If you’re playing Xbox games, you’re going to want to play with the best Xbox controller. This probably doesn’t come as a surprise to you, but the best Xbox controller is made by Xbox itself. The Elite Series 2 is perhaps the best controller on the market right now for both Xbox and PC gaming, and right now, it’s seeing a major discount. Normally sold for $200, a 16% discount has taken the price down by $32 at Amazon. That means, for a limited time, the Elite Series 2 and all its included accessories will only cost you $168.
This pro version of the Xbox wireless controller comes with better durability, performance, and customization than standard.
For starters, the Elite Series 2 comes with a heavier build, feeling much heftier in your hands. It also features a wraparound grip making it more comfortable to hold onto during extended play.
Much of the appeal of the Elite Series 2 controller comes from its accessories. In the kit, you get a small thumbstick tool. The thumbstick can actually pop off the front of the controller in order to make adjustments. They connect to the controller magnetically, so they can be pulled straight off when you need to, but will otherwise stay firmly in place. After being removed, you can take the thumbstick tool to the joint normally hidden by the thumbstick. Twisting like a screwdriver will allow you to increase or decrease the tension to your liking.
The thumbsticks can also be replaced entirely. The Elite Series 2 ships with a handful of alternate option thumbsticks with different lengths and styles of grip. Play around with the different ones to find which is your preferred.
Similarly, the D-pad can also be swapped with an included alternate. Either use the facetted pad that has a wider surface area for your thumb to roll across or go with the more traditional plus sign-shaped option.
You also have the option to add on up to four back paddles. These can be assigned to act as any face button, allowing you to keep your thumbs on the stick while still being able to jump, slide, reload, or switch weapons with ease.
And lastly, you get both a magnetic charging station to place the Elite Series 2 controller in when your done playing as well as a hard carrying case to hold all your accessories as well as the controller itself while traveling.
Core Version Available as Well
Maybe you don’t need all the bells and whistles that come with the Elite Series 2 controller, but still want something with a little more heft than the standard wireless Xbox controller. If this is you, then you should check out one of the Elite Series 2 Core controller options. This controller is the same basic build as the Elite Series 2, but does not comes with all the same accessories.
The Core version forgoes the hard carrying case, magnetic charging dock, four back paddles, alternate D-pad, and extra interchangeable thumbsticks. You still get the thumbstick adjustment tool as well as a braided USB-C cable for charging. It also comes in a ton of fun colors. I’m pretty partial to the soft melon colorway myself. The Elite Series 2 Core is only $150 compared to the main Elite Series 2’s price point of $168 (down from $200).
