Xbox Elite Series 3 Leaks From Xbox's Own Design Lab With TMR Sticks, Advanced Haptics and Four SKUs

By CriticalPixel · 2026-10-07

Microsoft has not announced a new Elite controller, and yet the Xbox Elite Series 3 now has a codename, four product codes and a feature list, all pulled from the backend of Xbox's own Design Lab website. A Reddit user digging through the configurator's records on r/GamingLeaksAndRumours found 16 3D component models and a pile of configuration entries, and Eurogamer picked the story up this morning. The headline items are a choice of Hall Effect or TMR thumbsticks, advanced haptics and a dedicated audio scroll wheel. If you have been waiting for an Elite that does not drift, this is the closest thing to a spec sheet you will get before Microsoft says anything. It is still a leak, so treat every line below as unconfirmed until Xbox puts its name on it.

Customized Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 with add-on parts in several colors, the controller line the Series 3 leak builds on

What the Design Lab leak shows

According to the original Reddit thread, the controller is codenamed Edessa and ties into an accessory and customization product called Beatrice. The sticks are the big item: the records list separate module options for standard, loose and tight Hall Effect, plus TMR, which suggests buyers will pick both their magnetic sensing technology and their stick resistance. Hall Effect and TMR sticks rely on magnets instead of a physical connection, which removes the wear behind stick drift. There is also a low-friction silent stick option with its own 3D model, sitting next to standard and long stick variants. The one thing nobody can tell you yet is which version ships by default.

The motor option is named in the records as Impulse Triggers (ERMs) and Advanced Haptics (VCAs) Motors, which points to voice coil haptics alongside trigger rumble. Eurogamer reads that as a nod to what the DualSense does on PlayStation 5, plus the return of impulse triggers with their own haptics and multi-stage presses. There is also a dedicated Audio Scroll Wheel Color setting, and Gadgets 360 takes that to mean an integrated wheel for headset volume, though that is an inference from a color option and not a confirmed feature. Faceplates come in metal and named designs with engraving, paddles span standard, classic and doublewide shapes, and the D-pad choices are standard, cross and a grippy faceted design split into cosmetic and performance builds. The Beatrice accessory alone maps 27 topper and paddle configurations.

Interchangeable components attaching to the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2

Four SKUs and the packaging question

The backend maps four controller combinations: EP2-69782 and EP2-69783 for Elite Complete, EP2-69784 and EP2-69785 for Base. Inside each pair the difference is whether the haptics motors are included or excluded, which is how both Base and Complete end up offering the haptics option, for four products in total. Per the Reddit breakdown, Base comes with short bottom paddles, no top paddles and a cable, while Complete adds a case and a charging dock plus long bottom paddles and short top ones. That mirrors how the Elite Series 2 split into a full kit and a cheaper Core version. Eurogamer puts that history in numbers: the full controller arrived in 2019 at 160 pounds or 180 dollars, and Elite Series 2 Core followed in 2022 at 115 pounds or 130 dollars. No Series 3 pricing appears anywhere in the leak, and optional haptics motors are the kind of line item that lets a base price look friendly while the version you actually want costs more.

The origin makes this more credible than the usual rumor. The records are hosted by Spectrum, the configurator provider Xbox Design Lab uses, so the data comes out of Microsoft's own customization pipeline and not from a screenshot of unknown origin. Eurogamer says that detail, plus how granular it is, puts an official announcement closer than ever. Gadgets 360 is more careful, noting only that Microsoft has not announced the controller and that the leak suggests an announcement may be around the corner. Neither outlet offers a release date, and the file contents still rest on one Reddit user's reading of the records.

What the community is saying

Reaction on the Reddit thread is interested but sour on Microsoft's track record. Several commenters call the Elite Series 2 the best controller they have used and the one that broke fastest: one went through three in about six months, another four in under six, and others described bumpers failing, grips falling off and stick drift within weeks. The recurring complaint is that build quality matters more than new features, and a few say they already moved to Razer, GameSir or 8BitDo pads, with one noting a GameSir that cost 20 to 25 pounds is still going strong. One commenter called the upgrade list anemic, which is a fair shot if the headline additions are sticks and rumble. Over on X, replies to Eurogamer's post were sparse, so the sample there is too small to call a consensus, but one reply asked for a GameSir level price and another joked that the pad has leaked so often it might as well be out.

The CriticalPixel take

Hall Effect and TMR sticks are not a selling point at this stage, they are an apology. Third party pads at a fraction of the price have shipped magnetic sticks for years, and Microsoft asking premium money for the same fix would be hard to defend. The haptics are the more interesting bet, since voice coil motors would finally put an Xbox pad in the same conversation as the DualSense. What the leak does not touch is the thing owners keep complaining about, which is whether the shoulder buttons and grips survive a year of real use. Xbox is also in the middle of a messy restructuring under Asha Sharma, with the latest layoff wave cutting 268 jobs, moving Halo to Activision and apparently closing Ninja Theory, so a hardware reveal would at least change the subject.

Close up of the front of the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2

Watch for an official reveal, a price and a date. If Microsoft repeats the Elite Series 2 pattern, a full kit and a cheaper base will both show up, and the base is the one to watch. Until Xbox confirms anything, this stays a leak from a backend that was never meant to be browsed, and anyone planning a high-end controller purchase can afford to wait. If you already own an Elite Series 2, whether drift-free sticks justify an upgrade depends on a number nobody has, and that number is the price.