On June 15 , 2015 , during its E3 2015 press conference , Microsoft unveiled the Xbox One Elite Wireless Controller , a new controller which Xbox division head Phil Spencer described as being " an elite controller for the elite gamer " . It features a steel construction with a soft-touch plastic exterior , along with interchangeable rear paddle buttons ( with either short or long forms ) , analog stick tops ( original Xbox one stick , a concaved version and a extended version for increased accuracy ) , and directional pad designs ( either the traditional four-way design , or a concave disc-like design ) , and " hair trigger locks " for the triggers that allow users to reduce the amount of distance they must be pressed to register a press . Through software , users can customise button and paddle mappings and adjust the sensitivity of the triggers and analog sticks . Two button profiles can be assigned to a switch on the controller for quick access . The Elite Controller was released on October 27 , 2015 . A special '' Gears of War 4 '' - themed limited edition variant of the Elite controller was unveiled during Microsoft 's E3 2016 press conference . It features a rustic , dark red color scheme with a blood splatter effect and the series emblem on the rear of the controller , and a D-pad disc with weapon symbols corresponding to the in-game weapons bound to these controls
E3 2015
E3 2015
Xbox One controller