Yesterday, on August 11, 2026, a publish within the r/Controller subreddit shared photographs of what seems to be the long-awaited Xbox Elite Series 3 controller, a successor to probably the greatest Xbox controllers, which we gave a near-perfect rating to again in 2021.
The authentic poster deleted their “leaked” gallery of the implied prototype (doubtlessly in response to an unconfirmed cease-and-desist order from Microsoft). Still, the pictures have been nonetheless preserved and shared again by The Verge’s Tom Warren, who clarifies how the unique publish claimed the poster bought it from “OfferUp”, a web based reseller market.
As with any rumor —or supposed leak — it is at all times finest to take them with a pinch of salt, as any might become faux, and these photographs of the Xbox Elite Series 3 controller aren’t any exception. Then once more, there are many hints in its design that that is certainly a prototype that was by no means supposed to be seen publicly. The Verge’s report even confirms that the battery pack says “Prototype, not for sale”.
Still, these may very well be knockoffs of the official Xbox Elite Series controller or an early, unfinished mannequin that appears nothing like the ultimate product. However, the truth that these photographs have been rapidly eliminated implies they might be actual.
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If it’s real, it no less than would not seem at a look that the Elite Series 3 has modified a lot from its predecessor, apart from a barely totally different rubberized grip design and different-looking set off locks.
However, The Verge’s analysis reveals some new options. These embody two new scroll wheels alongside the underside edge, a wi-fi mode that will join on to Xbox Cloud Gaming servers, and a ‘Pair’ button that switches the controller’s connection between Cloud Gaming servers and an Xbox console.
Either method, we should await Microsoft’s official announcement of the Xbox Elite Series 3 controller to see whether or not this design turns into the ultimate product or an outdated prototype/knock-off. Gamescom is developing, so we’ll see.
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