Xbox Wireless Controller – Sky Cipher Special Edition Series X|S, One, and Windows Devices

Feels as sturdy as the original Wireless Controller I got with my Xbox One. Batteries come in the box. The instructions for pairing it with the Xbox One are very poor. Unreadable in fact. Googled the instructions for pairing and it wouldn’t work.Connected it to the Xbox with a USB cable and it paired immediately. Everything works like it should.

Worked great, package was a little damaged when it arrived but the controller itself was fine. Only been a couple months and already have some stick drift but nothing major. Still usable. Mainly use it for Bo6 so take that as you will. Overall 8/10 though just cause of the damaged packaging and stick drift

Beautiful controller, love the blue color - wish they made a dark green translucent controller like from the original Xbox days. Battery life is excellent, I prefer to use AA batteries as they are easy to swap and don't have to worry about charging. Works great with both my Series X and my PC laptop.

The “core” controller is the latest iteration of the xbox controller and from a quick glance it can be difficult to spot a difference from the xbox one controller but there are some subtle ones.The core controller now sports a textile grip texture at the rear of the controller and at the top of the LT and RT triggers. I have never had an issue with slippage on my previous xbox one controller but the texture is a welcome addition and it is very subtle which didn’t cause any discomfort in my hands. The Dpad now sports a similar look to the old 360 design but despite this it thankfully works like a regular Dpad and seems to be much more “clicky” now. It’s responsive and will work fine on platformers and similar style games though it would not be my first preference for fighting games. The only other addition I could spot is the share button which I understand is to capture games clips and screens. The analog sticks feel the same to me and the controller still requires double AA batteries although a battery pack can be purchased separately.Annoyingly, unlike my previous xbox controllers I was not able to get this working via Bluetooth on Ubuntu but connection through USB works with no issues so I just use it like that. I have tested it on a Windows 11 machine and the Bluetooth connection works as expected. Just make sure to select the section under Bluetooth devices that specifically mentions xbox controllers.The version I purchased was the electric volt that sports a two tone colour variant with a Kermit style green at the front and plain white at the back. Initially I thought that white would have quickly become dirty but after a few months of usage this was thankfully not the case. The grip texture strangely does not collect grime buildup which is much appreciated although I wonder what sorcery did they conjure to make this possible?Even if you are primarily a mouse and keyboard player it’s always handy to have a controller in the event you stumble across a game that demands it and I don’t think you can go wrong with this controller which can be had for <50 dollars on sale. I think it’s a perfect pickup if you need a new controller or replacement BUT If you already have a working xbox one controller I don’t think it’s worth spending money for this as an “upgrade” unless of course you really need that share button functionality. Personally, I think the PS5 controller wins the competition this round with newer tech like haptic and audio feedback for games that support it and that support does seem to be growing but that controller is substantially more expensive. You can’t go wrong with either but the core controller is in a much more affordable position particularly at sales prices.

I really love the design of the xbox controller. Feels great in your hands, everything is responsive, holds up well, except for the joysticks.The joysticks fail always, sometimes pretty quick other times it takes half a year or longer. Really this is a problem with any joysticks because they are moving parts, the potentiometers lose their conductivity with friction and produce unreliable outputs.I wouldn't be bothered by this, but the joysticks aren't made in a reparable way and they also aren't Hall effect sticks. If you could swap the potentiometers easily that would be great, I have several of these controllers that I don't want to take the time to desolder and repair, rather just buy a new one. If Microsoft replaces these with Hall effect sticks though I'd be content, hopefully they will be on their next model as they become more popular.Overall great controller, just doesn't hold up as well as I would hope.

First of all, this controller is gorgeous. Unless you just don't care, pay the cost to upgrade to one of these nicer colors for a few bucks and enjoy the lovely controller when not in use. The controling is not consistent however with different colors on different pieces that contrast and clash, so if you don't like that, not the controller for you.Second of all, the clicking on this controller's D-Pad is LOUD so if that drives you crazy, maybe not the controller for you. It's a very clickety clackety controller.Third of all, battery tech and weight and controller drift do not seem to have been meaningfully advanced. Still taking AA batteries and no hall effect sticks. But you can use this with a PC? just like a 360 controller and switch to a cable if your batteries run dry, so it's arguably still one of the best built and versatile controllers money can buy for the price.If you don't need elite features and treat it gently so as not to cause stick drift, you ought to be very satisfied. It's comfortable and durable and worth the cost.Oh yeah and did I mention the the new transparent controllers are gorgeous???