Earlier today, Brazilian tech outlet Tecnoblog published images of two unannounced Xbox controllers reportedly obtained from the country's telecommunications regulator. One is a small form factor gamepad designed for cloud gaming, resembling similar third-party gamepads by the likes of 8bitDo. The other is the successor to the Xbox Elite Controller 2.
I've been looking forward to news about this gamepad because, since the last iteration released in 2019, the whole landscape for gamepads has changed. Nowadays a third-party gamepad with all the pro accoutrements—rear paddle buttons, interchangeable D-pads, replaceable sticks—can be had for bargain prices, or at least, well below the Series 2's $180 going price. The Gamesir G7 Pro, for example, which is in some ways more feature-rich, goes for $80. What can a titan like Microsoft do to stand out?
