In news that Past Me wishes he could DeLorean himself back in time over, Microsoft has started selling replacement controller parts on its website.
This is obviously welcome news for anyone having issues with their Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S gamepads; it just comes a tiny bit too late for me. I recently bought the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 Core Edition because the buttons had started to jam on my original Elite Series 2. Oh well.
Moving past my poorly timed purchase, Microsoft now sells a variety of replacement parts for both the normal Xbox Wireless Controller and the premium Series 2 (thanks, The Verge).
The sheer range of components you can buy from the official site is eye-catching, with everything from buttons, covers and even circuit boards. Though I imagine most Xbox gamers will find the replacement front cases and button sets to be the most useful.
Replacement cases come in either white or black for both the standard controller and the Elite Series 2. The former costs $19.99, while the case for the high-end pad is priced at $25.99. Microsoft offers a one year warranty on all of these replacement components, though at time of writing, the official parts only appear to be available in the U.S.
As for replacement buttons, the standard controller’s set cost $21.99, which gets you Xbox, View, Menu, Share, A, B, X, and Y buttons, as well as replacement bumpers and triggers, a D-pad and two thumbstick caps.
If you want to replace your Series 2’s buttons that will set you back $23.99. This collection comes with all the same buttons as above, with the notable exception of the D-pad and thumbstick caps. The Elite Series 2 comes with two metallic D-pads and a range of replacement sticks by default, so I’m assuming Microsoft is trusting you not to lose them.
You also can’t currently buy the Series 2’s metallic back buttons from the official site, though cheap third-party paddles are thankfully easy to come across.
Good at soldering? There are other replacement parts on Microsoft’s site you might be interested in. If you’re particularly handy and the main board on your Elite Series 2 has given up the ghost, you can buy a Replacement Input PCBA (Printed Circuit Board Assembly) for $49.99.
Seeing as there’s more of a chance of me winning the lottery than my stupid sausage fingers successfully repairing a controller’s circuitry, I’ll probably just buy a new gamepad if my current Elite Series 2 breaks.
But for those gamers out there who are actually handy, it’s good to see Microsoft embracing repairability options. Just remember to dig out a plastic pry tool and a T8 Torx screwdriver before you start opening your controller.
And yes, I obviously Googled that last part.
