The BEST controller you can get right now, period. 

Hey Bob, you should probably do a re-review of this controller a year from now. I only had mine for a year, with what I would consider regular, adult use, and I have rubber lifting from the handles, analog sticks that lost adherence to their shaft, and paddles that do NOT retain the same clickiness/responsiveness as when you first get them. I don't believe the core made any changes to the construction or the components, so I'm willing to bet you're gonna see some problems in the near future.

Biggest problem with the elite controllers is how much they break. Something will break in 6 months guaranteed. You NEED to get the warranty.

I have a white Elite V1 and I love the look without the grips. I also have an original V2 and the tension adjustments is the best part.

I remember there being a LOT of reports of QC issues and poor durability over time with the first run of Elite controllers which is especially egregious given how much they cost. That alone has kept me from even giving them a chance.

I always love how Bob walks out at the end of all of his videos. It's like he's saying, "This was a great time we just had, my good viewer. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need resume being a human being and do things like drink water." It's very endearing.

Gyro missing is the only thing stopping me from switching to it.

I'm curious if these thumbsticks are any different from the Elite Series 2. I have returned five or six of them and they all have the same stick click issue. It's hard to describe but the L3 and R3 just won't click when the sticks are tilted in certain directions. Each one seems to behave differently, the "non-click" point will land in a different spot on each controller. I think it has to do with the stick tension mechanism so I don't anticipate these to be any different.

100% agree, so many quality of life upgrades to a normal controller. I've been using mine for 5-6 years now I think and it's been amazing. The last year or so some of the rubber on the thumb sticks has worn off, but they gave me more of them so I just switched. I really love that I don't need to click in the thumbsticks anymore, for whatever reason that is something that always hurt my thumbs the most over time.

I bought an elite series 2 for my steam deck setup. Good ergonomics, but feels a little on the small side. When using with the Deck I kept getting dropped inputs on the A button. I thought it was just me, but upon researching online, lots of other people have been going through microsoft support and multiple RMAs with the similar face button issues. I returned mine and decided I would avoid that headache.

Love the Xbox controller as primarily a PC user. It just works seamlessly, is built well, feels good to use and lasts seemingly forever. What more could I want!

Thanks for the review! Any chance you checked the latency of the elite controller? Did it improve or is it still far behind the ps5 controller?

I think it'd need hall effect sticks and gyro for me to want one, but I do like the case with built-in charging and the color customization. I don't care about how well-supported Xbox controllers are. That's primarily been an issue on Windows and maybe macOS (and isn't nearly as bad as it used to be). I think a DualShock 4 would also work on all the same stuff you listed, probably a DualSense too. The Linux kernel has support for all sorts of controllers and has for a long time. I was playing Euro Truck Simulator 2 with a Wii U Pro Controller like a decade ago. I also prefer the Nintendo button layout, but it sounds like you can remap the buttons on the Elite controller to mimic that probably. Microsoft has been avoiding getting on the gyro train, but they were also the last to put Bluetooth in their controllers, so I think there's still a chance they'll come around. I can't imagine playing shooters with an analog stick after seeing how well gyro works in Splatoon. It's very close to being as good as keyboard and mouse. We'd probably see more games adopt gyro aiming as an option if Xbox controllers supported it.

Xbox has always had a pretty great controller. I’m curious to see how the PlayStation “pro” controller will be like for ps5. With me having big hands this has always been a great choice.

*GAMING JESUS!*

I’m really interested to see your thoughts on the Scuf controller. I bought one over a year ago when I couldn’t find an elite at all. The Scuf will randomly disconnect itself from my Xbox while I’m playing though, it’s very frustrating.

where do i go to get one? i looked on the xbox website and see nothing about customizing it

Definitely gonna create a custom one. I don’t want to wear out my halo one any more than I have. It really is gorgeous in person. I’ll probably just use the paddles from the halo one though cause they aren’t anything special really.

I bought the original elite controller, twice. Both had issues within a year that led to me basically never using them again. Grip even started peeling off, and I take great care of my tech. Tempted to try this new core model out due to the price, although my Hyperkin Duke has met all my gaming needs and holds up great, just wish it was wireless 😅

The "WHAT!?!?!?" "Oh my God" on the ad read 😂😂😂😂😂

I love my Elite 2 controller and think the paddles are perfect... or at last I have adapted to where I think they are perfect. The only thing I'd like now is if they would use hall effect sensors instead, that would def tip me over the edge. I do have a slight bit of stick drift on one analog but I guess every controller I have ever had gets stick drift at some point

These are the best controllers I've ever used. And they also have the record for the fastest breaking controller. I don't even use mine intensively. A couple hours a day, then the bumpers become unresponsive. It was always the bumpers for me. Lots of other people report tonnes of other issues with buttons and etc. For something so expensive, it shouldn't be this fragile. Unless you want to juggle these things on a warranty, I would not get one unless they fix the build quality issues.

As someone who bought into the controller early (day one) and have tried out many third party options I can confidently say the series 2 elite controller is the best all around and the controller I go back to time and time again. I’ve tried hex, I’ve tried scruff, they’re good, but the elite series 2 is remains great and best on the market in my opinion. The only thing you have to look out for is quality control but from what I can see it’s been better since the initial launch.

The rubber grips are a game changer IMO. I love them. On your elite controller, I love that you change the color of the xbox color. That's a nice touch.

Any news on if the analogs are still the same units as the base controller? I don't want to buy an Elite until it can work for a whole decade like OG xbox/360 analogs.

All this time of owning the Elite 2 I never knew you could adjust the stick Tension. I always found myself going back to the new series controller because I felt my Elite was too loose.

Hi Bob, does this still potentiometer or hall effect sensing joystick? Have you tried one of those new things yet (like Gulikit is all over the internet) and if so did you like it

I've always had the issue with Xbox controller face buttons where the click doesn't work when you press it softly (The B button in particular) and the bumpers usually double click(Had this issue mostly on the elite 2). I honestly prefer the Nacon revolution unlimited in terms of how it feels

The timing for this video is odd. I've just started hearing about the very high failure rate the Elite controllers have. Like, within the last couple of weeks, lol.

I love the whole "If you're going to hell for one sin, might as well just commit to all of em" energy of this video, although I will never buy such a thing because hotdamn, my poor wallet, I always love seeing the whole "walkthrough" of these... "niche?" things.

My only problem with the elite controller is there seems to be some QC issues. Some of the ones I've had are grips peeling off after a month of use, bumpers stop working and premature stick drift.

It seems this one still does loud clicking sound from the d-pad and joystick and is not quiet. Does it?

Yes, but it has motion controls?

If there was an Elite controller with leveled sticks, HAL effect joysticks and gyro as I play on PC and use gyro for aiming, I might have actually bought one as I am in the market for an extra controller. Best controller I have owned is the 8bitdo SN30 Pro+ (Succeeded by Pro 2). It works well on my PC, it works well on my Nintendo Switch and I like how it feels in my hand while playing. Only issue I got with it are weak haptics, but I can deal with that.

I have the first elite controller can I use the accessories on the new one?

Hi Wulff den, whats your opinion on the GPD Win Max 2 ?

have they added gyro yet?

As good as the Xbox Elite controller is, I can't help but use a Dualsense/Dualshock 4 for most pc games because of the added benefit of gyro and the touchpad. Admittedly, the touchpad doesn't get used all that often, but the gyro is perfect for emulators like Dolphin and Citra and FPS games.

Hey Wulff, what are your thoughts about the Amazon Lune Wireless Controller?

does it work with the M1 under Ventura? Would you mind checking? Thanks ;)

I own an elite Gen 2 as well as a King Kong Pro 2. They get pretty much equal use. One is in my living room and the other one is connected to my desktop PC. I feel like the joystick experience is very similar and might actually be better on the kkp2. Both controller experiences are very similar however because I don't really use the paddles. I use both controllers mostly to play first person shooter games but I occasionally also play third person RPGs.

If only it had gyro, it would make the decision a no-brainer for me. But it doesn't, so that's a massive tradeoff. Especially since I've become accustomed to the Steam Deck and playing with dual analog + gyro, it just feels better than both dual analog alone and keyboard + mouse (in my opinion). Keyboard + mouse is fine, I do love the precision I get with the mouse, but not having analog control for the movement is also a huge tradeoff.

I like this controller but the paddles (back buttons) are kinda loose. I have no problem pressing them, but I can easily take them off, like if I accidentally bump them they fall off. Is this normal?

Bro I like your set up. Felt like you and me chillin in my living room and you talking to me about this controller

This controller has the worst reliability, I’ve had 2 broken out of the box 😂

The thing that kills me is that the paddles can't be mapped to non-controller inputs. For Xbox, this doesn't matter. But as a PC controller, all I want is to map those as four *additional* inputs. But they can only clone the existing standard inputs of a normal controller to a new position. Steam Deck really highlights how awesome this functionality is.

Hey I am trying to find the best switch controller that has a great d pad and perfect for hand held mode. I have the hori split pro but I miss the rumble???

i love the elite series 2 control but... i had the dpad for fighting games... its way too flat.. and the replacement feels to "sunk" that the diagonals dont feel accurate. any idea if theres a dp replacement out there thats more similar to the normal xbox controller?

I mean I've heard of a ton of drift issues with these so unless it has hall sensors now I doubt it's DEFINITELY the best

I love the Xbox controller but it doesn't have gyro aim so u have a big disadvantage when going PC players online. "Just use a KB&M" KBM doesnt have analog inputs

While i like the elite controller just for the looks. i own the base series X controller bought to be used on PC. liking so far playing ETS2 , FH5, death stranding, and few more games except for competitive shooters, i am hopeless on those with controllers. i have this sense of wondering, by default is it possible to have those back paddles as separate buttons like we have on mouse like mouse 4 and mouse 5. in certain games where user can remap controllers for additional buttons other than what a base has, now with 4 paddle it should be recognized as LP1-2, RP1-2. like total 22 controls including base button configs, i dont want to map X or Y face button to do on the paddle. is there a possibility on such on these controllers.

Hopefully they worked out the shoulder button problem where it just refuses to work after a pretty short time

It can't be the best without gyro. Even Warzone now introduced gyro on PlayStation and PC, but not Xbox.

Watching this video made me realize my obsession for well designed controllers. I almost want this one now 😅

Are the thumb sticks magnetic?

But how does it compare to the 8bitdo ultimate and pro 2? Especially from the perspective of a pc user that would have no issues using Xbox or 8bitdo

No gyro is an instant dealbreaker

No Gyro = Worthless.

Also really love the new studio and filming setup!

i can buy an adapter to make it work on ps right?

The only thing that STILL sucks about the Xbox controller is the lack of gyro. I can take/leave rechargeable batteries, touch pads, HD rumble, or whatever. But the lack of gyro aiming really makes it feel a gen behind.

I was a xbox controller user until I switched to Dualsense for PC this year, not just PS5. Few reasons: - It has gyro. I know many folks don't think its a big deal but its a game changer for FPS games, especially if you are playing on TV. Way better than just joysticks. Xbox refuses to innovate there. And you can get pretty good with gyro after a few hours of practice. And the FPS game doesn't need to support gyro, so that's awesome (thanks to Steam Input). You can play old school or new FPS games on TV with gyro, it feels great! - Joysticks are way better calibrated. You can do a test or find tests online showing the difference. My performance in Rocket League is actually better with Dualsense - Input lag: Lookup xbox input lag vs dualsense input lag. Inexplicably, dual sense wireless lag is lower than wired, and beats xbox controller's wireless lag by a lot. like 5ms vs 18-20 ms. I think this is one of the reasons I play better on Rocket league too. - chargeable. I can't fathom how microsoft sticks to AA batteries even today. - That trackpad is actually usable via steam input. This is useful mostly in more complex games so doesn't apply to many gamers. But you can find ready made gaming profiles on Steam which makes it nice. - of course, if you have a PS5 too, it has many other benefits. But you don't need a PS5 to benefit from a dualsense controller. Steam supports it out of the box, no other software needed! I hope someone can make a good video showing all these because Sony has developed an amazing controller and it deserves all the recognition!

I got a custom Elite 2 and I LOVE it. I got it in purple, teal, and bright green. It looks SICK.

Bought mine a week ago, and like you, didn't realize the additional thumb sticks and D pad were also customizable. Went through the whole process again just to see where I messed up. When I first added the accessories, I didn't see the options to choose each part individually and customizing it. Now that I do it again, I see the option. When thinking back to when I made the purchase, and I had it in Cart for 2 days before deciding, I still can't remember seeing the option to do this. I went back a few times to redesign it, but still ended up using my first design, so I don't know how I didn't see that. Still, I also don't think I'll be using the additional thumb sticks, or the D pad for that matter, so I guess I'm stuck with my choices.

I'd stay far away from Xbox's Elite controllers. They've had serious QC issues from the start. I had 2 arrive with defective thumbsticks, and one that only worked for like 5 or 6 months with light use. A real shame because in my opinion this is possibly the best controller on the market... when it works.

Nahhh, not even close to best. It's mid tier at most. Maybe I'll change my tune if they add gyro in the future, but I'm not gonna spend anything close to that price for something that technologically inferior.

Hey Bob, are you going to do a review on the new Retroid Pocket 3+?

Bob try back paddles in adventure games like Breath of the Wild! I've been using it as the sprint button to free up my thumb for camera controls, item grabbing & jumps and it's amazing.

How about the stick drift? Can that get fixed?

I had both a elite, and elite series 2. It really saddened me that the original elite lasted me 2 and a half years and never broke, but then I upgraded to a series 2 and within 2 weeks the stick drift was so awful I just had to toss it because the warranty wouldn’t even work

@Wulff Den, Any chance of you doing a video about an issue with using Xbox Series controllers (while gaming on Xbox Series Consoles) with previous-gen wireless headsets? For example, none of my Arctis 7,9X work without hiccups, skips, and static at times, but if people use the previous Xbox One controllers, there is no issue.

Does the normal 69.99 one work with old gen xbox one?

Bob’s not the controller guy, he’s the CUSTOMISATION GUY

love the series 2 elite controller, but the QC issues are pretty unacceptable for something that costs this much. From experience I'm on my third series 2 elite because the first 2 had issues straight out of the box so they had to bE RMAed. So far the third one has been alright, but it will turn off randomly during games, which is quite annoying but it doesnt happen frequently so i deal with it since its the best controller i've used when its working.

Wait, Can this controller get drift though? I mean you did review Gulikit's drift free controller that while having less support, would last longer and cost less. Kinda confused about this stuff, Just my thoughts on it.

Remember, if you go for the non-Design Lab version of the Core, it is $10 more if you buy the accessory pack later.

Is the elite 2 core the same as the elite 2 ?

Love a good Bob controller video! I got the Elite 2 when they first come out. Still love it!

Did they finally ditch the potentiometer sticks for hall sensor sticks? I'm not spending $200 on a controller that will get stick drift and have to shell out more to get Gulikit replacements to solder in.

What game were you playing at 35 seconds in the video?

mine broke really fast. I had the series one and it lasted me a really long time but I upgraded to the series 2 and the bumper started to double click. i went back to the series one and both of those bumpers soon broke to. Now I'm back on the series 2 and the left bumper double clicks and the right one doesn't work half of the time, and double clicks whenever it does work.

Great review. I just bought a DUALSENSE and really enjoying it with the added haptics and adaptive trigger. The best!

I have two elite controllers and both of them the bumpers are shot along with the b button on one of them! I’ve been just using the basic $60 one it came with and it’s been out performing them 😢

Correction: You actually can connect an Xbox controller to a Switch! All you need is an adapter such as the MayFlash Magic-NS 2. That one added support for Xbox Bluetooth controllers. I have the Magic-NS 1 that doesn't have support for it, but I've used it to connect a PS4 controller to my Switch before and it works very well!

I didn’t expect to hear the phrase “balls to the wall” so many times today

What brand Joy cons are the ones displayed on 9:21 ?

I remember hating the official software solution for changing control layouts. I only use my elite series 2 for PC gaming, so I had to use the PC application and change my layout between every game I was playing. Maybe it’s been updated, but I haven’t touched it for a while. I use ReWASD for my control mapping so I can assign control layouts for my paddle buttons there, and have the software automatically switch to the appropriate control layout when the corresponding executable is run.

Does it wake the Switch?

Let me know how the thumb sticks and buttons do in a few months. Im in my second pair and after 6 months it cant handle my dedication anymore

How about the mass amount of defects with the bumpers that still plague the series 2 elite controller?

I took apart my elite due to it not connecting and the buttons are actually different on the back side and where they slot. Might be why the button opts are limited.

I was going to order a second controller for my laptop so I don’t have to disconnect the one that came with my Series S to connect to my laptop and iPad Mini to play games on there. However you mentioned in one of your other controller videos that the Switch Pro Controller connects to Windows laptops. I’m gonna try that first but if it doesn’t work I have a custom blue controller saved to my Design Lab account to order lol

Does this controller have motion controls?

I’m curious. You’re at the 3 month mark. Any day now stick drift is going to kick in (I’m on my 6th or so elite 2 before I quit buying them) Have you seen any drift yet?

Can you connect Xbox controller to iPhone with cord? :-)

As much as I love my elite 2 controller the second I got it one of the joysticks had a problem and had a weird jamming feeling soo idk if I will buy another after been disappointed after spending the ridiculous amount of money

But does it have hall-effect sticks?

My elite controller got "drift" after a few months of light use lol, its because it doesnt properly return to center though.

what’s the controller for the switch at the 9:19 mark?

Man, I've used my elite controller v1 a lot and I haven't encountered any peeling or issues with the quality that people talk about breaking down. It's one of my fav controllers.

How is the d-pad for fighting games?