SCUF Elite Series 2 Paddles for Xbox Elite Series 1 & 2

Product Information

If the Xbox Elite Controller Series 2 Core included the paddles, I feel like it would be a far better value proposition than they're offering right now. To omit a huge amount of this product's core functionality of the box (and accessibility value, I might add) into a separate product seems like the wrong decision at best. That being said, there's no denying that this is a superior Xbox controller regardless, with the added configurability, and that monstrous battery life that I love oh so much.

Spin the controller around and things get more interesting. There you'll find the four aforementioned paddles, aptly named P1, P2, P3 and P4. At first I thought they might interfere with how I usually grip the controller - like most gamers I place pressure on the wings with my palms and three outside fingers - and for a few irritating seconds when I first started using the controller that's exactly what happened.

The ultimate test of this product's viability is whether or not it truly has improved on the construction side somehow. Right now, there's no indication that it has been improved upon. The claims of "re-engineered" components seems to marketing rather than substance, given that teardowns of the product seem to confirm that nothing internally has actually changed here — although it's certainly possible there's some minute engineering nuances that are being missed in said teardowns.

You're concerned about its durability, given that its predecessor had many construction and quality issues. Over the course of a weekend, I used the controller in a half-dozen racing, fighting, shooting and sports games in my Xbox One collection. Some benefited immensely from the controller while others merely felt more comfortable than usual.

The Core Is Elite, Minus the Extras

The Xbox Accessories App doesn't allow you to program a string of buttons to the paddles - a huge disappointment if you play fighting games and like to have a few combos up your sleeve when things get dicey. The truth is, we simply won't know what this thing will look like in six months without a time machine. It would be easier if Microsoft would be more transparent about the issues with the first Elite controllers, but that would mean admitting liability for defective units.