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On Tuesday, Microsoft released an updated version of their Xbox 360 controller. Clad in a shiny silver exterior shell and sporting a monochromatic color scheme, its real point of interest is the new design of the directional pad.
It’s no secret: gamers everywhere loathe the official Microsoft Xbox 360’s directional pad. While it may be “good enough” for most modern games, the cheap plastic disc performs poorly in more retro-styled games as well as fighting games that require precise movement control and accuracy.
The new D-pad design features a “transforming” D-pad. Basically, it starts out looking like the 360’s former “cup” D-pad with a traditional cross-shaped D-pad embedded in the center. With a 45° turn of this cup, the cross pad raises up, giving a finer sense of control for retro, fighting, and any other kind of game that makes heavy use of the digital directional pad.
The new D-pad raises and lowers the cross
The color is now a pewter silver, accompanied by a monochromatic color scheme. In particular, the A,B,X,Y buttons are now only shades of gray. While aesthetically it looks rather neat, it could create some confusion as many games use the color-coded buttons for input prompts — some even just say “press red”, which may throw off more casual players.
The analog sticks received a subtle change to the concave cup where the thumbs rest. Instead of the traditional 360 bowl with four rubberized nubs, it forgoes the nubs and has more of a ridged feel. It’s not a radical change, and probably won’t add or detract from the previous design.
The controller is a bit pricey at an MSRP of $64.99. This is in part due to the fact that it is bundled with the Xbox 360 Play and Charge kit, which includes a rechargeable battery pack and a USB-powered charge cable that hooks up to the controller. However, lower prices have been spotted. For example, as of Tuesday.
http://gaming.icrontic.com/news/new-silver-xbox-360-controller-released-with-transforming-d-pad/
Looks good, I wonder would someone come out with stickers for the buttons since some newbies might still prefer having colored buttons.
