Reports have surfaced, potentially revealing that a new XBOX Elite Series 3 is in the works, and the new pro controller will allegedly have HE or TMR sticks.
One of the main problems with the current state of XBOX Elite Series controllers (at least where the first and second gens are concerned) is that they can develop stick drift due to the basic wear and tear of use. Many gamers on Reddit and other forums have shared that the controller feels premium, but suffers from stick drift after heavy usage.
For those who don’t know, stick drift is the phenomenon where you’re using an analog stick, but you’re not touching it, and it keeps moving. This can appear as a slow walk forward or a gradual look in a direction that gets more severe as the issue persists, making your controller unplayable. According to a new leak today, the XBOX Elite Series 3 will fix this ongoing issue with the deployed optionality between TMR and Hall Effect sticks, giving players relief from phantom movements due to worn-out hardware.
According to a report from Digital Foundry, XBOX has the XBOX Elite Series 3 controller not only in the works, but it appears to be nearing the finish line in production, and on top of that, the specifications for the new pad may have leaked. Reddit user esketitethan claims to have seen the configuration records and 3D component models in the backend of Spectrum Customizer (the XBOX Design Labs site, where players can customize their own controllers). The controller—apparently codenamed Edessa—appears to have a number of new features which point to a new XBOX Elite Series 3, instead of stapling features to the top of the XBOX Elite Series 2.
Specs for the XBOX Elite Series 3 controller include a choice of Hall Effect or TMR sticks (which are frictionless designs that prevent wear and tear), and other haptics “on par” with the Sony DualSense controller. The XBOX Elite Series 3 also apparently comes with an audio control dial, a swap of +pads, multiple faceplates, additional paddle styles and more.
As of this posting, the backend data sourced by /u/esketitethan is no longer available, so it’s impossible to confirm the leak’s authenticity; fans should take this leak with a grain of salt until a formal announcement is made.
