There has been plenty of feedback and criticisms over companies not offering the right to repair. It’s a movement to ensure that owners of a device or equipment can freely repair these devices on their own. However, we see quite a few released products that make it a warranty void from opening the device. As a result, this movement ensures that consumers can fix broken equipment independently. That should allow consumers to save quite a bit of money from purchasing a new device and avoid unwanted electronic waste. So seeing this latest move from Microsoft is another company going in the right direction.
Thanks to The Verge, we’re discovering that Microsoft is now offering various replacement parts to fix broken controllers. The standard Xbox Wireless controller and the Xbox Elite Series 2 controllers now have replacement pieces available for purchase. This would allow you to save quite a bit of money, but on top of that, Microsoft has also supplied video footage and instructions on how to fix these controllers. Depending on the controller and part you need to fix, it can range as low as $24. But for instance, a replacement PCBA and motor assembly on the Xbox Elite Series 2 controller can run you upwards of $59.99.
That’s still a big difference, as a brand-new controller would cost you nearly $200 if you were after the Xbox Elite Series 2. So going this route will certainly save you a bit of money. Likewise, having footage to show how you can repair these controllers directly from the Microsoft Xbox team might give you more confidence in opening up your Xbox controller and purchasing the necessary replacement parts. Of course, if you’re dealing with cosmetic wear on a variant controller and need a shell replacement, you might be out of luck, as there are only white and black variant pieces available.
It’s a nice move from Microsoft going in the right direction here when it comes to the right repair. It would be interesting to see if this ever opens up to actual console hardware. But right now, Microsoft is only offering these replacement parts for their controllers. Now we can wait and see if Sony offers a similar setup for their DualSense and DualSense Edge controllers. Again, if you need any of the replacement parts for your Xbox controller, you can head over to the official Microsoft store page right here.
