The stuff Hacker News actually recommends.

Consoles and handhelds

Microsoft Xbox Elite

7owners with an opinion
57%of verdicts positive
0/1positive/negative since 2024
0happy after 3+ years

Praised for ergonomics and value; criticized for durability and ease of use.

Where people moved

Left this for

What people wrote

Doesn’t like it
Too late, no games, terrible service, Xbox has ignored its userbase since XSX release and with Steam getting stronger by the day, it is a little too late. I only turn my XSX on for a few minutes so the SSD won't loose its data, to update and turn it off. I got the new Steam controller instead of using my Xbox Elite 2 controller on Steam. XSX was my last interaction with Xbox as a whole, there is no future, not while Microsoft owns it!! Look at what they did with the studios they bought, nothing!! Look at what they did with COD, destroyed what was already broken. Console is so dead that even Sony is making dumb changes pushing players to Steam.
Likes it
That is one thing I'm somewhat disappointed with on the ROG ally. It's both mooshy and round enough that a downright vs a down is a very small input difference, which doesn't feel physically different to perform. The Xbox elite controllers have one of my favorite dpads, colicky and you can choose + or rounded + via insert.
Doesn’t like it
>Microsoft very certainly did a tons of reliability and durability testing on their controllers (and it shows). my xbox elite controller didn't even last a year (usb port died)... now tbf the x button on the replacement razer controller i got also died in the same time frame. to be more fair though the wired xbox 360 controller i got with my original xbox back in ~2007 has never let me down.
Doesn’t like it
I had an S60 some 4 years ago, also equipped with a FLIR camera and although I tried to love the phone, I simply couldn't. For starters it had a mediocre Snapdragon SoC - better than the average cheapophone, but lacking in a product that was in the premium tier regarding price. The FLIR camera was neat, but inferior to the add-on camera I was using at the time, yet still decent. The cherry on top came when the "ruggedised" phone couldn't cope with normal wear and tear and the plastic started to separate from the case, in a manner similar to the grips in an Xbox Controller Elite game pad that I also owned during that time. At that point I just desisted from having the CAT phone as my mainly driver and mostly relegated it to the role of auxiliary tool just to have it die suddenly on me. I tried to follow CAT's convoluted RMA process (or perhaps their Bullitt licensee who actually make their phones, I can't remember), chock-full of awful chats and sending non-stop repeated information prompts in order to process a return until I realised I bought it from Amazon and just obtained a refund. As I said, I really tried to like the product but my experience was so horrible that I gave up on "working phones" altogether.
Likes it
I’m years behind on games, but if I have the choice to play an older (say, SNES) game on a PC emulator or on the Wii U (my newest console) Virtual Console, the PC emulator quality of life is miles better, even though I don’t particularly care about graphics. I don’t have the time to spend hours grinding at games any more, but on an emulator, I can play every game with my preferred xbox elite controller, and map save state/load state/fast forward to paddles on the controller. It basically eliminates replaying of areas in games due to difficulty, since save/load-state makes death near-impossible, and any parts of the game that are progressing too slowly I can run at 10x speed.
Likes it
Ugh, that hurts my wrists & hands just looking at it. Have you tried one of the Xbox Elite controllers? I've been using them for a number of years now and they're great. They do take a while to get used to, but they basically give you buttons you can use your middle & ring fingers on. They're remappable, but I've got mine setup for A, B, X & Y buttons, so my thumbs never have to leave the joysticks. I know the controllers aren't cheap, but they're worth it, in my opinion.
Likes itDoesn’t say they own it
It looks way too chunky, just like the original Steam Controller, Steam Deck or original duke Xbox controller. Not everybody has Jack Reacher hands. Microsoft really did it right with the XSX controller. They took the old X360 / Xone design (perfect for large and medium hands) shrunk it slightly and then added cut-outs and and angled button surfaces (perfect for medium and small hands). The Elite is similarly good, with the back buttons being elongated and thin, meaning everyone can reach them comfortably without them getting in the way.
Doesn’t like itDoesn’t say they own it
The Xbox Elite 2 controller costs $150 and is a reliability nightmare. It has the look and feel of a premium product, but there are at least three components that are commonly reported breaking after fairly light use (like, after 100 hours of gaming). Analog stick drift, shoulder buttons that register duplicate presses, and face buttons (usually the A) that stop registering presses. All of these issues are still unfixed years after release. Given that's what their flagship controller is like, they either don't do a lot of reliability testing or are ignoring the results.