XBox elite series 2 controller doesn't work right at all on PC

Barb Morey · Dec 4, 2021

Hello,

I bought myself a controller for some games that are not ported well to PC and just for some fun.

It has been nothing but sheer frustration. It does not work out of the box. It continually backs out of menus, does not use the standard button layout you'd expect (I played xbox for like 8 years before I built my PC; I'm familiar with how a controller should work). For example, A sometimes is select, but other times isn't; it constantly alt tabs fullscreen games to pull up Steam or Big Picture, and it doesn't work with steam big picture at all and it's software designed for a controller. It backs out of menus without hitting B, A only hovers the menu and it won't stay open like you would EXPECT a button press to open a menu to do, though rarely it behaves as expected.

I was only trying to open Outer Worlds to try the controller, and the controller prevented me from even doing that. I launched it finally, as the issues are inconsistent, and before I boot the game save file Steam forced it to alt-tab, assuming the button presses were intended for steam. I launched the game from steam; it should know I don't want to minimize the game and have A pull up menus in steam. It's a nightmare and I keep having to revert to using my mouse and keyboard to try and troubleshoot it.

It's not just steam, though, it doesn't work well with Final Fantasy XIV either. Steam *IS* part of that problem, though, as it continually uses the commands input on FFXIV which is full screen to pull up big picture, etc. In general it feels like Microsoft needs to work with Steam to get it just working out of the box. I have little patience for hardware that doesn't function perfectly. Not sure many PC enthusiasts do.

Is there an easy fix to make these things just work on PC or am I returning it? Keep in mind I have done everything on the first page of google and nothing has worked. My PC is technically recognizing it via bluetooth, and it does not have its own section in the device manager if that is a big clue. There is no software to simply install though. I should be able to google "microsoft xbox elite series 2 controller drivers" and get a driver download link. It feels like it has no actual drivers at all so everything's like "I'll have that and use it badly".

Edit: Uploaded a youtube video showing a couple of the issues described above: https://youtu.be/siJZAY3ICFo

:)

Barb Morey

Wait there is no way to update the drivers for PC? Why is it listed as PC compatible then?

Thank you for the information, I will sadly be returning it. I haven't had a console in years, unless the 360 works. I have one in my basement but I'm going to sell it and don't want to have to find an xbox every time the controller starts acting up

If Microsoft fixes this issue so we can update drivers on PC I'd buy it again, though. The hardware itself is impressively built, very high quality. The software is a nightmare though. (and I did try with the wire, but the same issues persisted).

I appreciate you letting me know.

Barb

RedxBeerd

I had the same issue, just got the controller today. I thought I was losing my mind as no one else was mentioning an issue like this. The fix for me was updating the controller then following Christopher Revoredo Gutiérrez's link. You will need an Xbox just this once unfortunately but the payoff is great. I've never used an elite series controller let alone a 2, it's smooth.. definitely worth it but what a hassle to start.

From my understanding you won't need to worry about updating the controller regularly since we're using it on pc not console. I connected it after following the advice and it worked like you'd want it to fresh out of the box for the money spent.

XBF - Hayabusa

Apologies, I made it sound like you cannot update on PC at all.

With the controller plugged in via USB and using the Xbox accessories app, you should be able to update it. However, the update only goes up to a certain FW (for my Elite Series 2 controller, the highest update is 4.8.1908.0 on PC).

For the Wireless Xbox Series X|S controller, the highest firmware via PC is 5.9.2709

The Xbox Accessories app is available only on Windows 10.
Updating the controller over Bluetooth is not supported.
To customize the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 in the Xbox Accessories app, get the Windows 10 May 2019 Update (or later) and make sure your PC has the latest fixes. See how to get updates
Bluetooth requires a PC running the Windows 10 Anniversary Update. To learn how to get the latest Windows update, see:Windows Update: FAQ

Connect your Controller to the PC via USB
Open the Xbox accessories app
Press the ellipsis (…) button on the app to view the Controller's status
Check the app to see if you need a Controller firmware update
Click on "Update now" to begin updating the Controller

XBF - Hayabusa

Hello Barb Morey,

I'm sorry to hear you are having issues with your Elite Series 2 controller on PC. Do you have access to an Xbox console? That is currently the only way to update the controller as of now.

If you have not already installed the Xbox Accessoires App, download and install it from the Microsoft Store for free or click here: https://www.microsoft.com/p/xbox-accessories/9nblggh30xj3?rtc=1&activetab=pivot:overviewtab You can try remapping the A & B buttons to have no input, then reassign it to have the correct input and see if that helps.

You may have to use the controller with the wire until there is a new update available.

Christopher Revoredo

Hi there Barb welcome to the community forum! Christopher here, an Xbox fan just like you and has been on Xbox for years already. I would really love to make your day by helping you out. This has helped people with their controller issues! Give it a try!

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/xbox/forum/...

XBox elite series 2 controller doesn't work right at all on PC