Anyone who bought the first Xbox remembers the the monstrosity of a controller it came with. My friends and I called it "the hamburger", due to its massive size. If we played a four player game, someone had to play with "the hamburger". Admitting that the design was weak, Microsoft created the "controller S", a smaller version of the same controller that was far superior in terms of comfort, but still lacking. The ill-designed black and white buttons were in a bad spot, and marred what would have been the best controller of the last generation (I still preffered the Dual Shock, Sony's PS2 creation). But then the Xbox 360 came, and Microsoft created the finest controller of all time. A controller so effective in design, comfort, and performance, that all gaming controllers will be copies of this design.
Unmatched Comfort
Everyone who comes over to my place eventually holds the Xbox 360 wireless controller. I make them do it, just so they can see what an amazing piece of architecture it is. The controller is almost weightless in your hands. Even with batteries in it, it feels like nothing. If you hold it, your hand naturally falls into the right spot. Every button and trigger is easily accessible, and the black and white buttons that made the first controller cumbersome to use, have been moved to the top of the controller. Similar to the design of the Dual Shock, you now have more options on the top of the controller, and less to push on the face of it. You can play games for hours, and you won't even notice the controller in your hands. Amazing.
Unmatched Performance
Microsoft claims that the wireless controllers will work up to 30 feet away. Well, unless you want to play from another room, you will never be this far away. That being said, the performance on these controllers is far and above anything that a wireless controller has ever attempted. At no point has this controller not done what I wanted it to. I own several wireless PS2 controllers, and while they work well, they often glitch, freeze, and ruin my game. Playing on a wireless controller on a PS2 controller is at best a mild convenience compared to the hiccups and poor performance that I often deal with. This is not an issue with the Xbox 360 wireless controller. Once again... amazing.
Unmatched Features
The Xbox 360 wireless controller is so easy to set up and use, you'll wonder why other companies couldn't get this right before. Out of the box, all you do is put the batteries in, press connect on the Xbox 360 and the controller and you're set. The Xbox recognizes the controller, and from then on you're set. The big "X" in the middle does everything (Microsoft calls this the "Ring of Light"). The RoL is simple in execution, yet genius in how it works.
Hold the RoL and the Xbox 360 assigns the controller as player one through four (the ring is set into four quadrants, and one of them lights up to let you know who you are). Not only that, but if the console is off, holding the RoL will put the system on. Why no one has thought of this before is beyond me, but nothing is better than sitting on the couch and turning on the system with one push of a button. The RoL also brings up the Dashboard menu, letting you switch profiles, change your music, or even lets you turn off the system without getting up. Am I lazy? Yes. Do I care? No.
Unmatched Price?
The only downside of this godly controller? It's $50. In current generation terms, that's one to two games for a controller. However, to put it in perspective, it's only $10 more than the wired controller (which is 100% the same, but with a wire). I consider ten bucks to be worth it when you have there no wires to trip over, and with four of these bad boys in the same room, passing controllers or moving around is not an issue.
To add to the price, the rechargeable battery is almost a must. Two AA batteries will last maybe 10-15 hours (thought Microsoft would have you believe 40-hours is the max, but that is if you disable the rumble feature, which is something that a hardcore gamer would not be without). The rechargeable battery itself retails for about $12, or $20 if you want the charger with it too (you only need one charger). This makes the controller a $60 investment. Pricey? Oh yeah. But you spent $400 on a system, why skimp on everything else?
Closing Thoughts
Why have I spent 30 minutes of my life raving over a controller? Because it's the finest controller in the world. If you own an Xbox 360, you MUST get the wireless controller. Anything wired is marring your experience. If you feel I've missed anything in this review, then you own a wireless Xbox 360 controller, and you know exactly how I feel anyways.
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