The Xbox Elite Series 3 seems to have leaked — and, in a twist no one expected, might have a built-in screen

The unannounced Xbox Elite Series 3 controller may have leaked
Photos were posted to Reddit and have since been deleted
They showed a plausible-looking gamepad with a built-in screen

A Reddit user seems to have somehow managed to get their hands on a prototype Xbox Elite Series 3 controller, and the upcoming gamepad appears to have some surprising features.

In a now-deleted post to the r/Controller subreddit, the author asked, "Anyone know what controller this is?" and claimed they managed to buy the accessory on the online marketplace website OfferUp.

The post also included a handful of photos of the alleged controller, which hasn't even been officially announced, and they certainly seem genuine — or at least very difficult to fake.

It looks quite similar to the Xbox Elite Series 2 overall, but with some key differences. These include a redesigned, more plate-like D-pad, two weird scroll wheels at the bottom, and a little LED screen embedded at the top. Other major differences include the addition of a removable rechargeable battery pack, which lines up with information surfaced back in May.

The screen is definitely the most interesting detail here, and I wonder how it could function in the finished product. One photo shows it displaying an animation of a spaceship flying towards an Xbox Series X console, which makes me think that it could be used as a cute way to denote the controller's pairing status.

High-end third-party controllers like the Nacon Revolution X Unlimited and Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra already have their own screens. They can be used to edit controller settings, swap between profiles, and even receive text messages, hinting at some possible uses Microsoft might have in store.

Unfortunately, the poster says they haven't been able to pair the controller with any of their consoles — prompting others to speculate that it could be a special developer unit that requires a registered Xbox dev account.

With units appearing in the wild, it seems reasonable to assume that an official reveal isn't far away. We might even see the controller unveiled at Gamescom 2026 later this month.

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Dash is an experienced tech journalist who specializes in video games, electronic entertainment products, and the wider industry that surrounds them. He currently serves as the Gaming Editor at TechRadar, leading our review, preview, feature, and news coverage of the latest and greatest releases.

Before joining the team, he was Contributing Writer at PLAY (formerly Official PlayStation Magazine UK) and has written articles for many of the UK's other biggest gaming magazines including the likes of Edge, PC Gamer, and SFX.

Now, when he's not getting his greasy little mitts on the newest hardware or gaming gadget, he can be found listening to J-pop or feverishly devouring the latest Nintendo Switch otome.