Amazon.com Customer Reviews
Just, Keep Your Receipt... - Review written on September 16, 2008
Rating: 3 out of 5
1 customer found this review helpful, 1 did not.
I only really gave this three stars so that it'll catch some attention.
I really like the new Xbox controllers - they fit real nice and are comfortable even for many, many... ...many hours of gaming.
But I've had a bunch of issues with consistency. I now own 3 xbox 360 controllers. The one that game with the console worked fine for about 4 months, and now the left stick "wanders" - that is, if you let go of the stick, it continue reading forward motion. This causes characters to keep walking, cars to keep driving, and any kind of flying craft to nose dive. It has gotten to the point that I can't use the controller anymore. Some people claim that controllers just "do this" after extended use, but 4 months isn't a lot of time, especially when I swapped usage between this controller and the second that I bought separately with the console.
The second controller had a spring issue right out of the box - the "up" direction on the D-pad (the lower-left gray '+' button) had very little spring resistance. I always have to press up more deliberately than the other directions, and in face-paced games it can mean the difference between life and death if the button doesn't register. I can still use the controller, but I choose it for slower games like golf. I thought it would work itself out which is why I never returned it - my fault.
I recently bought one of the blue controllers (big PennState fan here) and it too has a slightly reduced spring feel to the up-D-pad button, but it's barely noticeable, and does not affect game play.
I'll keep my receipts in a safe place from here out, but otherwise, these controllers have good battery life and remain comfortable. They're also nice and heavy which makes them feel sturdy and reliable. Let's just hope that the later remains true.
its a good controller - Review written on August 28, 2008
Rating: 4 out of 5
1 customer found this review helpful, 1 did not.
I'd love to give this five stars, but i can't. As much as it costs, the play and charge kit, in my opinion should be included. The battery life though is great with batteries lasting as long as 20 to 30 hours sometimes. The controller is comfortable to use and feels nice in your hands, not slippery, and not gritty either, it will stay in your hands no matter what game you're playing, even if you're sweating like crazy. On an even better note, it's quite a durable piece of equipment, i've dropped mine countless times, but here's the downfall. the battery case is weak. if it splits, the controller will stop functioning well, a shake or jerk will turn it off and you'll have to turn it back on. You can glue it back, but will take the chance of ruining it if you're not careful. One more problem is that the controller has a very weak d-pad, it's not sensitive to be of any use in a game, it seems to lag and will often seem to ignore quick subsequent commands. Seeing as though you tend to use the joystick now more than the d-pad its not a problem so much. But menu navigating can be irritating if you use the d-pad. It also makes fighters sluggish and problematic. But the layout makes for great shooters,and great racing titles. Unfortunately there is one more issue with this controller. You can't leave it sit. What i mean is the controller needs to recieve a command within 10-15 minutes or it will shut off, that can be problematic while waiting for an event to pop up in some games or viewing replays and the like. The console will freeze up and exclaim the controller is missing and must be restarted before continuing. its a great controller, but i'd recommend the wired one, if you need more space than the cord can give then this is a good option. just jiggle the stick every once and a while to keep it from turning off when you need it on and are watching something.
The perfect controller for gamer girls - Review written on August 22, 2008
Rating: 5 out of 5
The most important thing about this controller is its color, pink. There are other colors available, but if you have a girl gamer in the house (I have two, my daughter and wife), then this will certainly make them happy. My daughter is thrilled to have her own controller, and she's especially happy about the color. Color-coded controllers also have an additional plus -- if both players pause a game and leave the room, each player knows exactly which controller is "his" or "hers" when they return.
Out of the box, the controller is easy to setup. The multi-language instruction sheet lists the simple steps you need to take to synchronize the controller with the console, so if you've never had to do this, it should not be that difficult. Microsoft includes 2 AA batteries with this, so you are ready to go as soon as you cut the controller out of the packaging.
The A, B, X, and Y buttons seemed a little more stiff than the original controller I have, but only time will tell if that's because it is new or because Microsoft has made a design change to the hardware. Otherwise, it's a quality product that works right out of the package exactly as expected, with no surprises.