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Beloved gaming accessory brand 8BitDo is coming out with a new, officially licensed Xbox Series X controller called the 8BitDo Ultimate 3E. We only got the Ultimate 2 range of controllers last year, but already, the Ultimate 3 looks like it's targeting a much more "serious player".
The Ultimate 3E looks so feature-rich, in fact, that it may even be able to fool people into thinking it's the official Elite Series 3 controller that was never released. It has an iconic Xbox design, with even its circular D-pad making it look like an official Xbox product. It's what's lurking behind appearances that's getting me excited though.
Not only is the Ultimate 3E armed with TMR thumbsticks, but it's got a semi-modular design that will let you swap out the face buttons, D-pad, and thumbstick tops to suit your liking. While I'd have loved a fully modular build like the one on the Victrix Pro BFG for Xbox, I do love that more brands are starting to dabble in this way of thinking.
If you've never been a fan of clicky face buttons, 8BitDo is providing smooth silicone or micro-switch face button modules. Conveniently, the modular parts are disguised under a removable faceplate to keep the brand's premium look.
Similarly, if you're not a fan of a circular D-pad, there's a traditional four-way one in the Ultimate 3E's included carrying case. The extra parts here are pretty impressive. Along with the aforementioned modular bits, you get three choices of thumbstick tops: a dome-shaped one, a thick-neck variant, and a taller option. As is standard for a lot of the best PC controllers these days, you'll also have a charging stand and wireless support.
Compared to the 8BitDo Ultimate 2, the designers here have slightly lengthened the grip shape and made it a wee bit broader, which arguably moves it away from a Switch 2 feel into a more traditional Xbox shape.
Along with TMR thumbsticks, competitive players will have access to Hall effect Impulse triggers (with two-way trigger stop switches), two back buttons, and two additional bumper buttons. There's a polling rate of 1,000Hz, gyro aiming, 2.4GHz wireless play on Xbox and PC, and for folks using a wired headset, a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Despite a few wishful thoughts and calls from fans, it doesn't seem like we're any closer to getting an official Elite Series 3 controller anytime soon, and I'd personally be really surprised to see one hit the shelves this generation. While I would love to see a follow-up to the Elite Series 2 (which arguably informed the design of many of today's pro controllers), it seems like Xbox has shifted strategy. The upcoming 8BitDo Ultimate 3E isn't the only Xbox controller packing this rich a feature set. The GameSir G7 Pro, the Razer Wolverine V3 Pro, the PowerA Fusion Pro, and the Asus ROG Raikiri 2 are all examples of officially licensed pro controllers that have come out in recent times that have ramped up the "pro" spirit of third-party pads, offering wireless play, swappable parts, and programmable buttons.
To me, you only have to look so far as Xbox using Asus to make its handheld devices - it's licensing out the hardware manufacturing to other brands and putting it under the Xbox umbrella. That way, fans are still satiated, but most of the manufacturing costs will lie elsewhere.
With all rumours pointing toward the next Xbox being a larger departure from a traditional console and being more of a gaming PC, and apparently being closer to market than we think, I'd be more inclined to believe that a new controller will launch alongside that. The other thing to bear in mind is that we never got that FTC-leaked project Sebille controller that was going to make haptic feedback a main priority. If that mid-generation Xbox Series X refresh was going to happen, I think we'd maybe have seen it by now. Whether its features are being ported over to a next-gen machine, we'll need to wait and see.
8BitDo hasn't given a release date or price for the Ultimate 3E yet, but I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for more news throughout 2026, so stay tuned.
Do you play on a different platform? Check out the best PS5 controllers, the best Switch 2 controllers, and the best Switch controllers.
