Xbox Elite Series 2 controller review

 The Xbox Elite line of wireless controllers are expensive, high-quality, and feature-packed controllers that Microsoft makes for casual gamers and esports players alike. In the editorial office of Kanobu, there was one of these gamepads – and not the first, but already the second series. We tell you what this special functionality is, what are the differences between Series 1 and Series 2, and is it reasonable to buy a gamepad for $180.

Xbox Elite Series 2 controller review

Xbox Elite Series 2 controller review

Equipment

Microsoft obviously did not stint on the complete set of the gamepad – hardly anyone can have a claim that she did not report something. In a thick cardboard box is a hard case for the controller. The case contains the gamepad itself, its components (about them later) and a charging station. Yes, it’s for charging – if Series 1, like standard Xbox One gamepads, runs on batteries, then the second series was supplied with a battery that lasts for a couple of weeks of active use.

Xbox Elite Series 2 controller review

By the way, there are several ways to charge the gamepad. The first is to plug it directly into a power outlet using a USB Type-C cable. The second is to pull the charging station out of the case, connect it to the outlet already, and then put the controller on it (the charging is not contactless, but the metal contacts on the gamepad and on the station are barely distinguishable). And the third is to leave the station in the case, but do the same as in the second option – there is a hole in the case through which you can connect the cable to the station.

Xbox Elite Series 2 controller review

What kind of accessories are these? The Xbox Elite Series 2 comes with four additional sticks, one additional cross, four “petals” and a metal “key” with which you need to adjust the resistance of the sticks when tilted (why they put it all, we’ll figure it out a little later).

Xbox Elite Series 2 controller review

In addition, at the bottom of the cardboard box, under the cover for the controller and its accessories, you can find the USB Type-C cable required for charging, instructions and a brochure with a code for the trial period of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription.

Functionality

So, what are all these additional sticks and other components for? No, not just to replace an item that breaks (have you ever had a stick on an Xbox One controller ever break?). Although for this, too – but not only.

The thing is, sticks are different. Standard – that is, those that are now installed on all Xbox One gamepads – are installed on the controller by default. The other set is sticks shaped like those that Microsoft put on gamepads for the Xbox 360. The third set is sticks for a more comfortable game of first-person shooters: one is on a high leg, the second is convex and with a special coating.

Xbox Elite Series 2 controller review

The sticks (and indeed all replaceable elements) are attached to the gamepad using magnets: they hold tight, do not fall off by themselves, and in order to remove and replace them, you need to make some effort. Moreover, in the leg on which the sticks are attached, there is a small groove where a metal “key” fits – with its help you can tighten or loosen the internal mechanism responsible for the stick’s resistance to tilt. There are three positions in total, and one of them corresponds to how the sticks behaved on the Xbox 360 controller.

Xbox Elite Series 2 controller review

Next are the crosses. One is metal, similar in shape to the one installed on a regular gamepad. The other is also metal, but “round”, with its help it is convenient to simultaneously clamp two directions in fighting games – say, up and left or down and right. In other cases, however, there is little difference between them, because both crosses are solid, that is, they are much less suitable for platformers and the same fighting games than divided ones.

Xbox Elite Series 2 controller review

The paddles, which attach (using magnets, of course) to the back of the controller, that is, right under the player’s middle and ring fingers, are useful if you don’t have enough standard buttons.

And another feature that sets the Xbox Elite Series 2 apart from the standard Xbox One controller is the ability to shorten the triggers. There are three settings: standard, medium, which slows down the button in the middle, and minimum, useful in shooters when you need to often press the triggers while shooting.

Xbox Elite Series 2 controller review

In addition, the gamepad itself has an additional key responsible for switching profiles – that is, pre-prepared layouts for a particular game. You. can customize literally every element of the controller in the Xbox Accessories app. Exactly what everyone is – including the “dead zones” of triggers, the mechanics of the sticks, the commands for the “petals”, the power of the vibration motors in the handles of the gamepad and triggers, and even the brightness of the Xbox button. In total, you can create three profiles, switching between them is instant

Xbox Elite Series 2 controller review

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