Late in 2015, Microsoft unveiled their Xbox Elite wireless controller featuring interchangeable back-mounted paddles, completely remappable button landscapes, a dual-profile switch on the controller body itself, a new faceted D-pad, and a $150 price tag. It was aimed at people who wanted professional-quality hardware to game on. Now, courtesy of a patent filing spotted by Windows Central, we may have an idea of what the next iteration of the Elite controller may hold.
As mentioned, players could attach or remove four back-mounted paddles for extra button mapping, as well as flip a switch and create an artificial bottom for the two trigger buttons, allowing for faster and more rapid actuation. The patent in question features some rather interesting graphics and descriptions of them. We’ll include the most interesting images in a gallery, but we’ll talk about the biggest proposition within the patent filing: the triggers.
In the patent, writers discuss the mechanism of a trigger, both physically and electronically, and propose a removable and replaceable trigger design. The images depict a variety of different trigger-attachment methods, ranging from a hook-in at the top of the trigger bay to a buckle-like mechanism.
Along with various coupling examples, the application also depicts a couple new trigger types. One trigger type features an elongated section protruding straight off the trigger body with two finger indentations, while the other has a wrap-around design that puts a portion of the trigger parallel with the back of the controller body.
While these designs are only mock-ups for a patent filing, it gives us an idea of what Microsoft may have planned for a second-generation of top-tier controller hardware.

Source: USPTO
Via: Windows Central