As someone who had spent crazy amounts of the last four years working on a console each day it’s not all gameplay and fun, ladies and gentlemen my controllers have taken an incredible beating. I’ve watched in horror as my less-than-a-year-old controllers have developed thumb stick drift, buttons have worn and stopped being crisp to press, and the sadness of knowing that Dan’s Controller v3 is now headed for the great controller graveyard in the dump.
Like quite a few people, namely people who play copious amounts of games on the Xbox One, I’ve been waiting not quite patiently for the Xbox One Elite controller to come back into stock for more than 30 minutes (during a Tuesday afternoon while I am at the office) and instantly selling out. I’ve been completely unsuccessful in my attempts at owning one until last week when Santa Wife somehow used mystical dark magic powers and Jedi mind tricks to the controller from a GameStop close to our house.
Now comes the fun part; putting the $150 Xbox One Elite controller up against the Xbox One Wireless controller to see what’s better, what is worse, and if I think it is worth the triple digit price tag. The first thing to notice is the packaging for this controller. Yes, it’s a box. But if this box is any indication of the built quality of the controller, then we are in for a good time. Slipping the top cover off of the box reveals a surprisingly rigid carrying case hugged by an Xbox green packaging insert.
What isn’t in the case are the two AA batteries and a high quality black and green braided USB cable. These, as well as the manuals, are included underneath the green box insert.
The Elite controller comes with the standard height thumb sticks installed, as well as all four paddles and the concave d-pad. I spent a few minutes replacing parts and pretending that I knew what I was doing. Removing any part that is designed to be removed is surprisingly simple, except for the classic-style d-pad, as all of them are magnetically held in place. The only reason the classic-style d-pad is a bit trickier is because of the minimal surface area to grip with your fingers when it is in place in the controller. The controller looks amazing, all matte-black, chrome, and green. It looks amazing, especially compared to a standard Xbox One wireless controller.
When I first picked up the controller a couple of things really stood out; this controller has some heft, the paddles feel a bit weak (more on this in a bit) and the hand grips work. The weight hasn’t been an issue for me at all. The controller feels well-built, and the additional weight is actually reassuring. Add the heft to the hand grips in the back and you have a controller that is more prone to stay put, even during those intense, sweaty-hand, heart-pounding gaming moments.
Now let’s circle back around to the back paddles. The first few times you pick up the controller you will probably jam a finger between a paddle and the controller. The paddle will pop away from the controller body and you will think that it is going to fall off. It won’t. It also won’t take you long to adjust to your new grip. For those of you, like me, who haven’t used a SCUF or other controller with paddles, don’t think that you are going to instantly become the next CoD God. Learning new hardware takes time, so go play some campaign and actively teach yourself paddle use. Jumping into MP, or worse yet Ranked MP, would be a bad decision right now.
Setup is relatively easy and you can save two vastly different profiles to the controller that instantly change have the triggers, thumb sticks, and paddles work. I can see a downside where with so many setup options you just might find yourself lost with where to start. Pro-Tip: Don’t change everything at first. Make small changes to one option until it feels right.
In an effort to try and finish this review, I feel the need to talk about the price of this controller. At $149.99 it is less expensive than a comparable SCUF, but twice that of a standard Xbox One controller. The Elite doesn’t come with a rechargeable battery pack, which seems curious at the price-point.
All told, the Xbox One Elite controller is an incredible accessory for Xbox One owners, and if its use over the last three weeks is any indication, this controller was built to last. If you’ve already gone through a controller or two, like I have, then you will likely go through another standard one, and spending the extra money on a controller than should last longer would be a wise investment.
For comparison, I would list the Xbox 360 controller as a 7 and the Xbox One standard controller as a 7 for different reasons.
