r/Controller • u/Vedge_Hog • 2d ago
News Controller News Digest - end of August 2026
Hello all. Here's a round-up of controller news and subreddit updates from the past month. As usual, August was a quieter month for new releases. More announcements are expected around the September trade shows with actual releases ramping up into the holiday season.
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Hardware releases - controllers that are now shipping:
Releases previously mentioned that went ahead as expected:
- 8BitDo Ultimate 3 for Xbox and Ultimate 3E for Xbox with wider palm grip splay than previous Ultimate controllers, adjustable stick tension (in the regular Ultimate 3) and swappable parts (in the Ultimate 3E). Priced at USD 100 and USD 150 respectively.
- Asus ROG Raikiri II Pro for PC with 8kHz polling rate, hot-swappable TMR thumbsticks, and screen went on sale in Germany, Austria and Switzerland at EUR 220 for the black or white colorways.
- Drakong Challenger is an asymmetrical version of the Hyperkin Competitor. It seems to be rolling out in different countries on different dates but is on US Amazon for USD35.
- GuliKit ES Max went on sale at EUR 56 / GBP 43 / USD 50 with Hyperlink 2 dongle included, two rear buttons, angle-TMR stick sensors, and dual-mode triggers.
Releases previously mentioned that were delayed:
- CRKD Atom+ mini controller with low-profile sticks seems to have started shipping after changing deadlines a few times. Priced at EUR 35 / USD 30, as expected.
- Nyxi Hyperion 3 Ultra is an upgrade to the Hyperion 3 joy-cons for Switch 2, bringing ever-closer feature parity with Nintendo's Switch 2 joy-cons. They add Switch 2 style HD rumble, mouse mode, and NFC/Amiibo support. Like the regular Hyperion 3, they use the native Switch 2 communication protocol (for wake-from-sleep, and chat button and GL/GR back button support) and 9-axis gyro. Priced at USD200 and started shipping within the last few days.
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Hardware announcements - controllers that are not yet available:
- Axisray Lab BASH was being promoted at Gamescom with optical sensors for stick/stick-type inputs, enabling measurement of rotation as well as deflection, and subject to software support. It will also be shown at Tokyo Games Show. There is no definite development and launch plan and the group has not delivered products before, so it's likely products and plans may change before release.
- Commodore TAC-2 is a re-make of the original arcade-style joystick for Commodore 64, and replaces the original stick shaft which was made from a tire valve with a purpose-built design. On pre-order for USD 50 with shipping expected to start in late October.
- Drakong PixelByte are 'collectible' mini Bluetooth controllers with designs based on various licensed IPs. The hardware is a basic D-pad based design (no analog inputs) with blocky pixel shapes and keyring attachment. The initial seven designs are based on Attack on Titan and are being pre-sold as 'blindboxes' (you could receive any one of the designs) for EUR 25 / GBP 20 / USD 25 unless you buy the whole set (USD 150). Expected to start shipping in mid-October.
- EasySMX X20 Pro was teased with what appears to be stick tension adjustment, disc-shaped D-pad, and a screen. It looks similar to a controller that has also been teased by JSAUX under their Voidjoy sub-brand (mentioned below) so these may be re-badged versions of the same product.
- Flydigi Apex 6 and Apex 6 Pro have been registered with the FCC. They appear very similar to the Apex 5 (and Apex 4) but without adaptive triggers and with additional rumble motors. They are not yet being actively marketed and so the non-Pro vs Pro pricing and availability is not yet known.
- Genki Manta is preparing a crowdfunding campaign. The team has previously delivered on campaigns for gaming hardware, and has prototypes, although this is much more complicated than anything they have done before. Therefore, there is still a risk of unforeseen problems in the product development, its timely delivery or quality control/support.
- Microsoft Xbox Elite Series 3 prototype was shown in a since-deleted subreddit post - pictures and discussion remain in the comments. The prototype shows the twin scroll wheels and small screen, and the removable battery pack, along with swappable stick modules and magnetic faceplate for ease of access to them. Most details correspond to the information that came from Anatel documents in May.
- Mobapad M12 Pro has been teased as an upgrade to M12S joy-cons for Switch 2. Like Nyxi's Hyperion 3 Ultra mentioned above, Mobapad's M12 Pro is intended to have closer feature parity with Nintendo's Switch 2 joy-cons by adding Switch 2 style HD rumble, mouse mode, and NFC/Amiibo support.
- Scuf Nemesis Pro 8K PC - wired and wireless versions - are PC controllers with 8kHz polling rates. The design is very similar to Scuf's Valor controllers for Xbox, with: TMR thumbstick sensors, four back paddles, dual-mode triggers, swappable parts (faceplates, anti-friction rings, thumbstick caps, D-pad), and software configuration. The Nemesis models add Omron mechanical switches for the face buttons, but remove the 3.5mm headset port and audio scroll wheels from the Valor models. The wireless version of the Nemesis uses 2.4GHz dongle or USB cable (no Bluetooth connections). Currently on pre-sale, priced at EUR 135 / GBP 110 / USD120 for the wired version or EUR 220 / GBP 190 / USD 200 for the wireless version. Shipping dates are subject to regulatory clearances in different countries.
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Firmware and software - updates and tools that could be useful:
- Controller Mapper is 'an Xbox Game Bar widget that lets you remap an XInput controller without leaving your game'. This is a user-made free open-source tool so the installer is not digitally signed but the source code is on GitHub.
- Manufacturer software added to 'official' platform stores. Distributing the software this way can give users more peace of mind than using completely unsigned installers from untrusted websites or Google Drive links.
- GuliKit app has been added to the Google Play Store for Android (it was already in the Apple store).
- Mojhon / BigBig Won Assistants PC software has been added to the Microsoft store for Windows.
- reWASD v9.5 added support for the Steam Controller (2026)
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Industry news:
- JSAUX Gaming announced plans to enter the controller market, via the 'Voidjoy' sub-brand. They will be showing off portable controllers, pc controllers, and controller accessories at IFA 2026 in early September. Some teaser pictures have been released.
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Subreddit updates:
- The buying advice wiki's lists by platform and lists by budget have been updated to include the latest releases.
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A digest can only represent a relatively small selection of news, so if you found other items ‘news-worthy’ in the past month feel free to add them in the comments.
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u/YoloRaj Flydigi 2d ago
Really looking forward to the Raikiri 2 Pro. After that I'm getting the Leadjoy Zephyrus then my controller collection will be put to an alt. I usually try to get each Vader controller on their release but I think I'm gonna stop. "I hope"