IGN reviews the Xbox One Elite controller

The first review I have come across, apparently the best controller out there but he lists the price and the rechargeable batteries as negatives.

I don't agree with the battery thing, because I would rather have the ability to swap my own regular or rechargeable ones which would allow me to stay 100% wireless, but I know many people dont feel that way it is basically a matter of preference.

I agree the price is high and clearly this is aimed at a very specific audience. A good read and as someone who already ordered it, I'm glad the review was overall fairly positive(8.5). It remains to be seen if others agree with this of course, take it with a grain of salt I say :)

http://m.ca.ign.com/articles/2015/10/22/xbox-elite-wireless-controller-review

The best controller you can buy.

By Lewis Leung

Xbox Elite Wireless Controller

IGN

From the first moment I picked up the , I was impressed. The pro-grade gamepad has a good heft to it and there’s metal and rubber everywhere, making it feel worth its $150 asking price. I’m also glad Microsoft went with a subdued and classy black, gray, and silver color scheme.

What makes the Elite controller unique is its ability to be customized. The thumbsticks and D-pad are magnetic, and can be quickly swapped for different styles, depending on what game you want to play. Removable metal paddles on the back also give you four additional buttons to map specific actions to.

In the box you’ll find three sets of interchangeable triggers, two swappable D-pads, two sets of paddles, and a lengthy braided micro USB cable. All of the Elite’s accessories feel durable and premium, especially the interchangeable thumbsticks, which are magnetic and snap into place with a satisfying click. You can hold the controller and all of its accessories in the included hard case.

There's metal and rubber everywhere.

One of my favorite customizations on the Elite are the Hair Trigger Locks, which let you shorten the travel of the triggers to help you fire faster in shooters. For racing games like Forza 6, you can extend them for additional control over the accelerator and brakes. The haptic motors under the triggers allowed me to feel when the brakes were locking up and when the rear of the car was kicking out. Race fans may still want to purchase a wheel and pedals for the ultimate driving simulation, but the Elite controller isn’t bad by any means.

The customizations continue with the profile slider on the center of the controller, which lets you quickly switch between two controller profiles. This is useful for switching in between game types or even weapon types in a first-person shooter. I played Call of Duty: Ghosts and the controller felt a little more precise than the normal Xbox One controller. Where it stands out is the ability to change trigger sensitivity and assign specific weapons to its paddles.

To remap the buttons and change button sensitivity, you’ll need to download the Xbox Accessories app on your Xbox One or in the Windows Store (available now on Xbox One but PC users have to wait until Oct. 27th). Beyond the standard button mapping, you can tweak the sensitivity of the thumbsticks and even the dead-zone of the triggers. You can even tweak the four haptic feedback motors located in the controller.

Biggest disappointment? The AA batteries.

It’s overwhelming at first and you’ll have to test out multiple button mappings and settings to see what you like. If you want to jump right into a game without customizing the button maps, you can download community-created configurations.

The biggest disappointment of the Xbox Elite Controller is the lack of rechargeable batteries. The controller uses two AA batteries, which are included in the box. But for $150, you would think that the Play and Charge Kit ($25) would be included.

The Xbox Elite Controller works with the Xbox One or a Windows PC running Windows 7, 8.1, or 10. Windows 10 users don’t have to worry about drivers as they’re included in the operating system but people Windows 7 or 8.1 will have to download drivers from xbox.com/xboxone/pc-controller. PC users looking to go wireless will be able to purchase a Wireless Adapter accessory (not included) for $25.

sounds like something I want to have, but I'll wait until one of my other controllers stop working properly to get a new one, it's a bummer that it doesn´t come with a play and charge kit

I plan on getting one, but like mentioned in the review, I'm worried about how much adjusting I'll have to do. I was hoping that it'd be set like the standard controller, then you can make fine adjustments as necessary. Hopefully that's what I can do, because I don't want to change it that much.

here's how I feel, I'm convinced the Xbox One controller has serious durability flaws in its manufacturing and design, this new controller supposedly addresses this by changing the (so I've heard) analog mechanism to more resemble that used in the Xbox 360 controller, where a standard Xbox One controller uses plastic pieces the Xbox 360 controller uses solid metal parts, if this is indeed the case then that means they're ransoming off the functionality of an Xbox 360 controller (that used to run $40/$50) for $150... way too much

this is planned obsolescence at its worst, our gaming journalists are failing us in calling MS out on this bullshit, calling them out for a pricey Elite controller isn't the same as pointing out the flawed design of a substandard $60 controller that's $10-$20 more than an Xbox 360 controller (which IMO was the gold standard) yet manages to be inferior in quality

I don't want to pay this ransom, but if our gaming journalists fail us and call MS out on it and shame them into addressing the issue then I have no choice but to go get an elite controller, reluctantly, quite relucantly, I won't be singing praise of it I'm sure

@lamprey263: I don't know about durability, my Xbox One controllers still work properly (I have the Day one edition controller and a Titanfall controller) the sticks and buttons still work perfectly, the one thing that I know has been faulty though are the headsets

I still have the original controllers on the Xbox One.Getting a fancy smancy new controller with a 100 different type of removable buttons/new colors/new design/new this/that,etc... No thanks.I got to put out another $100-$150+taxes for another flipping controller.Why?Is it going to make me play better,shoot straighter?No.If some/lots of players buy this controller or others like it that's fine,I don't care,but for the price of a new game or two,I'll pass,thanks just the same.

This controller is seriously flawed, don't waste your money. I feel a MS now sells inferior products. I feel this controller is flawed by intelligent design. Let me explain... "intelligent" meaning the engineering @MS team has specifically engineered this controller to fail in multiple ways, causing the buyer go out and spend even more to have it replaced (cannot be repaired). I also strongly believe that the controller is designed to break down at the exact time warranty is void *(exactly 1 year), although 2 have failed on me within a few months of use. I am furthermore vexed by the fact that XBOX markets this as" Designed for elite gamers & stands up to the demands of repeated button presses and vigorous gameplay" What a scam! I had the thumb-stick on left side give out on both controllers after playing BF4 a couple of weeks on the first & couple months on second. On the second controller right button (RB) broke and so I opened to see if I can fix. What I found astounded me. Both buttons (LB & RB) were attached to each other by a very flimsy piece of thin plastic. I found this to be inferior to the original design of the regular Xbox One controller in which the buttons were attached directly to the interior body by hinges on both sides making them much more efficient & stronger. "My question"; why change an already good design for this crap? As if the flimsy plastic weren't enough, they specifically put indents on each side of the plastic to ensure that it breaks exactly at that point (in which case it did). Tried using epoxy to repair but you cant put to much because buttons wont insert in allotted space( broke again anyhow). I have included pics. I have always stood by Microsoft and Xbox products but this generation of console and products are a complete sham! Xbone has continued to disappoint from day one. I cant even say I'll be purchasing a PS4, because they are just as bad. Bye, bye console gaming! I have included links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8wEMOlmq1w

https://www.reddit.com/r/xboxone/comments/3sozgr/tech_major_design_flaw_with_xbox_elite_controller/