store.

Launched in 2019, the advanced controller for enthusiast players offers pro-level features not seen on the regular pad. There’s adjustable-tension thumbsticks, improved rubberised grips and precision-machined parts, to name but a few. But with no official word of an Xbox elite controller 3 from Microsoft yet, now’s a good time to invest in the premium model.

So what features can we expect from the Xbox elite wireless controller series 3 when it eventally launches? Microsoft’s standard Xbox pad is regarded as one of the best designed controllers in history, and has remained largely unchanged since the launch of the Xbox 360.

Previous iterations of the elite controller, however, have focused on improving component parts while making only minor tweaks to the outer hardware. So we’d expect any updates to hew closely to the familiar design of the existing elite controller.

Xbox elite controller 3 release date

There’s no official word that the third edition elite controller is even in development, so we can only guess at when it might launch. The release date of the original Xbox elite controller was in 2015, with the redeveloped Xbox elite controller 2 arriving four years later in 2019. That would suggest a release date for the Xbox elite controller 3 some time in late 2023.

Xbox elite controller 3 features

Nothing has been revealed of the Xbox elite controller 3 so far, but we can make an educated guess at what to expect – and what not to expect – based on previous models.

Firstly, we don’t expect the Xbox elite controller 3 to introduce features that enable new ways to play. Features seen on the PS5 controller such as haptic feedback and gyroscopic motion sensing are unlikely to debut on a specialist Xbox pad, as it would force games developers to support different players using different inputs.

Instead, we expect to see things like better customisation options of buttons, fascias, thumbsticks and triggers. Microsoft is also expected to address issues with the wear and tear of components, potentially by allowing players to swap out and replace modular parts.

Improvements to materials could also reduce the weight of the Xbox elite controller 3 while enhancing grip and comfort over longer play sessions. Sofware upgrades should make it easier to quickly switch between gaming on your PC, laptop and console, with the potential for the pad itself to retain your Xbox profile information regardless of which screen you’re playing on.

Xbox elite controller 3 price

The original Xbox elite controller and the updated Xbox elite controller 2 cost around £179.99 at launch, so we’d expect the third edition controller to be priced similarly when it debuts. That’s a lot of money to spend on a peripheral – a standard Xbox wireless controller costs £54.99 (Currys.co.uk) – but Microsoft’s premium pad has repeatedly proven its popularity among serious and professional gamers.

Xbox elite wireless controller series 2: £139.99, Xbox.com

Until the Xbox elite controller 3 rears its finely tuned head, version two represents the pinnacle of gamepad design. The elite controller 2 comes with a set of optional thumb stick pads so you can select the shape and texture you prefer. The pad has adjustable-tension analogue sticks, a rechargeable battery, a rubberised grip for clammy hands and more sensitive hair-triggers to achieve faster reaction times in FPS games.

At the push of a button you can switch between three preset profiles, so your control setup is always correct for the type of game you’re playing. A premium Xbox controller for the discerning gamer, it can elevate your skills.

Buy now

Xbox wireless controller: £54.99, Currys.co.uk

The latest edition of the standard Xbox controller launched alongside the Xbox series X in 2020 and ushered in a number of key improvements over previous versions of the pad. Most notably it gained a “share” button for quickly posting screenshots and videos of your gaming sessions online, updated USB-C connectivity, and a flattened, concave D-pad similar to that seen on the more expensive elite controller.

Now available in a vast array of colours (some of them truly hideous) the basic 2020 Xbox controller is more than adequate for most players, and a third of the price of the cutting edge model. It’s also backwards compatible with older Xbox consoles.

Buy now

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