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Microsoft Xbox Controller S
by AverageJoseph
INTRO
When Microsoft's first Xbox came onto the scene, it had to compete with both the mighty Sony Playstation2 and Nintendo's GameCube. Forcing a gap in the market and offering up a good amount of 'Xbox Exclusives', it gathered a large fan base thanks to such exclusivity in the games of Halo, KOTOR and games previously scheduled ... only for PC. To control their games though, they had to come up with something good - which that didn't manage at first with the original Xbox controller being a chunky handful dubbed the 'plate'. Eventually came this, the 'S' controller, a slimmer, smaller and sleeker model - being 3 of the possible identities behind its name - which was the original release in Japan (meaning the fatty was probably made to cater to chubby western fingers!), though offered no difference in gameplay other than size and layout. Most gamers know that Sony pretty much perfected the art of controllers with their Playstation's first release - which has remained unchanged (except introducing wireless technology) through 3 generation consoles. How did the 'S' compete? Well lets take a look shall we..
DESIGN
Coming in various colours related to the console, the 'S' comes in standard black, green and clear (crystal). The buttons are almost identical to that of a Playstation's, in that they have the same number and relatively similar concepts. The difference being the main 4 buttons, instead of being shapes, are A, X, Y & B in primary colours (+ green). Start & Back (Select) are lifted, as are clickable look & move analogue sticks, L & R triggers and the Directional Pad. Where the PS has 4 bumpers, the 'S' makes up for with the previously mentioned triggers and small black & white buttons. New models from several manufacturers would include wireless, turbo modes and even switches to enable/disable vibration, which is always on with this (a bit redundant as most games feature this choice in the options). Thanks to the preference of buttons over bumpers, the 'S' is more focused on using thumbs as only the triggers require index fingers. One thing that this has over its counterpart is its memory card slots - which are quite large and not much to brag about as most gamers didn't bother with the memory cards (what with xbox live) and so where only handy for transporting game saves/profiles. The length of the cable is around 2 metres - more than adequate (some time annoying as you must wrap it around the unit) - with a disconnector slot... which is another pointless addition as it bears no importance whatsoever. There are no flashing lights to distract, nor rubbery grips (except on sticks) that some variations include. Overal, the transition between PS and Xbox is practically seamless.
FAULTS
This is where the controller critically fails. Anyone who has held system link games with friends will know of the complications involved. Games with several people obviously require as many controllers and as such, someone may have forgotten or not own one and will either sit out of the fun or end up using a filthy 'glitchy' one. Here's a quick list of the common problems endured via general use of gaming.
- Analogue stick rubber peels away with use, revealing harsh plastic
- Analogue sticks break, no longer offering the choice to 'click'
- Analogue sticks can permanently be stuck, moving in one direction on screen slowly
- Wire case can easily dislodge from the model and reveal vital inner wires
- Buttons can stick inside the model if any sort of liquid hits them
- Triggers can collapse inside themselves
- Controller ports can break inside the console (even though there are 4)
VERDICT
With countless imitations and knocks offs, you'd think one company would be able to create a solid and stable version but no, I am yet to come across a decent model even after 10 years of use. Of course, because of the state these can get into, they are practically worthless unless new - then they are still over a tenner. So you need to treat them like gold-dust, knowing they are fragile and that even without any intese use, they will deteriorate over time.
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Microsoft Xbox 360 Controller
by stacey10304
Im not a massive fan of the XBOX 360, being a PS3 fangirl myself. Never the less we have one in our household for those few XBOX exclusives that arent released for the PS3.
XBOX's are quite renowned for being unreliable and can often go faulty - this isnt the case for the controllers however. Somehow they have managed to build ... a controller that can stand the test of time, I dont think I have ever had one go faulty on me.
The controller itself is quite chunky, which I find quite difficult to use - probably because I am so used to using my PS3 controller which is a lot smaller and slimmer. I also find the controllers to feel quite heavy in my hands, especially with batteries in the back of it aswell. This is another negative aspect that needs mentioning, the controllers are not rechargable and need batteries to work, and they drain the power from the batteries very quickly so it costs quite alot to keep it powered. This is unless you invest in a play and charge kit, which allows you to plug your pad into your xbox and charge it as you need to, it is worth mentioning however that the standard price for this is is around £17.99 - which is a hell of a lot of money for a rechargable battery. The shape of the controllers also means that it gets quite dirty really easily as thhey are lots of gaps and nooks where dirt and dust can get stuck, and they can be quite difficult to clean with the aid of a toothpick or something similar (my hands are very clean i feel I should mention, but yet my xbox pad always manages to get dirty somehow).
The buttons on the xbox are resonably responsive apart from the d-pad. The d-pad is possibly one of the worst designed I have ever tried to use, its in accurate and incredibly hard to actually get it moving in the right direction - this is particularly noticable when your trying to use the onscreen keyboard.
The controllers retail for around £35-£40 (it is also worth noting that you can buy a limited edition silver controller with a play ad charge kit included for £44.99 from certain stores). They now also come in a range of colours, off white, silver, black, pink, green, yellow (the last three very rare), you can also get limited edition Halo and Modern Warfare pads, the latest to be released are the chrome series, which come in red, silver and blue. There is also a new white (actually white not that dingy off white colour like the older ones) that come with free england flag decals.
Overall, I am not a fan of these controllers. I find them too big and chunky and too expensive to maintain, but if you wanna play on the xbox then these are the best things for it. I realise that I have criticised microsoft alot here, but this is just how I feel about them after being an avid player of the Playstation for most of my life.
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Nintendo Wii Nunchuk Controller
by gameboy86
The nunchuck controller attaches the to base of the Wii Remote to act as the main method of movement of a particular character within a game. It boasts and analogue stick with an octagonal base for precise directional movement, a small C button and larger Z button. It also features gyroscopic motion control, but no pointer control like ... the standard Wii Remote does.
As an add-on controller, the nunchuck does what it's supposed to - it's essentially designed to be the left-hand side of a standard controller, just seperated from it by the cable.
There are few gripes to be had with the design of the nunchuck, but some may complain that the buttons are digital and not analogue which seems like a missed opportunity to gain even more precision when it comes to button presses. Some may also miss the ridges on the top of the analogue still which generally appear on older controllers like the GameCube. You may find that your thumb slides off the stick a lot easier than it would with an analogue stick that has the ridges.
All in all, the controller functions well and does it's job, but there's a couple of ommissions which prevent perfection.
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