In a nutshell: Microsoft's Xbox Elite Controller Series 2 is pretty high-end when it comes to price, but the company continues to struggle with quality issues that have plagued its controller since inception. In order to address customer complaints about mechanical issues with their $180 Elite 2 controller, Microsoft is now extending the device's three-month official warranty to one year. According to a lawsuit, Microsoft does know where the manufacturing fault lies, though for the time being, it has decided to simply extend the warranty period to address consumer concerns.
You could probably buy a decent used Xbox One/One X console for the price of a new Elite Series 2 controller, so it's not hard to imagine the disappointment of having your $180 gaming hardware suffer from mechanical issues mere months after purchase.
While users expect a higher build quality from Microsoft's premium controller over its standard Xbox counterpart, the latter, cheaper option appears to have fared much better in the hands of consumers. The Series 2 malfunctions because of a design flaw known to Microsoft, according to a lawsuit, and the company failed to notify users about the problem.
The lawsuit also argued that a 90-day warranty should not apply in this case, especially since the problem was a known defect. Microsoft has seemingly addressed this concern, and to ensure customer satisfaction, it's now extending the Elite Series 2 warranty period from 90 days to one year.
The Redmond firm also notes that this extension applies retroactively, meaning that users who have incurred repair costs on their Series 2 purchased to date are also covered under this warranty and will be issued a refund before October 31, 2020.
Though it doesn't solve the quality issues with the allegedly faulty potentiometers, users should have some added peace of mind knowing that their expensive $180 Elite 2 controller won't be at the mercy of costly, out-of-warranty repairs, for one year at least.