Xbox is now selling replacement controller parts and showing how to fix them

Microsoft has started selling replacement parts for its Xbox controllers, along with documentation on how players can perform their own repairs.

The new Xbox Repair and Replacement Parts page on the Microsoft Store lets players order parts for the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 and the Xbox Wireless Controller for Series X/S.

Parts include replacement input PCBAs (the circuit board which handles controller input), replacement motor assemblies (which include attached rumble motors), buttons and top cases.

As well as selling replacement parts, Microsoft has also posted documentation and video guides showing players how to repair their own equipment.

One video, for example, shows players how to remove the case of their Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2, remove the battery, and disassemble and reassemble the controller’s various components.

Microsoft pledged back in 2021 that it would investigate the possibility of letting consumers repair their own hardware, including Xbox consoles.

The company was the first large tech firm to declare a willingness to address the ‘right to repair’ movement, which wants companies to make it possible for anyone to repair their devices.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=od71PV4X5A4

Although it’s already legal for customers to repair products they own, a number of large tech companies like Microsoft and Apple have been accused of making this impossible by failing to provide spare parts or repair documentation to anyone who isn’t an authorised repair partner.

One issue Microsoft has faced is that it’s still a member of lobbying groups that oppose right-to-repair bills, the most notable being the Entertainment Software Association, the trade association of the video game industry in the US.

The ESA has made its views against right-to-repair clear, putting Microsoft in a potential dilemma where it’s agreed to potentially embrace the concept while still being a member of a group that strongly opposes it.