At E3 this year Microsoft dropped a few announcements that took Xbox One fans, and gamers in general, by surprise (e.g. backwards compatibility). One of these announcements was the introduction of their ‘pro’ controller, the Xbox One Elite Controller. If you follow any eSports games or leagues you’ll no doubt know what I am talking about, as professional gamers use specialized equipment to take their game to the next level, including controllers.
Most pro-controllers have been made by the likes of Scuf Gaming, Evil Controllers, and other third party companies. They cater to a very distinct audience, those being the hardcore gamers looking for customization in control schemes when playing. Most people associate customizable controllers with the FPS genre; however, there are quite a few other games that can take advantage of the ability fine tune a controller such as driving games or RPG’s, which require multiple buttons to play. Microsoft obviously saw this desire as prior to E3 they had been secretly working on a pro-controller of their own.
Since the announcement at E3, people have been warming up to the idea of a premium Xbox One controller. That being said, the price of such an accessory was a shocker to many as it was announced the Elite Controller would cost $149.99 USD ($169.99 Cdn). Immediately many started to yell, “It’s too much” or “It’s not worth it”, but these people had yet to play any games with it, let alone even hold it in their hands. With that in mind, and having spent the last few weeks with the controller playing a variety of games (e.g. Halo 5, COD Black Ops III, Destiny, Forza Motorsport 6, Minecraft and other games), we thought we’d give you a list of what you will really love about Xbox One Elite Controller.
1. The Contents in the Box
There is a lot of stuff in the Xbox One Elite Controller’s box as it’s just not a controller you are paying for. There are 6 interchangeable analog sticks, 4 removable paddles, the controller itself, 2 different types of d-pads, a 9 foot braided charging cable, batteries, and a carrying case for your controller when you take it on the road. The carrying case is smartly designed to carry everything in any configuration that you want. You won’t find this much stuff in a lot of the boxes for other controllers period. ‘Nuff said.
2. Build Quality
As soon as you hold the Elite controller, you’ll immediately notice that it’s a bit heaver then the ‘stock’ Xbox One controller that comes with the console. You’ll also note how the build materials feel…well, stronger. I know that the regular controller can feel cheap (my Day One controller did for sure) and not premium, and of course it isn’t, especially when compared with the Xbox One Elite Controller.
The top has a hard rubber like material, and doesn’t feel, or look, like regular plastic. Underneath you’ll find a nice diamond textured material that definitely won’t slip during a marathon gaming session. Heck, even the battery compartment cover feels more solid. This controller is built, and looks like, it for serious gaming and feels like it will go into battle with you and walk out without a scratch.
Something that deserves it’s own paragraph is the material used for the analog sticks. The sticks themselves are made out of stainless steel, which is durable, but where the trick lies is in the ring that surrounds where the analog sticks go into the controller. Microsoft’s engineers used a special material that provides virtually no friction. The analog sticks move around very smoothly. This material is said not to break down, and unlike ANY controllers in the past, it should not wear out and maintain its’ “buttery” smoothness for a long time. When you go back and use a regular Xbox One controller you will notice the difference right away. It’s a bit frightening actually, how much smoother the analog sticks feels on the Elite Controller, but for the price you pay, it’s kind of expected.
Click on thru to page 2 for the final three (3) things you’ll love about the Elite Controller