8BitDo's flagship Xbox wireless controller seems to have been delayed again

Back in May, 8BitDo finally announced a release date for the Ultimate 3E controller that was first unveiled at CES 2026. The controller would be available to pre-order starting on May 26 and will finally be released in August. Now, that release date seems to have changed without any prior notice.

We have been keeping an eye on the 8BitDo Ultimate 3E Controller for Xbox, and according to the 8BitDo eShop and the official Amazon listing, the controller should be released today, August 31. However, when we checked today to see if it is available, the eShop now says the controller ships on September 10, 2026.

Interestingly, the Amazon page maintained its release date of August 31, 2026 for a few hours. However, as at the time of writing, the controller is temporarily out of stock. Although you can still add it to your cart. It is also worth mentioning that the controller seems to have delivered to some buyers already. One user on Discord posted on August 28 that he has gotten his controller.

8BitDo hasn't yet made an announcement regarding availability as it is known to do for a new release. if the announcement doesn't come later today, then it is safe to say that the controller has definitely had its release moved forward as the website says.

The 8BitDo Ultimate 3E Controller for Xbox is priced at $149.99 in the US. It will also be available in the UK for £124.99, although according to Amazon UK, it will be released on October 23. Nevertheless, buyers get a controller that can be connected wirelessly to the Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via a 2.4GHz dongle or a USB cable. It can also connect via Bluetooth to Android and Apple devices.

The controller features TMR joysticks, dual back buttons, remappable R4 and L4 shoulder buttons, and Hall Effect triggers with trigger stops. It has a removable faceplate, a replaceable metal D-pad, a swappable ABXY module, an audio jack, six-axis motion control, a 1,000Hz polling rate, and a 1,400mAh battery that should last up to 18 hours. It comes with a wireless charging dock.