Xbox Elite 3 prototype pad leaks with tiny built-in screen

Did a prototype Microsoft gamepad fall off the back of a truck? We can’t say, but a Redditor has legit-looking photos of a prototype Xbox controller that’s almost certainly the Xbox Elite Series 3. Incredibly, they claim they bought the pad for $200 on OfferUp.

In May, a Brazilian regulator’s leaked images revealed that Xbox Elite 3 would have new two new scroll wheels on the bottom edge, a second wireless mode to connect directly to Xbox Cloud Gaming servers, and a new “Pair Button” that can also switch between those servers and your console.

Where might that pair button live? Today, we have a possible answer: it might sit right next to the Xbox Elite 3’s built-in screen, a previously unrevealed feature.

The screen looks almost exactly like the leaked diagram from May showing the mode switch dialogue, with a pair button at the left:

The screen can apparently display other things, too. In another photo, it shows a URL that takes me to a Microsoft cloud resource I don’t have permission to view. That lends these images some extra credibility. Unfortunately, the Redditor says the controller doesn’t work. “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,” they wrote.

In other photos, we can see the controller’s new scroll wheels, its four rear paddles, its battery compartment, its carrying case, and a different detachable D-pad design than we saw in the May leak. The Redditor says the triggers are clicky when you lock them to the hair-trigger position.

But beyond the screen, the most intriguing image is from inside the controller’s battery compartment. It appears Microsoft has made efforts to make this controller home repairable by including a QR code that presumably leads to a repair website, and accessible Torx T6 screws.

Still, none of these features are for certain. The controller is clearly a prototype, with “NOT FOR SALE” labels on both the pad and its removable 5.8 watt-hour battery, and many placeholder ID numbers for various regulatory bodies.

Tom Warren, The Verge’s Microsoft expert, says his sources believe this controller is still coming later this year.