Earlier today, Brazilian tech outlet Tecnoblog published images of two unannounced Xbox controllers reportedly obtained from the country's telecommunications regulator. One is a small form factor gamepad designed for cloud gaming, resembling similar third-party gamepads by the likes of 8bitDo. The other is the successor to the Xbox Elite Controller 2.

I've been looking forward to news about this gamepad because, since the last iteration released in 2019, the whole landscape for gamepads has changed. Nowadays a third-party gamepad with all the pro accoutrements—rear paddle buttons, interchangeable D-pads, replaceable sticks—can be had for bargain prices, or at least, well below the Series 2's $180 going price. The Gamesir G7 Pro, for example, which is in some ways more feature-rich, goes for $80. What can a titan like Microsoft do to stand out?

Microsoft obviously hasn't announced this controller, we don't know its price, and we don't know the full extent of its features. But based on the images and Tecnoblog's intel from the regulator's documents, it's a curious beast, chiefly due to what resembles two scroll wheels on either side of the headphone jack.

What could these be for? Tecnoblog speculates they could be designed for flight sims, but that seems like an extremely niche focus: I reckon flight sim fanatics would prefer proper flight sim peripherals. How would they be implemented in far more mainstream games, like FPSes?

Here's two more images from Tecnoblog:

Based on the images alone, that's about as radical as the Elite 3 controller gets. Like the previous model it'll have interchangeable rear paddles, and swappable sticks and D-pads. That middle button just under the Xbox button switches between local and cloud modes, the latter connecting to Xbox Cloud Gaming servers. The battery is still rechargeable and replaceable albeit smaller.

One thing that's impossible to glean from the images is the thing that's most important. Will Microsoft implement drift-free Hall Effect technology in the analog sticks, thus eliminating the ever-present fear of stick drift? Or might they implement Tunnel Magnetoresistance (TMR) sticks, which are similarly drift-free, but marginally more accurate?

Let's be blunt: If they don't implement either it's a non-starter. As I've written before, in 2026 you should refuse to buy any controller that comes with the problems endemic to Sony, Xbox, and Nintendo's controllers. You can buy third-party Hall Effect controllers for a pittance nowadays.

I'm also—I won't lie—kinda bored by the Elite 3 controller. Why would I buy this instead of the Steam Controller which has those still severely underrated trackpads? Valve's controller has TMR sticks as well, and while its rear paddle buttons are baked in and there's only two of them, I reckon four paddle buttons is a more niche proposition than trackpads (time will prove me right!).

The smaller controller is very much a meat and potatoes affair: it's got all the usual features without any of the pro trimmings, it's remarkably small and designed for carrying around, and bears the same new toggle button beneath the Xbox button.

When will these be properly announced? Microsoft hasn't given any hints, but my best guess would be at its Xbox Games Showcase on June 7, which happens as part of Summer Game Fest 2026.

Marathon game director Joe Ziegler just published the kind of 'state of the game' letter that Destiny 2 players would actually kill for right now. Three months in, the silver bullet has officially been chambered: a PvE-only mode is coming to Marathon, and so is a lot more.

Season 2 of Marathon will introduce two more experimental game modes. One, coming at the start of the season, has "a touch of PvP" but focuses on PvE. The other is "a PvE-only mode that's focused on crews being tasked with completing objectives together and making some progress across matches."

Some Marathon players might call this heresy. Marathon avoiders might call it salvation – a way into the game's incredible gunplay, art, and audio that doesn't involve the stress and frustration of PvP.

Ziegler calls it an experiment, and says Bungie will continue experimental queues in the future, "such as perhaps a more purely PvP-focused mode," with "potential for these to become part of the core game loop or permanent new ways to play."

As a response to an intimidating game whose active population quickly shrank after launch – Ziegler focuses on the "strong core community" Marathon's developed – it's about as silver as bullets get.

Oh, and the max size of our vault will be increased in Season 2, letting us store more stuff. That's nice, too.

Ziegler examines three months of feedback in his lengthy post – the highlights, the pain points, and the lessons to bring forward. I'll let our Marathon review tell you what the game does well. Let's focus on what, as Ziegler says, didn't go so well, and what Bungie wants to improve.

First, a Bungie classic: "Marathon is overwhelming to learn." Ziegler recognizes that the onboarding experience is heady, and from there it's "easy to hit a wall if you're not spending lots of time, don't have a consistent crew, or are not super skilled."

"Matches can feel like a death spiral for some players," he continues. "You kit up, you go in, you die to a spawn rush, or someone gets the jump on you as you're looting. Faction progress can feel like a slog, and you struggle to get mats and credits out to upgrade." Playing solo, of course, makes it all worse.

Endgame fights are often flooded with "bubbles, ‘nade spam, and snipers," Ziegler adds, and "sometimes you don't want to sweat." And in this mix, "matchmaking can be a blessing or a curse."

Season 2 of Marathon will start to tackle these problems, and Bungie's also got plans all the way up to at least Season 5, from new runners and weapons to new-player improvements and world-building ambitions. Bungie is working on new ways to extract with varying risks, an updated matchmaking system with "different dimensions" to better align players, UX improvements to "help make setting goals and getting into a match smoother," and changes to the contract system that will elevate progression.

Season 4 will focus on "building more depth into the existing extraction loop," Ziegler adds, while Season 5 will look at ways to bring "the whole ecosystem of (PV(P)VE) play together and evolving our weird sci-fi world in new ways."

Season 2 starts June 2, bringing the game's first wipe. The farther ahead we look, the more abstract plans become, but it certainly seems like Bungie is swinging for the fences. With these future plans, Ziegler speaks over the understandable unrest circulating among Marathon (and also Destiny 2) fans following new owner Sony's latest staggering write-down on the studio. Marathon was not an Arc Raiders or Apex Legends-sized instant-hit, but it's got more in the tank.

"Big things coming down the line!" Ziegler says.

I played Marathon and its 1994 predecessor to see how Bungie has evolved over the years.