$150 XONE Elite Controller: who is intrigued?

[wittyscorpion]

With the Halo 5 launch, MSFT is also going to release the $150 Elite Controller. I have been following the hype since it was first announced, and I have to admit that it looks really appealing.

Latest news article:

www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2015/10/22/is-the-xbox-one-elite-wireless-controller-worth-its-premium-price-we-weigh-in.aspx?

www.polygon.com/2015/10/22/9591974/xbox-one-elite-controller-interview

Destiny / Halo / BLOPS3 are gonna to dominate my play time for the next 6 - 12 months, and they all have sophisticated movements that can benefit from the ability to press more controls simultaneously.

My plan is to wait for a month or so to make sure that the controller lives up to its hype, then pick it up. Come up with a custom control scheme that best fits me, then commit it to muscle memory. I think that my "skill" will significantly improve from that.

[hebbnh]

I own 2 Scuf controllers already, and I'm still interested in the Elite. If I didn't have a Scuf, I'd have preordered the Elite and gotten launch day shipping so I could use it ASAP. The paddles make a world of difference. Not having to take your thumb off of the right stick ever[/b] for jump, melee, reload, weapon swap, or whatever you prefer without having to resort to claw grip, is an absolute godsend -- to the point that I think I'd struggle going back to a regular controller at this point. The paddles make everything so much easier.

Apparently Microsoft has already gotten these into the hands of some big Youtubers. The only negative I've heard so far is that the paddles are a little bit too easy to activate, such that you might be pressing them accidentally now and then. Honestly I'd wait for a few more official reviews to pop up next week and pick it up then assuming they're all positive. I don't think you'd regret it at all.

[givemelight]

Definitely interested. I thought long and hard about getting a Scuf last year... Was tempted to preorder one from the big online retailer, but I see now they are on backorder.

[wittyscorpion]

What stopped me from getting Scuf is that its Third Party, and when it comes to XBox peripherals I just don't trust Third Party. As buggy as MSFT gets on their Operating Systems, software, and even XBox, their official XBox peripherals released over the years have been consistently solid. This is one of the reasons why I am so intrigued by Elite.

Definitely will not fall for it on launch day though, too risky. I'll let the other players find the issues first

[eLantern]

SCUF controllers are fantastic. Still have mine for my 360 that I had customized for Call of Duty gaming.

However, I think I'd go with the ELITE controller now and the ELITE Console is still something I'm seriously considering if there's any type of Black Friday/Cyber Monday Deals worthwhile through the Microsoft store. Last year I not only picked up my Xbox One w/ Kinect & the two Assassin Creed games bundled with for $75 off the normal price, I was also able to pick out a free game (Halo: MCC) and get a second controller plus 12 months of Xbox Live for 50% off. That shit was fantastic and I'm hoping they have something equally impressive this year considering the PS4 is going to be (I believe) discounted!

My plan of attack is...

1. Sell my existing console (without the Kinect) with my second controller which has barely been used to a friend for a price that's cheaper than what he can buy a new or used one for at a store while at the same time I'm getting more back then what I'd receive if I were to trade it in; a win-win scenario.

2. Use that cash to get the ELITE edition console along with whatever special offers they are providing; hopefully, they offer a free game again as I'd be very interested in picking-up any one of these for free:

• Star Wars Battlefront
• Halo 5: Guardians (in order to sell it to my buddy for $40, so I can turn around and use that $40 to get the TTK expansion)
• Destiny: The Taken King Legendary Edition (in order to sell it to my buddy for $40 for the same reason I would sell him Halo 5 - the TTK expansion)
• Rise of the Tomb Raider
• Fallout 4
• Forza Motorsport 6
• Black Ops III
• Metal Gear Solid: The Phantom Pain

[Pope Leo VII]

Biggest regret with scuff is failing to pick up the four paddle version..

Absolutely love this beast, team it up with a pair of KontrolFreaks and boy you are in business..

Has taken my gaming to new levels destroying fools.

Waiting for this thing to hit stores and properly test it before jumping ship

[wittyscorpion]

CNET review: www.cnet.com/products/microsoft-xbox-elite-controller/

Turns out the controller is out of stock onine. Not available on either microsoftstore.com or Amazon.

[Pope Leo VII]

Oct 24, 2015 17:06:25 GMT -5 wittyscorpion said:

CNET review: www.cnet.com/products/microsoft-xbox-elite-controller/

Turns out the controller is out of stock onine. Not available on either microsoftstore.com or Amazon.

Reading this review fails to give of the sense that its in the same tier as a scuff..

[wittyscorpion]

Oct 26, 2015 8:55:03 GMT -5 Pope Leo VII said:

Oct 24, 2015 17:06:25 GMT -5 wittyscorpion said:

CNET review: www.cnet.com/products/microsoft-xbox-elite-controller/

Turns out the controller is out of stock onine. Not available on either microsoftstore.com or Amazon.

Reading this review fails to give of the sense that its in the same tier as a scuff..

I never owned a scuff so I am curious: are you saying that scuff is in a better tier than Elite?

From somebody who only has a glimpse of scuff, my first impression is Elite basically has everything scuff has to offer plus a little bit extra. That impression is false? What features does scuff have that Elite is missing?

On a separate note: I am not sure whether it makes sense for scuff owners to buy an Elite. seems to be redundant and unnecessary.

[Pope Leo VII]

Oct 26, 2015 11:02:11 GMT -5 wittyscorpion said:

Oct 26, 2015 8:55:03 GMT -5 Pope Leo VII said:

Reading this review fails to give of the sense that its in the same tier as a scuff..

I never owned a scuff so I am curious: are you saying that scuff is in a better tier than Elite?

From somebody who only has a glimpse of scuff, my first impression is Elite basically has everything scuff has to offer plus a little bit extra. That impression is false? What features does scuff have that Elite is missing?

On a separate note: I am not sure whether it makes sense for scuff owners to buy an Elite. seems to be redundant and unnecessary.

Have a rather biased view, owing a scuff and all...

Watched a number of videos comparing the two and this is what I came away with..

Scuff's controller feels more well made, in terms of structure and being solid.

Scuff's paddles destroy the elites.. People were constantly complaining about hitting other paddles, things were way to sensitive.

Being able to change all of the sticks on the fly is nifty, as well as mapping buttons on the go.  Elite has the advantage there.

[blackbarney]

Sounds like Scuf is the way to go then. I owned a Scuf for my 360 and LOVED it. I don't own either a Scuf or Elite yet for my One and wasn't sure which to get. I'm glad you guys are having this discussion. Scuf sounds better.

I'll bet you someone is going to get me an Elite for xmas though. i better practice looking thrilled.

[wittyscorpion]

I am definitely going with Elite. Heard quite a few horror stories about broken Scuff from friends, to the point that I can't really trust the third party. I guess that I have trust issue in that aspect in general, probably from my own bad experience + hearsay.

The MSFT official XBox peripherals on the other hand have done well in my experience of wear and tear.

Elite's in game app looks pretty cool as well, and in general I believe that it will (if not already) have better customization options considering it is way more tightly integrated with the XONE.

At the end of the day I believe both are solid options. They better be considering the hefty price tag. If you (or your loved ones) spend that much money on a controller, you should be satisfied.

[blackbarney]

But Scuf isn't even 3rd party, it's still the official controller which they simply tinker with.

These Xbox One controllers are the first MSFT peripherals I've actually had trouble with. One of my LB/RB buttons isn't working very well on one controller (along with a LS button that sticks up sometimes), and the other controller won't allow a headset to be connected to it no matter what I do.

I'm starting to think 3rd party is the way to go.

At the time when I bought a Scuf for the 360, it felt like I was about to do the biggest waste of money ever. 500 hours later in Call of Duty glory, I can say that it was worth it. The jumping and knifing were so easy and seemless.

[wittyscorpion]

If you had really positive experiences with Scuf, then by all means stick with it.

With zero experience on Scuf, I gave MSFT my vote simply due to the tighter integration. Regardless what they say officially, behind the scenes Elite will be competing with Scuf and soon or later I suspect Elite will come on top because they have the inside information. Maybe not from a hardware point of view, but more from a software and customization point of view (e.g.: more and more features added to the app for customization).

Just my 2 cents and personal preference.

[Pope Leo VII]

Was sipping on my first coffee when creating that original post..

Realized I forgot a rather important feature that goes against the almighty SCUFF..

Customer service is an absolute joke, and have heard horror stories of how they have treated clientele

Took days to respond to a simple question of mine..

Make you pay for shipping to and from if something goes wrong with the product, take weeks to fix it.

Have yet to have any problems with mine creep up though

[blackbarney]

that's the thing, i never had a single problem with my SCUF and I put that thing through hell and back. I've had these two Xbox One controllers for not that long it seems and both have major problems now.

I think I better go SCUF or go home

[n1gh7]

Claw or die. Can we remap buttons yet?

[eLantern]

Within the Preview Program I've been able to remap my regular controllers buttons for a couple weeks now. Kind of awesome and kind of annoying at the same time because it's not like the Elite where you can flip it from standard settings to game related settings. With the setup change for the regular controllers I was finding that navigating the menus and on the dashboard things often got confusing and sort of difficult, but in-game the remapping obviously worked as I had hoped just wished there would have been a way to save a setup so that I could swap into it and out of it on the fly as I went into the actual gameplay; that's where the ELITE's little switch for toggling between two or was it three different setups is handy.

[wittyscorpion]

I have been clawing but I am not sure if it helps or hampers my performance. Really used tobit though so not sure if I want to abandon after getting a premium controller.

[eLantern]

I tried clawing a couple times back on the original Xbox, but it completely took me out of my comfort. I don't understand how people can claw with comfort, but then again I also don't hold the controller like most people. I find comfort using my middle fingers for the triggers while keeping my pointer/index/fore fingers on the bumpers. This method of holding the controller started with the Sega Dreamcast and carried onto the PS2, Nintendo GameCube, and eventually the original Xbox in that I preferred using my middle fingers on the controller's triggers while using my index fingers to either help grip the controller from above the triggers (or in the case of the GC & PS2 controllers I would use my index finger on the shoulder buttons). The GC, PS2, PS3, 360, Wii U, PS4, & XONE controllers all allow me to make good use of my index fingers over their shoulder buttons, but this method of holding the controller is also why I've never been very good at using backside paddles (provided by SCUF) as it requires my ring fingers to activate the paddles; yet, my ring fingers are vital in maintaining a solid grip on the controller so I often choose to forego using the backside paddles even though they're available.

[malgato]

I bought the new Elite controller. I am still waiting for Halo to install, so haven't tried it out yet. But the construction seems really solid. The mix and match sticks and paddles are really slick. The hold firmly, but are magnetic, so it is super fast and easy to customize on the fly. It does seem like the paddles might be sensitive. But you can always remove two paddles and keep the other two. That might ease that issue. Without having played with the controller in game yet, might initial impression is that I'm impressed.

[wittyscorpion]

Oct 27, 2015 18:40:52 GMT -5 malgato said:

I bought the new Elite controller. I am still waiting for Halo to install, so haven't tried it out yet. But the construction seems really solid. The mix and match sticks and paddles are really slick. The hold firmly, but are magnetic, so it is super fast and easy to customize on the fly. It does seem like the paddles might be sensitive. But you can always remove two paddles and keep the other two. That might ease that issue. Without having played with the controller in game yet, might initial impression is that I'm impressed.

I was gonna say that the Elite is available for purchase online now, Mal beat me to it. I will wait for a few more days before placing my order.

[malgato]

Oct 27, 2015 18:51:11 GMT -5 wittyscorpion said:

Oct 27, 2015 18:40:52 GMT -5 malgato said:

I bought the new Elite controller. I am still waiting for Halo to install, so haven't tried it out yet. But the construction seems really solid. The mix and match sticks and paddles are really slick. The hold firmly, but are magnetic, so it is super fast and easy to customize on the fly. It does seem like the paddles might be sensitive. But you can always remove two paddles and keep the other two. That might ease that issue. Without having played with the controller in game yet, might initial impression is that I'm impressed.

I was gonna say that the Elite is available for purchase online now, Mal beat me to it. I will wait for a few more days before placing my order.

I preordered mine weeks ago. But it shipped yesterday and arrived today. I've never owned a SCuf, so I can't compare. But I'm stoked on the apparent quality of the Elite. I'll update when I've finally tested it out. Install at 94% and counting...

[wittyscorpion]

In that case I am letting everyone know once again the controller is available for order online, microsoftstore.com, Amazon, etc., for bros who was trying a few days ago but cant.

[givemelight]

Just checked, Amazon out of the Elite controllers (3rd party from $299, hah!). Microsoft store says the controller will ship by 11/30/15.

[Pegasus Actual]

For all you weirdos that want to spend $150 on this instead of XIM.... caaaaarefullll guaaaaaaaaaardiiiaaaaaaans! Witty don't buy it. You know this will happen to you if you do.

[wittyscorpion]

Oct 29, 2015 12:53:33 GMT -5 Pegasus Actual said:

For all you weirdos that want to spend $150 on this instead of XIM.... caaaaarefullll guaaaaaaaaaardiiiaaaaaaans! Witty don't buy it. You know this will happen to you if you do.

Man, that's awful. I have huge sympathy for the guy.

Probably won't happen to me though because I always keep my controller wired. I don't even put batteries in it. (But you never know: I already accidentally deleted my entire stock of weapon parts twice when I was just trying to burn motes for gears upgrade)

I guess the moral of the story here is that be very careful with the paddles!!!!!

[eLantern]

Oct 29, 2015 12:53:33 GMT -5 Pegasus Actual said:

For all you weirdos that want to spend $150 on this instead of XIM.... caaaaarefullll guaaaaaaaaaardiiiaaaaaaans! Witty don't buy it. You know this will happen to you if you do.

The fact that the XIM exists annoys me. I don't like the idea of facing off against people in FPS games that are being played on consoles when they have an advantage of using a much more precise mouse and keyboard setup.

[iw5000]

For what's it worth....I got a high end SCUF last winter/spring, for CoDAW. I liked it, used it all the time. I had extra padding, trigger stops, re-key feature, some fancy material and four paddles. That said, I never really found a way to properly utilize all four paddles, it was just to unwieldy.

The controller worked fine with Destiny and CoD.

It didn't work with two other games I have been playing, since I quite Destiny. This golf game I bought, ...it just doesn't recognize one of the paddle features and stick features on the SCUFF. I actually had to stop using it, and go back to the stock controller.

[eLantern]

Just a heads-up for anyone with the ELITE controller