Photos posted on Reddit appear to show a prototype controller that is almost certainly the Xbox Elite Series 3, and the biggest surprise is a tiny built-in screen that had not been seen before. The same images show a pad that looks far enough along to carry NOT FOR SALE labels, yet the Redditor who shared it says it would not even pair with an Xbox or a cable.
That mix of polished hardware and dead hardware is why the leak is landing now. The Redditor, ssuberlex, said they bought the controller for $200 on OfferUp and wrote, “It does not pair with an Xbox nor with a cable. Just the red light blinking but doesn’t do any thing wired or wireless.” For a controller that looks like a near-finished premium model, that is the detail that matters most.
The screen appears to show the little XCloud rocket ship next to an Xbox Series X, along with a URL that points to a Microsoft cloud resource the reporter could not open. The rest of the design also adds to the case that this is not some random shell swap: the photos show new scroll wheels, four rear paddles, a battery compartment, a carrying case and a different detachable D-pad design from the May leak.
That earlier leak, also tied to the unreleased Xbox Elite 3, had already pointed to two new scroll wheels on the bottom edge, a second wireless mode for Xbox Cloud Gaming and a new Pair Button. These new photos go further by suggesting Microsoft was testing extra hardware beyond what had been seen in May, including a QR code inside the battery compartment that may lead to a repair website and accessible Torx T6 screws.
There is still a gap in the story that Microsoft has not filled. The controller carries NOT FOR SALE labels on the body and on its removable 5.8 watt-hour battery, and it also has placeholder ID numbers for several regulatory bodies, which is exactly what one expects from a prototype that is meant to be tested, not sold. But how it ended up listed on OfferUp, and why it would not power up in any meaningful way, remain unanswered.
Tom Warren said his sources believe the controller is still coming later this year. If that is right, the photos do not just show an abandoned concept. They show Microsoft quietly carrying a premium controller toward release while at least one copy has already slipped into the wild, screen and all.
