Is Xbox Elite Series 2’s A button not registering when lightly pressed a QC issue or a design issue?

[KORNdog]

I don't have a lot of luck with Xbox controllers in general. They all seem to have faults...but...It doesn't phase me that much because they can be picked up pretty cheap.

...the elite however should really be perfect given its cost. There is no way I would accept some of the issues I've had with their standard controllers on the elite and sadly this seems like a bit of a universal one.

Personally I'd return it and either buy an alternative high end controller or wait for a fixed V3

 

[FlanjeUK]

I wanted to buy an elite so badly but I remember seeing nothing but QC complaints online. I really just wanted to try paddles for the first time ever lol. Strangely I found an alternative... For $40 on clearance at Walmart. Maybe I'm crazy but this is a legitimately great controller:

Best Buy PowerA Fusion controller

It's actually on sale right now. I just got a killer deal lol.

Click to shrink...

I got the same controller, it's wired only which is a deal breaker for most people but I don't mind. The problem I had was both the analog sticks got really stiff and drifty after only a couple of months, waste of money in the end.

 

[SinkFla]

I got the same controller, it's wired only which is a deal breaker for most people but I don't mind. The problem I had was both the analog sticks got really stiff and drifty after only a couple of months, waste of money in the end.

Click to shrink...

Did you ever change the sticks out with the replacement ones? Don't jinx me I've had them nearly two months so far with no problems but now I worry lol. Yeah I was fine with wired also since I prefer to be wired anyway for fighters. I've mostly just used it as my PC controller lately.

 

[Necromanti]

I almost exclusively use the paddles for the A button in more action-oriented games because of this.

 

[CrispyGamer]

The regular controller that came with my Series X does the same thing i just chalked it up to me having to break it in but it is annoying

 

[FlanjeUK]

Did you ever change the sticks out with the replacement ones? Don't jinx me I've had them nearly two months so far with no problems but now I worry lol. Yeah I was fine with wired also since I prefer to be wired anyway for fighters. I've mostly just used it as my PC controller lately.

Click to shrink...

I didn't replace any parts, didn't seem worth the effort considering they only lasted me 2-3 months

 

[bes.gen]

my 360 gamepad had this pretty bad
guess its a cross gen design flaw

 

[Ahti]

This is really unacceptable given the price of the controller. The standard SX controller has no issues that I'm aware of.

Click to shrink...

Two of my Xbox One-controllers and some of my friend`s XO-controllers had this exact same issue. Maybe they fixed this with the new Series-pads.

 

[dsk1210]

I had the original Elite controller and loved it but it literally fell apart piece by piece over a period of 6 months and I promised myself to never buy one again.

For the price they charge it should be properly premium in quality and they unfortunately are not.

Great when they work though.

 

[mavericktopgun]

I bought the Xbox Series Controller with the Electric Volt color and the Dpad is fucked. When I pressed right on the Dpad it didn't register 80% of the time.
Then I ordered a new one from Amazon and wtf?? Dpad is fucked too. When I pressed right it didn't work. I had to press it really hard to register an input. I sent both back. Fuck.

My black, white and blue Series Controller work perfectly though.

 

[Kemono]

My normal XSX controller has the same problem.

It sucks.

 

[dunkzilla]

both, probably. As much as I love the v2 I wouldn't recommend it to anyone because of this issue

 

[Disco Infernal]

I tested three separate Elite 2s and they all had this issue. Got a full refund in the end.

Some people say theirs doesn't have the issue but I've never been able to confirm it. It's possible some are actually fine. That or the other people don't press the button the same way I do.

Click to shrink...

Every Xbox Series X controller I've ever used has the issue, so I don't believe for a second that others have controllers that don't do it.

 

[SnatcherHunter]

I went through 2 Elite Controllers in less than a year. The price they are asking for these controllers versus the crappy QC is definitely offensive.

 

[joghia]

This happens to me on my Series S controller. I thought it was just me not pressing A hard enough...I see now it's bigger than that :s

 

[DixieDean82]

I'm on my 3rd elite series 2 and two out of the three have had an A button defect. Including my current one.

I wanted to put the A button on one of the paddles, anyway, so it doesn't affect me. It sucks that they have this issue, though. Must be a manufacturing fault.

 

[Zafir]

I've noticed it on both my Elite 2 controller and the controller that came with my Series X. Kind of annoying.

 

[Alastard]

All my XBox One Controllers have had the exact same issue: some A presses just won't register, pressing down harder seems to make it less likely

 

[SimonAbou]

It seems to be consistently not functional, looking at the responses from this thread.
I changed my controller once when it was in warranty and then decided to just stick with it, because I assumed all or most of them will be faulty.

I have had a bit of a love-hate relationship with my elite controller since. The A button issue is pretty bad but the whole point of the controller was that I could use the paddles for the A and B buttons. The paddles are super consistent and I don't find myself relying on the face buttons as much.

So that's one problem gone, the problem that I can not get over however is that the analog sticks have a huge physical deadzone, they are just loose and that deadzone is only further noticeable when using the long stick variant. We are talking millimeters of movement in every direction without any resistance. This is way worse than the face button issue imo. Coming from a DS4, the sticks there were waaay tighter around the center point.

But still I use the controller daily because the paddles are something I am too used to now. If Sony makes a controller with paddles, I will be getting that on day one.

 

[GravaGravity]

Ooo i didn't know this was a thing, might explain some of my missed shots in rocket league 😅

 

[Pakesaker]

I'm on my fifth Elite Series 2. The one I have now is working fine, but all the previous ones had that same A button issue.

 

[kubev]

I tested three separate Elite 2s and they all had this issue. Got a full refund in the end.

Some people say theirs doesn't have the issue but I've never been able to confirm it. It's possible some are actually fine. That or the other people don't press the button the same way I do.

Click to shrink...

I think the A button (and, to some extent, the Guide button) responds poorly on pretty much every Xbox One and Xbox Series controller. The way I'd describe it is that it's similar to how a button on a Switch Pro Controller might respond if you did the tape mod on the button contacts and put a bit too much tape on there. The button WILL respond if pressed hard enough, but it's totally possible to press the button all the way down but not "hard enough" to the extent that the press doesn't register. I'm not at all surprised that most people here DON'T have this problem, given the number of threads about people's controllers falling apart because they have gorilla hands or something.

 

[Yari]

I've had 8 and they all had it. Not just A btw, all of the face buttons have this issue where they will not register if pressed at odd angles. I've tested them a lot, returned them hoping for a better one. And I stopped trying because there simply isn't any that does not have this annoying issue. These things fucking suck. I loved the first one so much, but they really fucked this one up.

There's many different issues with the face buttons but I think the one where it does not 100% register if you hit it slightly at the edge of the button, is one a lot of people don't seem to care too much for. But it bothered me quite a bit. I'd say I only had a 70% rate of buttons registering when I pressed them that way.

 

[Curufinwe]

The A button is dodgy on my Elite series 2 pad.

 

[Disco Infernal]

This happens to me on my Series S controller. I thought it was just me not pressing A hard enough...I see now it's bigger than that :s

Click to shrink...

Problem is when I do press harder to compensate for their poor design choice, I often end up with a double press. If anyone from MS is reading this thread, I'm no longer buying multiplats on your console because of this issue. Your loss.

 

[TeenageFBI]

I think the A button (and, to some extent, the Guide button) responds poorly on pretty much every Xbox One and Xbox Series controller. The way I'd describe it is that it's similar to how a button on a Switch Pro Controller might respond if you did the tape mod on the button contacts and put a bit too much tape on there. The button WILL respond if pressed hard enough, but it's totally possible to press the button all the way down but not "hard enough" to the extent that the press doesn't register. I'm not at all surprised that most people here DON'T have this problem, given the number of threads about people's controllers falling apart because they have gorilla hands or something.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, this is certainly possible. While I had the issue on those three Elite v2s, I still haven't noticed it on my regular Series controller. It might just be less pronounced on Series controllers so my normal press doesn't trigger it.

 

[guitarguy316]

I really miss my Elite v1 that I had for many years. I went through multiple Elite v2 but they all had various issues.

I agree that it's not just the A button as I've had problems with both Y and B as well.

 

[Red or Alive]

Add me to the list of people who've experienced this with a standard Series X/Y controller.

Also, while it doesn't seem to affect gameplay, the right stick on the same pad is very slight out, at rest:

 

[onibirdo]

Today I sent my XSX controller to MS for a second time to fix the funky A button.
I RMA'd it for the first time last week, only to receive it back with the exact same issue AND somehow a worse RB button (with which there was nothing wrong in the first place).
Luckily MS has 10/10 after sales service but having a device that is worse after repair than before is just lol.

 

[SnoopyK]

Yeah Elite Series2 A button doesn't always register on mine if lightly pressed or on an angle, can see it clearly in the controller app. But mine is like 1/10 presses all other buttons are good unless I try to do it. Someone did say once theirs got better but not sure if that is common. I don't really wanna get rid of it because I love the weight and feel, I have some time to decide. It is sad because the Elite 2 is one of my favorite things about my Xbox.

 

[Sec0nd]

Today I sent my XSX controller to MS for a second time to fix the funky A button.
I RMA'd it for the first time last week, only to receive it back with the exact same issue AND somehow a worse RB button (with which there was nothing wrong in the first place).
Luckily MS has 10/10 after sales service but having a device that is worse after repair than before is just lol.

Click to shrink...

They don't actually fix your controller and send it back to you. To speed up the process they send another 'fixed' unit. I've had multiple controllers sent my way with other defects. Not to mention the one time I got back a controller that smelled like it lived in an ashtray for several months.

 

[onibirdo]

They don't actually fix your controller and send it back to you. To speed up the process they send another 'fixed' unit. I've had multiple controllers sent my way with other defects. Not to mention the one time I got back a controller that smelled like it lived in an ashtray for several months.

Click to shrink...

Well, that explains the turnaround of 5 working days... Curious as to how the dice will roll this time.

 

[flyinj]

I've gone through three regular Series X controllers and all of them had wonky A buttons

If you use it on PC, load up the control panel for game controllers and open the properties. Apply pressure to the A button, and you will see that it switches from registered to not registered quickly unless you apply a lot of pressure to it

 

[njean777]

Went through 4 of them and all had the "a" button issue just like you are having. Refund it and get a different controller.

 

[Deleted member 9241]

Huh. No issues with mine, thankfully.

 

[Bony Manifesto]

Modern controllers are just crap. And it's not the new features either, it's the fundamentals which have been around for decades. I can only assume that there are new components and assembly methods that are shaving fractions of cents on costs, because this simply never used to be a problem.

 

[colorblindmode]

My A button and B button both only intermittently register on my Elite Series 2. I've mapped them to the paddles on the back to work around it, but it's super annoying for an expensive controller.

 

[onibirdo]

Today I sent my XSX controller to MS for a second time to fix the funky A button.
I RMA'd it for the first time last week, only to receive it back with the exact same issue AND somehow a worse RB button (with which there was nothing wrong in the first place).
Luckily MS has 10/10 after sales service but having a device that is worse after repair than before is just lol.

Click to shrink...

The follow-up to this is 👌:

1. Receive controller after second RMA
2. Take controller out of box
3. Do a quick test of the buttons just to get a feel of the mushiness
4. Find that all buttons feel fine, even the face buttons have a nice click to them which is WAY better than the mushy face buttons on the controller that came with the Series X
5. Turn controller around
6. Notice missing battery door
7. Utter profanities
8. Call Xbox service and explain the situation
9. Get the reply that I need to send the controller 'stripped', i.e. without battery door
10. Explain that 1. that is mentioned nowhere, 2. I sent and received a controller with battery door in the first RMA just fine and 3. their reply doesn't really help my situation now doesn't it
11. Rep will look into it and get back to me
12. Receive automated mail that a battery door has been shipped
13. Sigh with relief
14. Check order in MS profile to be sure
15. Notice that order line mentions Xbox One controller battery door and not Series X controller battery door
16. Repeat step 7
17. Call Xbox service again and explain the situation once more
18. Get the reply that the order line is a generic one and that it is indeed a Series X battery door that has been shipped
19. 
20. Receive battery door a few days later
21. Confirm it is a Series X controller battery door
22. Repeat step 13, for real this time

What a rollercoaster this has been.

 

[Ifrit]

Thanks for the update onibirdo, while a painful experience, at least it went alright.

This thread has made me really afraid of getting a new controller while living outside Xbox supported countries, I was really considering getting an XBox Series X controller after reading how good it is, I was not aware of how common it is to get a bad one.

I currently have an Elite controller v1, but while still functional, I've had problems with it after a couple of years of having it, had to replace the L button which was not responding correctly and the rubber on the thumbsticks started to tear and peel themselves off, so I had to buy new replacement thumbsticks on ebay. And currently the dpad which I used to love, started to not registering the UP direction sometimes, If I blow directly on the dpad if somehow fixes it for a while, but the the problem returns the next day.

I have never thrown or even dropped my elite controller, and I take good care of it, but still those issues showed up. I still like the controller but it still kinda disappointing considering the price