Two things. 1: I’ve been primarily covering third party controllers on the Retro Handhelds website since my original review of the GuliKit King Kong Pro 3 in July of 2024. Hey that’s two years of controller reviews! What that means is outside of my occasional usage of Joy-Cons, Switch Pro Controllers and the Steam Controller I have not been reviewing mainstream devices.
The closest I’ve gotten are the aforementioned Steam Controller and the heavily modded HexGaming Phantom that I just wouldn’t recommend anymore. So why am I finally taking a look at the XBOX Series Controller? Well 2: It’s the Forza Horizon 6 edition. And 8BitDo sells a matching charging dock.
Seriously though, how does the XBOX Series controller hold up in 2026? Is the 8BitDo Charging Dock worth the add-on? And should you spend $115 on the matching Forza Horizon 6 special edition like I did? Well the answer to that last one is a no, but let’s figure out the rest of it together.
Specs
This section, while technically a “specs” rundown, has often been my point to mention the price. For the 8BitDo Dock, you’re looking at $25, or $35 for the fancy Horizon edition. If you want to charge two controllers at once their dual charger is just $45 on Amazon. As for the XBOX controller itself; this edition retailed for $89.99.
But if you go onto Amazon and type “Xbox Series Controller” you can see them for as low as $42 up to the roundabout $69.99 MSRP. If you want to customize your controller more, you can go through XBOX Design Labs and do that if you please, and if you want to buy an Elite controller you can spend over $100. For now though; here’s what $89.99 + a $34.99 dock gets you.
XBOX Wireless Controller
- Manufacturer
- Microsoft
- Face buttons
- ABXY (Xbox)
- D-pad
- Tactile
- Triggers
- Analog
- Sticks
- Potentiometer
- Platforms
- Battery life (hrs)
- 40
- Connectivity
- Polling rate (Hz)
- —
- Extra features
- Weight
- 250g (No Battery), 292g (8BitDo Battery), 300g (AA Batteries), 310g (Rechargeable AA)
Build Quality and Ergonomics
Here’s where we can always start off strong. Ergonomically the XBOX Series controller is practically the ideal for anyone who wants asymmetrical sticks. A majority of controllers I’ve reviewed in the last two years have been building their design and shape off of the standard set by XBOX.
The grips are angled out just enough to be comfortable, and are large enough to hold both youthful and aging hands in one go. The grips are nice and pronounced, and make the entire thing comfortable to hold. Surprising no one, the controls are thoughtfully placed, and unless you aim your thumbs downwards, the left stick is perfectly positioned for me and my hands.
Shoulders and triggers are easy to access and feel good in hand as well. It really is no surprise that everyone goes off of this shape, as XBOX has practically formed one of the best controller shapes in the last few decades.
Build quality, at least to me feels quite great. The Horizon 6 edition is actually my fourth Xbox Series controller overall. As I own the Sky Cipher, Electric Volt, and Remix controllers as well. The front plastic on this unit is nice and smooth with the only raised textures being across the pink flags. Unlike my Electric Volt unit, and just like my Sky Cipher, the Horizon 6 unit features a rubberized textured grip on the back of the handles.
While personally, I feel like use will 100% wear this down, I don’t quite believe this is the cheap plastic that’ll turn to goop instead. Personally I prefer the rubber-less Volt, but this isn’t a bad alternative. Overall, it’s a solid controller that’ll withstand everything except being chucked at a wall when you lose your Halo match, but it’s solid.
Controls
This is where the mixed bag in my eyes starts up. Everything on the controller feels good, but knowing that they really haven’t changed much in terms of longevity means durability remains a top question. The sticks on the XBOX controller have a nice tension to them to avoid being loose, and move with ease.
However, you can feel the light grinding against plastic if you think about it too hard. That means longevity is a concern. They’re good sticks, but they’re your standard potentiometers so they could develop drift over time. There’s your longevity concern.
The triggers feel solid with a bit tighter movement to them than I’m used to, but when playing my favorite racing game, Colin McRae’s DiRT, everything feels good. The triggers move with ease, and the shoulders, while hollow in their click work well. The face buttons in my opinion are a bit flat, a bit clacky, but are incredibly familiar and something I do miss in a controller. I do enjoy them.
The only odd bit to me is the D-pad. It’s a clicky shield styled pad that isn’t my favorite, but it’s passable. I just don’t remember it being so small. Maybe I’m used to the alternatives, but the D-pad basically disappears under my fat thumb. But hey, it all still works.
The Dock
Here’s my mini-review in the review for the 8BitDo charging dock. I love the inclusion of their battery in the box. I love the shape and stability of the dock, even if it doesn’t hold the controller perfectly. And honestly, I even love the LED light in the base to show when it is and isn’t charging. They paid great attention to detail with the Forza Horizon 6 edition dock, and it matches pretty much perfectly.
That being said, it is a bit on the larger side, and the price is steep. I think $25 for the standard dock is okay, but $35 even for a special edition dock is too much. That being said, I do really like the idea of their dual charging station. I might pick that up.
Additional Features
It’s an XBOX controller. There’s not really that much extra to it. It doesn’t even have gyro capability if you wanted to use it. But in my opinion, there’s two things that are just worth mentioning that I like. Native XBOX compatibility. While it’s an obvious given, it makes things work smoother as a whole across every platform. Third party controllers can emulate it, but when you’re using a controller with a purpose built function, it feels better as a whole.
The other thing worth mentioning is the battery. To date, every single controller that I’ve reviewed has had a built-in battery. Including the controllers with swappable controls to advertise repairability. While I totally understand the appeal to built in batteries, it’s something I don’t talk about much for a reason, I really do appreciate the concept of being able to just swap your batteries out.
If your controller dies in the heat of the moment? Pop in new AA batteries. Have multiple charging dock batteries? You can easily swap them around thanks to the back plate. Are you going to leave your controller in a box for 10 years? Take the batteries out and leave it to rest. You don’t have to worry about swelling batteries, or batteries leaking everywhere.
Unless you’re an idiot like me who left the Rayovac’s in the Wiimote when I was 12.\
Third Party Alternatives
The big reason I wanted to talk about this was the new surge of third party, wireless controllers on XBOX. Gamesir, Fantech, even 8BitDo all have wireless options that can be used with the XBOX line of consoles, particularly over 2.4ghz. These are great controllers getting better every single year with new features, and new parts that are supposed to outlast your standard XBOX controller.
But why do people stay with the stock one? Familiarity, and Ease of access. Everyone uses the standard controller because it’s like that 2011 Honda Civic you bought used for cheap. “I’ll keep using it until it breaks down.” or “It’s just a stop gap until I can get a new one.” and it never really breaks down or stops working for you if you treat it right. It’s the budget beater that doesn’t want to die because you’re giving it a proper oil change every few thousand miles.
The GameSir G7, T7 Pro, and 8BitDo Ultimate 3 are going to be functionally, and parts wise better than anything XBOX has put out for their controllers. And I mean that going all the way up to their Elite Series 2. But they’re only going to be options for people who go out of the way for the absolute best, or because they’re the quickest option to grab off of Amazon when the current one breaks.
Final Thoughts
Is the XBOX Series controller and 8BitDo Charging Dock a good pairing in 2026? For standard everyday use where you’re not going to push it to the limit constantly? Absolutely. If you’re like me or anyone who considers themselves casual, any XBOX controller released in the last 10 years is going to be a great option for you.
But the moment you want more, and you want to buy more, you’re going to pay the price, especially on the XBOX platform. There’s a ton of options in the market now, and because of that this controller blends in, but that isn’t a bad thing.
The XBOX One, and Series controllers are ole reliable. You see so many people talk about issues with them because there are so many of these things in the wild. But for those who manage the maintenance right, they’ll likely never run into issues with these things. And the tinkerers will still be able to fix them thanks to TMR Xbox sticks on the market.
I like this controller to this day, and I still think it’s worth it on the more budget end. But at $100 or more for the pair it becomes a harder sell. If you don’t have one, just grab it and keep it on a shelf in case you need a spare controller. Not like there’s a battery in it anyways.
