Best buy was the culprit.... I feel like I've generally had good luck with open box stuff otherwise though.

You know, previous to the current generation of consoles, I thought FOR SURE that back-paddles/buttons would become the next standardized iteration. Controller innovation over the last TWO generations I'd argue, has been really lacking in my opinion.

Patience, I guess. I've been waiting for literal fucking years at this point. A few more won't hurt I suppose.

The Ara definitely seemed like a good thing, for repairability. I'm of the 'fuck anything google' mindset though.

The 'framework' laptop also comes to mind.

Looks like KK3 Max got pushed back a bit, or it just released for preorder from the 5th. Goddamn preorders. NO. I'll wait for the reviews, thanks.

#frustrated

New developments:

So, I actually did order a open box elite series 2 controller but ended up having to exchange it because there was substantial stick drift on both sticks. Super frustrating that this wasn't caught, or the sellers don't care enough about the quality control...

The "core" version is a little cheaper, but nobody has the paddles, which is pretty much the main reason I want one of these controllers...

There is sadly not many competitors available right now either. The Razer model is 250$!? WAY more than I want to spend...

The Guilikit one looks promising, but still have another couple of weeks before it actually releases and then would have to wait on shipping from China, which I hate.

You would think that in 2024 there would be more viable alternatives for professional level no-compromise controllers with good quality for an affordable price.

Rant over.

Nice!

The prohibitive price of the xbox elite controllers is definitely a big detractor. They have the 'core' model now, for 130 apparently, but doesn't even include back paddles

I'm curious about what they run used though