Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

The Xbox Elite Series 2 Core is a more budget-friendly pro controller

Add as a preferred source on Google

Microsoft revealed a new Xbox Elite Series 2 Core wireless controller, designed for players who want to gain a competitive edge on a budget.

Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 - Core

It resembles the black Xbox Elite Series 2 controller, but there are a few key differences. The body of the controller is as white as the driven snow, though it retains its black handles and thumbsticks. It comes with fewer accessories so it would be $30 cheaper than the standard Elite controller. The white Elite Series 2 Core controller costs $130 to the black Elite Series 2’s $180.

Recommended Videos

The Elite Series 2 Core controller has adjustable-tension thumbsticks, a wrap-around rubberized grip, and shorter trigger hair locks. These components are built to last a long time, and the controller’s battery lasts up to 40 hours on a full charge.

The Elite Series 2 Core controller is equipped with a thumbstick adjustment tool and a USB-C cable that you can connect to an Xbox Series X/S or another outlet. Those accessories are carried over from the black Elite Series 2 controller, but the rest of them are not, including the carrying case, charging dock, set of four paddles, four additional thumbsticks, and an extra D-pad. If you want those accessories, you will have to purchase the Complete Component Pack separately for $60.

Microsoft confirmed it will be giving players the option to customize their Elite Series controllers in Xbox Design Lab for the first time. Fans have requested the company to allow them to customize their Elite Series controllers since the design program debuted in 2016, and it will add the Elite Series 2 Core controller to the Xbox Design Lab website this holiday season.

The Elite Series 2 Core controller will be available on September 21.

Cristina Alexander
Gaming/Mobile Writer
Cristina Alexander is a gaming and mobile writer at Digital Trends. She blends fair coverage of games industry topics that…
Anthropic cracks down on video game cloning with new Claude restrictions
Claude can still help develop original games, but copying existing titles is now off the table.
Claude website open on laptop

AI has been making its way into video game development for a while now, but the recent developments have started raising some serious concerns. Popular games are being reverse-engineered with AI assistance, recreated for web browsers, and made playable on platforms they were never released for. Between all that, indie developers have started pulling down their demos over fears of getting copied. Anthropic has now stepped in with new restrictions for Claude Code.

The change was first spotted on X and subsequently confirmed by Anthropic's Addy Osmani. The new instructions prevent Claude from recreating specific existing games, even if they are renamed or presented as original projects. Users can still make original games, work on games within a genre, and use their own designs and assets.

Read more
Ubisoft shares major Assassin’s Creed updates, including disappointing news about remakes
New Game+, a final Black Flag treat, and a 20th birthday on the horizon.
Assassin's Creed, Gaming, Remake

If you have been looking for an excuse to jump back into Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft just gave you a couple of good ones. Its Fall 2026 update is packed with news, from fresh content to a big birthday celebration next year.

What’s new in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla?

Read more
Phantom Blade Zero hands-on: An extraordinary game with unbelievable combat that I can’t get enough of
Every fight feels like a beautifully choreographed martial arts movie, except I'm the one controlling every move.
Phantom Blade Zero poster

We have had a considerable number of high-profile game releases this year, but none so far have had as much hype behind them as Phantom Blade Zero. The source of all that hype was a 2023 trailer highlighting its fluid kung-fu-derived sword combat. Considering that, at the time of writing this piece, there are over 700,000 concurrent players on Steam alone, on a weekday no less, I think it's safe to say that the hype has converted into gamers actually showing up for the game. I have sunk around 10 hours into this game today, and so far, it has been nothing short of an absolute masterclass in action combat.

A world that pulls you in from the start

Read more