White Xbox Elite Series 2 Controllers Have Been Spotted In The Wild

My launch Elite Controller Series 1 was reliable until recently (one of the bumpers broke) and the Series 2 is much better overall. It's the best controller ever. It doesn't have gyro yep but I think that's a pure gimmick unlike the Wii Remote that was very good as a pointer.

@Banjo- The problem is their horrendous quality checks. I’ve exchanged my Series 2 four(!) times and that’s within a single year. I’m very careful with my stuff. Faulty B button, faulty A button (eg not registering input), faulty RB and one with major stick drift on the right stick.

I love the controller to death but Jesus Christ MS really need to do something about these recurring issues.

Have the black series 2, thumb sticks on full tension, just perfect for me.

@Roqka I sent back about 8 Series 2's to MS, every single one of them had face button registration problems. I gave up and my current one just sits in the case.

I was convinced it is a fundemental design flaw with these controllers. The face buttons sit much lower than the standard pads, meaning the buttons travel less, and connect to the underlying mechanicisms less, resulting in spotty registration.

You can avoid it by pressing the button hard and centrally every single time, but that's not how I play. And I may just tap the button or just of the side, and the button will give me the pressed feeling, but it won't activate because it never connected.

I did try to let MS know what I thought the issue was, but given that most people don't seem to notice the problem, I'm guessing they left it. And I'm not wasting my money on a new one to find out.

Edit: Based on this post I decided to go back to research this since. Turns out plenty of people are still having this issue and I watched a teardown video to see what's going on inside the pad, and lo and behold, the guy advised placing 2 bits of eletrical tape on the A button in order to make sure it hits the contact point. So in short. I correctly identified what was wrong with these pads back in 2019/2020, and it's present in every single series 2 pad, and MS just never bothered to fix the issue.

And now I'm faced with tearing down my pad to fix this issue on my £160 pad myself.

@Richnj Damn. I just don’t get it, they’re crazy expensive and FEEL like high quality stuff yet fails to deliver fundamental functionality. Most of my controllers were literally faulty out of the box. How the hell does that pass QC, I wonder.

Edit: I wanted to grab the Halo edition but then I started reading people were having identical issues with that one as well. So clearly nothing but the shell was changed.

@Banjo- spoken like someone who has never used gyro.

Its not a gimmick at all - its the next best thing to having a proper wheel and its completely transformative for racing, its shocking how much better it is to drive properly.

I still fail to see why people rate these controllers, they are far too expensive and lack basic functionality that all the other format holders include. I'd never buy one (unless they release a 'gyro' model of course! xD)

@Titntin I'm not a fan of motion controls but the Wii Remote is accurate as a pointer and Wii Motion Plus is fun for Wii Sports Resort.

@Titntin I haven't used gyro for racing, but it's transformative for FPS games IMHO. Being able to use the right stick on maximum sensitivity for quickly aiming in the general direction and then using gyro to fine tune the aim is superb. If developers start offering gyro in FPS games on the PS5 I think it's going to be a big disadvantage for Xbox.

@Roqka Yeah I was really annoyed when I got mine. Partly for the money, but also partly because the rest of the pad is such high quality. I really liked and wanted the pad.The feel of it and its features are the best I've ever felt in a pad, but the face buttons ( the A button especially) is such an important part of gaming that the pad became impossible to use.

If the fix was a simple process I'd probably recommend people do that, but I've been inside the xbox controllers before and they are not an easy job. I'm going to do mine and see how it goes after the fix.

for reference. Mentions the A fix at around 5 mins; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aS9_t1FZh3A

@BulkSlash
Yes I've heard its great for shooters, but I've not tried it there myself.
Anyone without a race wheel who has access to GT7 should immediately try it - its a complete game changer.

I've played video driving games for over 40 years now and was happy enough with 'on/off' steering as that's what we've always had. Being able to have such subtle control now, means my car just follows the racing line almost without me having to think. All my steering and race craft now are nothing to do with staying on the track- its about setting up overtake maneuvers and pure racing craft.
I could never return to joypad racing - its not even the same game.

@BulkSlash @Titntin For racing games I'd rather have a proper wheel than tilting a controller. I've never had a proper wheel and seat setup but it's great at the arcades.

Same for fighting games but I do have a proper fighting stick already.

@Banjo- have to agree buddy, but direct drive steering controllers are very expensive, even more than I will pay for only a few games.

Getting %90 of that functionality and feel for a big fat zero outlay is absolute no brainer, and many wheel owners I've chatted with, who have tried gyro, don't bother with their wheel much anymore as they cant be bothered to plug it in when they get what they want from the controller with no set up.

Don't dismiss, unless you have tried it..

For the price, and hardly any extra functionality I'm not getting one any time soon. Plus the quality issues I've heard, and have been reiterated here, if I'm spending THAT much it needs to be rock solid reliable. I've never had an issue with my regular controllers.

I just recently purchased my Series Elite 2 controller and I love it! My favorite controller now besides the Dualsense, of course! I must admit that the high price and complaints about durability made me hesitant. But I decided to buy one since it was on sale. Now, I can't go back to the regular Series X controller. I hope the controller lasts. I'd definitely buy a white controller day 1!

Are those black grips? Microsoft Elite 2 Controller, Panda Edition😖

BTW, does anyone else experience their Elite 2 controller FF motors to be, loud/noisy? I've had two, and both are this way. It's a bit distracting...

I've actually gone back to buy old Elite 1 controllers due to them being able to use AA batteries. Can't for the life of me figure out why they removed that functionality.

I'd rather an Elite Series 3 with gyro support along with haptic feedback similar to on the DualSense.

Ugh, I was really holding out for Series 3. And hoping that the horrible build quality was going to get better.

@Titntin I've tried controllers with gyro for driving but it doesn't click. It's not a wheel but to each their own. I know that proper wheel and seat setup is expensive and it's not a priority. It's fun but I don't know if I'd use it much.

@Banjo-
"I've tried controllers with gyro for driving but it doesn't click."

I'm sorry to have assumed then. My response to trying it was so immediate, and so overwhelmingly 'what have I missed all these years', that I assumed anyone trying it would have the same epiphany moment as me and fall in love with it!

I'm really sorry it doesn't click with you, Id like you to get some of the joy I'm feeling form it, I genuinely would.

I'm simply excited for the discovery and hoping I can introduce others to its delight. At least now I know its joys are not universal!

@eagletrippin
You mean the rattling sound when the controller rumbles ? Yeah , that’s terrible.
That’s always the point that I exchange my controllers for new ones. Very irritating sound.

@Titntin Ha ha! The combination of both a wheel and motion controls would be the Wii Wheel. Of course, it's just a cheap accessory (mould) that you hold in the air.

@Sol76 Ugh. So you mean that isn't normal and it's just bad quality control? I just thought that's how these controllers performed. Didn't think my luck would be that bad, receiving 2 completely brand-new & sealed controllers from Amazon.