The Mat
The best luxury controller
Microsoft Xbox Elite Wireless Controller
Advantages:
- Beautiful, sturdy design
- Easy to swap out Parts
- Robust Companion Applications for mapping
Weakness:
- Triple the Cost of a normal gamepad for the Exact Same basic shape and Texture
The 'Elite' nomenclature is generally marketing nonsense, but in this 1 case, I think it applies. For those who like their PCs state of the art, clean, and lovely; for people that have Swedish headphones made from volcanic glass; if you make their PB&J from scratch, then the Xbox Elite controller is for you.
It is a sturdy, configurable, and gorgeous controller for enthusiasts of fancy. The shell and button layout do not feel different from the vanilla Xbox One controllers, though it feels heavier than many pads I have used. I enjoy a little weight in my controls and mice, but it might not feel good on tiny wrists after a long play session. The face buttons are large and still mushy, the bumpers and triggers have a responsive drag and pull--they just feel equal to using an Xbox One controller.
Four metallic back paddles are simple to swap out through a few light magnets. They're easy to reach, and every pushes with a mild, distinct click. It's handy variability for different finger sizes and perform preferences. The paddles are particularly useful in games where taking your fingers off the ideal stick to strike a face can slow down reaction time. In Dark Souls two, I mapped the roster button to a paddle. In a few minutes, it did not only feel natural--it felt better.
There are just two D-pad configurations, one in the traditional four-point design, and yet another omnidirectional disk which may discover decent use in fighting games. The four-point pad feels pretty similar to this vanilla Xbox One controller, but the simplicity of variability between the two designs is hugely beneficial for games (or players) that depend on the D-pad in different ways. They pull out using a mild magnetic snap rather than fell out incidentally throughout play.
A subtle rubber texture is layered on the rear of the grips to prevent sweat slippage while the facial skin is a sleek, sexy black rubberized matte texture. Though it feels nice, it is not absolutely necessary, which appears to specify the Elite controller. It is made for those who can afford a more straightforward version of this Xbox One controller with easy customization options.
The accession of some slick software which allows for tweaking of trigger min/max values, stay sensitivities, button missions, and profile designations makes it more appealing for PC experimentation. It has a sturdy build, and may probably withstand drop after drop, maybe a furious throw or two (but don't do that).