We have a surprising new rumor about a product that many gamers thought had already been cancelled.
On the latest episode of the XboxEra podcast, Tom Warren showed up in chat to answer a question raised in a Superchat. When DrewBus asked in their Superchat if Microsoft could release an Elite Series 3 Controller this year, Tom said this:
“new Xbox controller is supposed to be announced in May, ahead of June showcase.”
Tom did not confirm that the new controller is Sebile, but the circumstantial evidence points to it being the case. We initially reported on Sebile last November, as it was leaked alongside plans for a new generation of Xbox Series hardware. When later rumors came out that that new Xbox Series hardware was cancelled, in favor of an early jump to next generation in 2026, it sounded like the controller was cancelled as well. So this new rumor is a revelation.
For a definitive review of Sebile’s rumored features, we’ll look at coverage from The Verge. The more obvious features put it in line with the DualSense – haptic feedback, and an accelerometer. Note that having an accelerometer is not the same as having the full motion control experience from a gyroscope, as you can get from a Nintendo Switch, or a Steam Deck.
The leaked document mentioned modular thumbsticks, but makes no mention of hall effect triggers or sticks. Hall effect controls are one of the most popular requests from gamers, with the expectation that the technology would extend their controller longevity.
Xbox Wireless 2 and Bluetooth 5.2 would be definitive improvements in connectivity, but Direct-To-Cloud could be a gamechanger – it could mean a Game Pass subscriber could just buy this controller in lieu of a console, and stream their Game Pass games on a monitor, assuming it was capable of running Game Pass on its own. But even just having it run off your PC would also be a huge step forward.
Seamless Pair and Switch suggests that there may be a slider or some other physical control so that Sebile could switch between Bluetooth, Direct-to-Cloud, and Xbox Wireless seamlessly. Lastly, the controller will have haptics that can operate as speakers, a novelty that may be an accessibility aid as well.
As The Verge notes, the document mentions that Sebile was funded as far back as May 2022, and Microsoft had presumably just kept delaying its release. The document mentions other controller prototypes, named Igraine, Actium, and Zarasai, but these may still be in development or have already been cancelled.
At the time the document was published Sebile had also not been fully approved, so if this controller does release in May, it may have more features (hall effect controls and gyro), or less, than what is mentioned here.
Either way, expectations are high as Microsoft has prided itself on its controller design in the past. The most recent generations of the Elite Controllers, however, does not share that reputation among gamers, with many complaining of faulty parts.
Sebile seems set to bring motion control in some form to the Xbox. It remains to be seen if they have a solution that allows that control to be used in every game, or if the games have to get extra work to make use of the feature. These and so many other questions abound for this potential future standard for Xbox controllers.
