Xbox alleged new controller leaks - and it has gamers seriously divided

Microsoft’s Xbox Elite Series 3 controller has reportedly leaked. But it has gamers seriously divided, and for a good reason.

The Xbox Elite Series controllers look and, for the most part, play fantastic. They have excellent customisation, four rear paddles, hair-trigger locks, adjustable thumbstick tension, swappable sticks and D-pads, a great battery life, and more.

Yet, these pricey controllers are not without some flaws. For example, they can feel a little heavy compared to the basic Xbox controller and other pro controllers. They're on the expensive side (which is expected for a pro controller), but most notably, they have potential stick drift issues. However, those issues may soon be corrected with the Xbox Elite 3 Series controller, which has seemingly leaked.

The alleged Xbox Elite Series 3 controller looks great, but…

“Someone got hold of Xbox Elite Controller Series 3,” announced Redditor SyntacticSyntax. It had a link that took us to the apparently leaked images, but they have since been removed. That being said, those images aren't hard to find elsewhere.

The image of the Elite Series 3 controller looks mostly standard. It shares a very similar design and shape to the Xbox controller, with some subtle differences.

For starters, the four central buttons have been slightly realigned, and the handle grips look to be a little shorter. The Reddit user also says that it reportedly has scroll wheels at the bottom.

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Gamers have concerns over the Xbox Elite Series 3 controller

As mentioned above, arguably the main flaw of the Xbox Elite Series controllers is the potential for stick drift, which can occur with wear and is not ideal with any controller, especially one that is so expensive. To tackle this issue, most pro controllers have either Hall Effect or TMR analogue stick modules, something that the Elite Series 1 and 2 do not have.

At the time of writing, it’s not been confirmed whether or not the Xbox Elite Series 3 will have Hall Effect or TMR, but in all fairness, the controller hasn't been officially confirmed yet.

“The Elite 2 is by far the best controller I have ever used and also one I'll never buy again. I had to have the bumpers replaced twice, and then it drifted after the warranty expired. Been using the same 8BitDo controller for a few years now, and no issues,” explained DaloMaxVal.

“Honestly, I never had issues with mine. It doesn't mean they don't break. But even the popular bumper issue actually resolved itself and worked normally again after a bit,” said Krybbz.

“I love my Elite Series 2. Even though this thing has broken like twice, I learned how to repair my own controllers thanks to it. It would be nice if the Elite Series 3 had better build quality,” added TAGOMXM.

If this leak is the real deal, we would assume it won’t be long until Microsoft makes an official announcement. When that happens, we’ll be sure to let you know - and let's hope those stick drift woes will be a thing of the past.