Finally unveiled at E3 2019, Microsoft gave us an upgraded Xbox Elite Controller, dubbed "Series 2." This new controller addresses major pain points with the previous design, at least in theory, while baking in tons of new features. With 40 hours of listed battery life, a charging dock, tension-controllable thumbsticks, and more, will this $180 peripheral prove itself worthy of your cash? Here's what we know so far.

Leaked via Chinese site Baidu and later confirmed by The Verge, the new Xbox Elite Controller looks to be an iterative update on the original controller, which came with a range of premium features (and at a premium $150 price point.

The original Xbox Elite Controller supported Xbox Wireless, but only supported USB for PC connectivity. It sported two separate profiles for configurable button mapping, as well as locks for the triggers, making them activate more quickly. It also came with four additional buttons on the reverse of the controller in the form of paddles, which could be configured and removed at will. Additionally, the joysticks on the original Elite controller came with extra options, both from first and third-party vendors. Longer joystick options increased the distance from the pivot, for example, allowing for more precision without sacrificing turn speed. The directional pad also came with more robust options too.

After some leaks and patent filings, Microsoft officially unveiled the new Xbox Elite Controller at E3 2019.

The new Xbox Elite Controller seemed to be a little more of an "evolution" rather than revolution, but after going hands on, the volume of improvements make it an extremely meaningful upgrade.

It appeared that the codename for the new Elite controller appears to be "Spider," for a time, perhaps in reference to the elongated paddles on the reverse side looking almost like spider legs. Later we learned this codename was in fact designated to something else, but Spider sounds way cooler, damnit.

Xbox Elite Controller Series 2 Features and specs