Hey guys,

Just picked up one of the new series 2 Elite controllers. Overall, it's pretty sweet. Wireless USB-C charging dock (built-in battery), adjustable tension in the sticks, full wrap-around grips, new analog stick texture options, a quick-switching profile button, and bluetooth are some of the new additions. It kinda rules.

Except that said, it kinda doesn't seem to rule. The original I bought from Best Buy immediately had a left analog stick issue where it'd get stuck in a lower left position and not return to center without forcing it. I discovered this immediately upon opening the box and brought it back to the store and got a new one. Round two seems much better. The Xbox button threw me off because it's very clicky and has very little movement when pressed, but otherwise I thought I was good to go. I jumped into some Overwatch to test things out, and almost immediately I noticed that the A button felt mushy, and more to the point, that when I hit it in a certain way, the A button doesn't register as a press. It's only when I hit it in what I think was the lower left quadrant of the button, but it leads to the button not registering every handful of presses unless I'm pressing it very deliberately, which is kinda terrible, as the last thing I want to worry about in the middle of any kind of action is how my thumb is specifically striking any given button.

Should I return it and forget about it? The A button issue kinda seems like something I could get used to, but for the price, this is just a bit ridiculous.

Anyone else with issues? Or anyone get one and having no problems at all? I'd be interested to hear either way.

Yeah, personally I would return it too. I've been looking at getting an elite controller for a little bit now, I was hoping the series 2 would be more refined, but I've been seeing a number of first impressions similar to yours.

For what they're charging for these, I wouldn't settle for anything except a flawless unit.

That sucks, I'd return it. No reason to pay that much money for faulty hardware. How are the analogs on a regular xbox one controller? Do they typically have drift? I'm using my 360 controller on pc and both sticks are now drifting which is crazy.

Ugh. Miserable. I'd be somewhere beyond emotionally defeated and furious, were I in your situation.

For what it's worth, I have—anecdotally—had build quality problems with nearly every Xbox One controller I've ever touched. Squeaky triggers or faulty battery efficiency or loose thumbsticks. I owned the Elite V.1 and it was mostly worth the asking price. Mostly, though the left analog stick joint was loose in its socket. It could rattle in place, up and down as well as to all sides, without triggering an input. In play it wasn't ever a problem, but it was a defect that I always noticed. And, as you said, for the premium cost, you'd expect the thing to be like a new car out of the box.

Over on the Xbox One subreddit, I see more than one complaint about the face button issue you described. I hate to suggest returning the V.2 and waiting to see if a manufacturing change happens. But if you'd rather have the controller now it sounds like you'll be playing this game of roulette until you find one up to snuff.

I've never had issues with standard Xbox One controllers (only Elites, somehow!). They seem much better at holding up to wear and tear than the old 360 controllers.

I have a nice all red Xbox One controller I bought at the same time as my One X that I love and will probably go back to if I return the Elite. Those paddles, though! And that wireless charging dock! Ugh, if only the basics were nailed down better. I want to give you my money, Microsoft. Let me give you my money.

By the way, if anyone's curious, I nailed down the issue I'm having with the A button a bit further. Basically, if I nudge the button around in its socket before pressing it down, it seems to move just off of the contact enough that it won't register when I press it down. If I keep my thumb from resting on the button and nudging it towards the walls of the button well, and just press it straight down, it works every time. Not sure if that makes sense, but it's been regularly replicable once I discovered this.

I think I'm going back to Best Buy today. :(

I've definitely seen a video of someone with a fresh-out-of-the-box Elite 2 with a face button that simply wouldn't retract when pressed. Seems like it'll be wise to wait until next year for them to clear out their inventory. Shame, I've really enjoyed my Elite 1.

That sucks you have had problems with yours but I have one and haven’t had any issues. Love the 360 sticks.

I've had a lot of trouble with the XBO wireless dongle with standard XBO controllers, mainly a disconnect issue that comes and goes. Usually requires driver/device removal from device manager and a reboot to resolve. Are the Elites any better?

I had my Elite Series 1 for like three years, then the shoulder buttons stopped working while playing Sekiro. That model has a pretty shoddy construction for the shoulder buttons, though.

I was hesitant to get a Series 2 until I read that they addressed the build of the shoulder buttons. I’m loving it so far, but the Bluetooth pairing on PC isn’t as seamless as it should be.

I bought one to replace my old Series 1 and have had zero issues with it.

I just got an Elite 2 a couple hours ago for my birthday. Haven't synced it up and played with it yet but the first thing I tested was if the A button sticks and it seems fine so far. Also yeah I tried to play with a 360 controller a couple months ago and immediately said wow this is trash but the 360 sticks with the elite v2 feel so damn smooth, like damn.

Elite 2 is a significant upgrade in every conceivable way. Just replace it dude, the construction otherwise feels better than the first and they seem to have refined the shoulder button build issues of the last gen.

It just seems like the store you go to got a bad shipment in ir something went hideously wrong in the shipping process