Upgraded Xbox Wireless Controller Announced, Comes With Eye-Watering Price Tag

8BitDo has announced a new wireless controller for Xbox systems coming later this year, set to be a huge upgrade over the company’s previous releases.

8BitDo Ultimate 3E Controller for Xbox is the latest in a series of official collaborations the company has had with Microsoft, and is described as being “designed for pros”, built for “serious players”.

“Built for serious players who need pro-level accuracy and a highly customisable feel. Swap parts, tune responses, and shape the controller to match your competitive playstyle,” reads the press release for the controller.

Aiming for a Q2 2026 release, the Ultimate 3E Controller for Xbox is set to retail at $149.99, which is the most expensive controller the company has released to date.

It'll work with current and last gen Xbox consoles like the Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One, however it's also compatible with PC and Apple devices.

The Ultimate 3E Controller For Xbox Is 8BitDo's Most Expensive Yet

However, considering all the bells and whistles included with the controller, I can see why this price has been justified.

For starters, the controller includes various ways to select which kinds of buttons you’d like to have on it.

There’s a swappable AXBY module, allowing you to switch between the silicone or micro-switch ABXY module for two distinct button feels. Similarly, you can also swap between a circular or a classic precision D-Pad, depending on your tastes, as well as various different thumbsticks.

8BitDo

The controller also features TMR Joysticks and RGB Fire Rings, providing real-time visual feedback for every move, six-axis motion control providing extra precision in place of thumbstick movements.

For those who play a lot of action games that require use of the bumpers and triggers, the controller also has remappable fast bumpers and hall effect impulse triggers with two trigger stops.

Like previous iterations of the 8BitDo Ultimate controllers, it also has two back buttons located on the controller grip, as well as special L4 and R4 buttons located near the triggers, all of which can be remapped for whatever purpose you’d like.

Finally, it comes with an integrated wireless charging dock for you to charge the controller and also connect it to the Xbox.

For some reason, Microsoft doesn’t allow for third-party controllers to connect directly to the system, so you need to have the wireless dongle connected instead.

However, the dongle is USB-C, and there aren’t any USB-C ports available on an Xbox console. So, you’ll need to connect the charging dock to the console instead.

Be sure to check out the official website for more information.