The standard issued controller for the Xbox 360. We have all used them, abused them, and replaced them many times over. They come standard when you buy any console, they are sold worldwide and you can even find them in starter packs for Xbox LIVE. Let's take a deeper look at why these controllers are so good and why they perform so well.

Xbox 360 Hardware Review - Review Created: 1/14/2011 - Last Modified: 8/17/2011

Introduction

With the introduction of the Xbox 360 came many great accessories and one accessory that stands out was the Xbox 360 controller. Microsoft completely redesigned and greatly improved the original Xbox controller. This smaller redesigned beast really stood out as a high quality controller that will be around for a long time.

The BLUF

Overall - 8.5	The package of great features, awesome design, near profession performance, and stellar durability makes this product a winner.
Features - 9.0	Features like long range wireless and the dual independent varying vibration motors give this product the edge.
Design - 8.5	The reduced controller's size and weight from the original and great button design give this controller high marks but a failed D-Pad design knocks it down a few pegs.
Performance - 8.5	The great battery life and no-lag response system along with stellar precision, speed and accuracy make this controller a top performer.
Durability - 8.5	A well-built controller that wears down well overall. The 360 sticks are this controller's down fall.

What's In The Box

The items that are in this package are not very impressive. It comes with the controller, battery pack, two AA batteries, and the instruction manual. Like I said, not something to write home about but it gets the job done.

Variations

There have been several different variations of this controller. They all operate and function the same. White, Black, and the Black S (included with the Xbox 360 Slim) have been the primary colors to hit the market however Red, Green, Dark Blue, Light Blue, Pink, and Yellow/Orange* have been released. They also have released the following limited edition designed controllers: Halo: Reach, Halo: ODST, Halo Spartan, Halo Covenant, Halo Green, Fable 3, Dragon, Radioactive, and Launch Team Edition*. There are also the wireless and wired versions.

*Were never released for sale: Yellow (only 100 Limited Edition The Simpsons Movie Xbox 360 systems made and were given away as prizes) - Orange (for LIVE turns five and given away to select members of the media) - Launch Team Edition (Given out to select Launch team members).

Features

The controller has all the wide range of features that people would expect from a great controller. Wireless, Vibration, Charge Port, and Expansion Port. The other missing elements are motion control and turbo. For good reasons though. Other competitors have tried to integrate a motion feature to their controllers and have produced a cheap after thought and not a high-quality product. No turbo is also a given, can't have every person in the world playing a multiplayer game gunning you down with a pistol that shoots all 9 rounds in 1 second. So with that being said no negative marks given for the lack of those features.

In this current generation of gaming the major push was to drop the wires and go wireless. Microsoft did an outstanding job on not only including wireless on the controller but a reliable, fast, and long-range wireless solution was used.

The Xbox 360 controller comes with two vibration motors. Each one has the ability to operate at different levels of intensity independently. So the left motor can be at full intensity while the right motor can be on low or not on at all.

The Charge Port allows one to connect a Play and Charge Kit up to allow the gamer to use the controller at the same time recharging the batteries.

The Expansion Port has a built in 2.5mm audio connector which allows someone to connect another device off of your controller. Typically gamers use this port to plug in their headsets or chatpad. The controller allows for full-duplex voice communications.

Giving the features a solid 9.0 for stellar wireless range and dual independent varying vibration motors.

Design

The major improvement from the original Xbox controller by far is the controller's size and weight. Microsoft's original controllers were designed for men who had huge hands like Paul Bunyan or an ape. Microsoft realizing that Paul Bunyan is a myth and that apes can't buy video games redesigned the controller to fit pretty much the majority of hand sizes.

The controller has a total of 14 buttons (if you don't count the battery release button), two 360 degree sticks, D-Pad, expansion port, and charge port. All 14 buttons (Left Trigger/Bumper, Right Trigger/Bumper, A, B, X, Y, Guide, Back, Start, Connect, and two 360 Sticks when they are pressed in) are easy to reach and use even when performing hard combos or split second head shots. The trigger buttons and 360 sticks unlike the rest of the buttons are pressure sensitive. Giving the gamer the ability to adjust pressure to these buttons in which the game can react differently (for example walk instead of run). Both 360 Sticks operate as buttons when pressed in and are very accurate.

So here enters pretty much only demise of the controller, the infamous Directional Pad or the D-Pad. While I understand that, based on what games you play, the D-Pad may be the least used feature on the controller or not used at all. However, to me that is no excuse. I also understand what Microsoft was trying to go for, an eight directional D-Pad on a pivot device allows the pad to be moved up-right just as easy as it would be to go right. Thirdly I realize that Microsoft wanted to keep their controller more open to options in the fact that eight directions are twice as versatile as four directions.

With all that being said the D-Pad is quite bad and while the D-Pad is placed in a good position the design of the actual D-Pad itself is horrible. This part of the controller receives the most criticism and for good reason. The gamer has to press the D-Pad exactly on center to get results they want. Any off-center press results in unexpected results.

This controller also has a well placed Charge Port (between the Triggers/Bumpers) and a well placed Expansion Port (on the bottom of the controller).

Going to have to give the design a rating of 8.5 due to the D-Pad epic failure.

Performance

This controller has been built to perform with precision, speed, and accuracy. The system was engineered to allow the gamer to compete in fast action situations. Every aspect of the controller works like a charm with the exception of the D-Pad, of course.

The response of the controller is amazing, there are no noticeable lag and no delay between a button press and the action on your TV. The delay difference between a wired controller and a wireless controller is rated at 4 milliseconds (or 4/1000 of a second).

Wireless range is something to write home about. The 2.4-GHz wireless technology used has a 30-foot range according to Microsoft (of course diminishing the length as you go through walls and other objects). This controller delivers that and then some. I tested on multiple controllers the range exceeds the 30 feet. It also works well through walls and ceiling perfectly even 20 and 25 feet away.

The wireless controller's effective use of energy is impressive. On two typical AA batteries the controller can operate nearly 40 hours.

The D-Pad is the only flaw on the performance of this controller. I do believe one feature Microsoft wanted to add was to give the D-Pad a mind of its own and it will pick what direction it wants you to go in. Joking aside the D-Pad is way too sensitive for what most people want to use it for and all too often it will decide you pressed up when you really pressed right. A fail on an otherwise awesome controller.

Once again the D-Pad brings this rating to an 8.5 for performance.

Durability

This controller is a very well built to withstand the typical punishment delivered by the average gamer. These controllers withstand jarring, dropping, hitting, and even being tossed on the ground. These controllers are built to take a beating and to keep on performing. I have seen my controllers take drives down the stairs, being stepped on, and even tossed outside (have to love kids) and survive like champs. So with that being said don't try to toss the controller down the stairs or throw it into a brick wall - I am not saying these controllers are indestructible. What I am saying is that many gamers don't need to worry about them breaking in half and more about the other durability issues.

I am talking about wear and tear. The general controller itself wears down very nicely. The body of the controller does not wear down and the buttons stay pretty much operating like normal. Like anything, it will wear down over time. The bumpers seem to be the first of the buttons to start to wear down and become less responsive over time.

The largest wear down issue is with the 360 Sticks. These wear down the fastest simply due to the fact that these are the most used feature on the controller. The main issue people start to see are the four little grips start to fade away and the matted rough finish (used for grip) starts to become smooth. Another known issue many face is when the sticks start lose their spring. The sticks are designed to spring back to the middle position when they are released but over time the springs start to lose their effectiveness. This results in what some people call a "ghost" affect. This simply means, without the gamer touching the sticks, the character in the game will move ever so slightly.

Even with the controller's rough characteristics I am giving this bad boy a 8.5 due to the fast wearing down nature of the 360 Sticks.

Copyright 2011. All rights reserved.