Xbox Elite Series 3 Leak Points to Dual Scroll Wheels and Swappable Battery
It's a great time for fans of premium controllers: not only did the new Steam Controller just release to high sales and critical acclaim, but now leaked photos confirm the existence of an Xbox Elite Series 3 controller.
The first Elite Series controller released in October 2015 well into the Xbox One's lifespan (ahead of One X), while Elite Series 2 released in November 2019, a year ahead of the Series X/S release. While we don't yet know the exact release window for Elite Series 3 or Project Helix, past timing points toward Elite Series 3 releasing a year or less ahead of Project Helix.
In any case, fans of Xbox Elite Series 2 controllers (myself included) have been waiting for a long time. The four back paddles now look like they fit much more snugly with the controller and seem larger, with textured grips to boot. The trigger adjusters now adjust side-to-side instead of up or down, and the controller finally comes with a removable AND rechargeable battery, combining the benefits of Elite Series' AA battery support and Elite Series 2's rechargeable battery. Perhaps the most interesting new feature is the addition of two scroll wheels along the bottom of the unit that serve a yet-unknown purpose.
Interestingly, there may also be some omissions from the Elite Series 3. The leak says nothing of adjustable tensions on the joysticks, though seeing as that's the primary selling point of Elite Series 2 for me (not shared by any other pro controller, sadly,) I do hope that feature is still present. Otherwise, the primary swappable D-Pad and stick head features are still available.
What isn't shown is a series of LEDs indicating up to three switchable profiles, and since the center button should now be a Share button akin to the Xbox Core controllers, that is slightly concerning. However, it could be that the LEDs have been cut since the Xbox button's glow can already be changed to different colors to reflect different profiles, and the swapping functionality has been relegated to the scroll wheels, software, or just an unknown button combination.
The Sync button now also has a toggle between "Local" and "Cloud" modes, a feature we'll also be seeing in the Xbox Cloud Gaming controller, which mostly just looks like a shrunk-down Xbox Core controller and was also leaked by Tecnoblog. The Cloud Gaming pairing functionality of the new Xbox controllers uses Wi-Fi akin to the Google Stadia (RIP) controller, but otherwise are expected to share the same 2.4 GHz/Bluetooth/USB-C connectivity options as current Xbox controllers.
Image Credit: Tecnoblog
