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When Microsoft announced the first Xbox Elite Controller way back in 2015, everyone had the same question: Who is going to spend $150 on gamepad? It turns out that enough people bought it to justify the Xbox Elite Controller Series 2, which debuted in November for $180. And now that controller is among the most successful gaming accessories ever made.
The Xbox Elite Series 2 was the top-selling accessory in the United States in January. That is according to the latest report from industry-tracking firm The NPD Group. In fact, Microsoft’s premium gamepad has something of a streak going.
“The Xbox Elite Series 2 Wireless Controller was the best-selling video game accessory for the third consecutive month,” NPD analyst Mat Piscatella said. “With three months in market, It is the fifth fastest-selling video game accessory in U.S. history.”
It’s worth noting that NPD ranks accessories by dollars. That means it’s not necessarily the fifth fastest-selling accessory in terms of units.
Here’s the list of the top-five best-selling accessories in their first three months:
- Xbox 360 Kinect with Kinect Adventures
- Xbox 360 Kinect with Gunstringer and Fruit Ninja
- DualShock 4 Wirelss Controller – Black
- Wii Remote with Motion Plus – Black
- Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2
This means that the Series 2 is also selling faster (in terms of dollars) than the original Elite controller. So Microsoft is clearly onto something. Maybe that means we’ll get a Series 3 in a few more years.
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