We don’t yet know what the next-gen Xbox, codenamed “Project Helix,” will look like, but two new leaks could give some hints on what to expect from its controller.
Portuguese gadget blog Tecnoblog (read via machine translation) shared photos of the two unreleased Xbox controllers. The first is a third edition model of the Xbox Elite Gamepad and the second appears to be designed exclusively for Xbox Cloud Gaming. The leaks come from Anatel, the Brazilian telecommunications regulatory agency, so they are probably real, although their release to the market remains an open question.
The supposed Xbox Elite 3 controller retains the classic dual thumbsticks, a dish-shaped D-pad, and rear paddles. The refreshed high-end gamepad also has what appears to be two scroll wheels on the bottom. Tecnoblog ventures to assume that these wheels could be used in Microsoft Flight Simulator for throttle control. This makes sense, but it also doesn’t seem like the type of control you can easily hit without forming a crab claw with your fingers to reach the underside of the controller.
BROKEN Xbox Elite Series 3 Controller Potentially Leaked
-two new scroll wheels at the bottom of the controller -removable rechargeable battery (1,528 mAh compared to 2,050 mAh for Elite 2)
-New pair button to switch local mode/cloud mode
Via Tecnoblog pic.twitter.com/HK8FTFyqY3
-Chito (@ChitoGamingLive) May 14, 2026
I have another theory. These wheels could be used to navigate the upcoming Xbox UI. Project Helix will likely run on a version of Windows 11 to access your Xbox games as well as any other PC game launchers, like Steam or the Epic Games Store. Current controllers don’t have an easy way to scroll pages without a mouse wheel. Even in Microsoft’s new Xbox Mode for PC, you still have to navigate Windows 11’s large blocky menus to change display or sound settings. Because they’re out of the way, these scroll wheels will have very, very few use cases in the games themselves.
This controller also has an additional pairing button that apparently lets you switch between a local connection and Wi-Fi for Xbox Cloud Gaming. For these capabilities, the controller seems to sacrifice battery life, going from a removable 2,050 mAh battery to 1,528 mAh.
This is Microsoft’s new control for Xbox Cloud Gaming
– Tecnoblog (@Tecnoblog) May 14, 2026
The cloud-focused gamepad looks like a strange duck. The controller looks at first glance like the 8BitDo SN30 controller, a stubby, oval-shaped gamepad designed for gaming on mobile or cloud platforms. It retains a small semblance of Xbox-style grips on the underside, but in my experience these compact controllers are better off with rounded corners and a flat back.
This more compact controller could feature 2.4GHz and 5GHz connectivity bands over Wi-Fi 6 and should support Bluetooth 5.3, according to Tecnoblog. There’s also a button on the top of the controller that’s supposed to change connectivity modes, which can help reduce latency when gaming in the cloud.
These cloud-centric controllers seem to have been designed for the previous era of Xbox before current Xbox CEO Asha Sharma started pushing the hardware again. Now is not the time to take baby steps. The Steam Controller offers a better way to navigate PC environments thanks to its two haptic trackpads. Valve’s gamepad looks great, but it pushes the boundaries of the console gaming experience. Xbox shouldn’t be afraid to get weird with its next-gen gamepad, as long as it’s comfortable to hold and use.