Unfortunately last summer there was a flood in our house. I got back from a lovely cruise to find the house flooded with a couple of inches of water across the floors. Well to cut a long story short, I had my Xbox 360 on me because I collected it from England to take to Spain as I stayed there for a while. In excitement of actually being able to play the Xbox 360 because it was being fixed for the last month, I almost cried when I went downstairs to see the lounge wrecked. My controller, hard drive, remote...everything! It was all water-logged because the room was so humid. Luckily the TV and PC didn't brake. Well, I switched on my controller in desperation that it worked, but it didn't! That was the worst mistake to make, which I will never make again, because switching on anything electronic when water is around can short out the circuit and break it for good, which I did. We got insurance to pay off for the damage, and soon after the disaster, I headed out to buy a new controller. Anyway, that's just a personal anecdote for you and a lesson to learn...Don't switch on electrics when there's water around! It's best to wait and try to dry it out before even attempting to switch it on.

Anyway, on subject of the controller, it was defiantly worth buying due to the wireless feature and it just feels so much better, providing the ultimate gaming experience. It's the same shape and size as the original wired controller, but just with no wire coming out the back. In place of this, there is a hole for the charger to slot into, so you can charge it up. The charger itself can fit into any USB plug. I am guessing it is like this due to the two USB slots in the Xbox 360 itself, so I just leave my charger plugged in there so I can easily charge the controller whenever it gets low. The charger has a really long cable, which is dark grey. Kind of ironic that there is such a long wired charger cable that comes with the wireless controller, but at least you don't get tangled up whilst playing! However, this charger must be bought separately with the rechargeable battery pack.

The controller is small at around 16cm long and 8cm wide with two longer sides. As I said, it is the same as the wired controller, but just wireless. Therefore it has the same buttons in the same place. The Guide button is situated bang on the top in the centre of the controller. This will take you to the Xbox 360 Dashboard when pressed. If you hold this, you can choose if you would like to switch of your controller of switch off the console. The great thing about this, is that you can switch off the console, then just leave the controller on the table beside you to play later with no need to worry about wires across the floor. Either side of this guide button, which lights up with four sections (corresponding according to what player you are) are the back and start buttons. The controller makes use of two analogue sticks that smoothly rotate as well as click, which can be used in some games. The analogue sticks are diagonal to each other with the D-Pad in-between. This can be used to scroll though menus, and in certain games for different actions. To the right of the controller are the main buttons: A, B, Y and X coloured green, red, yellow and blue respectively.

If you have a standard headset with a wire that plugs into your controller, the slot is at the bottom, represented as a small circular hole. Turning it round to the top, you will find some of the most commonly used buttons (and triggers). They are almost always used in games such as racing ones, so you can control your acceleration like a pedal. Here, we have the L and R trigger, standing for left and right respectively and the RB and LB buttons, which simply stand for right button and left button. Obviously they are coordinated so your left hand will be controlling the left trigger and button and vice versa with the right hand. Out of the way at the back, in between these triggers and buttons is the slot for the charger as I mentioned before, but also a small button, exclusive to the 360 Wireless Controller! Don't get too excited, it is only used to connect to the console! Just hold this down for a second and the lights on the controller I earlier mentioned will start to flash. This means your controller is searching for a console to connect to so that the controller can be used. Do the same on your Xbox 360 console, by pressing the search button. It has the same symbol by it, which looks like three curved lines representing a signal. The controller will work perfectly with the console within a range of up to 30 feet! This means you can be in the kitchen cooking tonight's dinner whilst becoming a world class formula one driver... Who says people can't multi-task?

Flipping over the controller, here we have the battery pack. Now, it has no wire so how does it receive electricity? Batteries obviously! Actually I have the charger pack instead because I am so cool and need the ultimate gaming kit (/sarcasm). So yeah, the pack easily comes off by just applying a wee bit of pressure to the top and literally it falls off, but don't let it drop to the ground! Now you can get a lovely view of the guts of the controller...the circuit board! All the legal stuff is in here too with the European standards logo and all the rest, like a picture of a dustbin with a cross over it...yeah. There is a bar code in here too. No, they don't open this up and take off the battery pack to scan this when you buy it. I think this was just used in manufacturing to keep track of the controller. Also, the serial number is on this label. The pack itself, whether a battery one or charge pack easily comes off. There is a hole in the top to easily change the batteries, just make sure you get them the right way round. The chargeable pack that you can buy separately is quite a bit heavier but when it's fitted onto the controller, there really is no extreme difference in weight whatsoever. The controller looks great, like a typical gaming controller, but with a smooth look. The base colour is basically white, with the analogue sticks, D-Pad (Directional Pad) and the bottom of the controller in a darker grey. It has a really modern look.

Using the controller is easy. You only have to connect it to the console once. From then onwards, every time you switch on the controller it will automatically detect your console, and assign itself to the Xbox 360. To switch it on, you simply hold the guide button, and this will switch on your console simultaneously too, which is handy I must say. When holding it, it has a really nice feel. It fits in your hand just right, and every single button, yup every single one of all those buttons and triggers can be reached effortlessly without having to stretch, but not all at the same time, or you may injure yourself! Don't worry, you never have to press every button at once whilst playing a game, or it would be a matter of large hands rather than skill of shooting/racing etc... It fits in your hands very well, adequately, whether they are big or small. If you are a baby with tiny hands, then you will have problems using the controller, and if you are a baby reading this, then congratulations, you are a genius.

Well, that's about it for the look and feel. How about the smell? Now then, smelling mine is rather unique. My controller and I have been through some difficult times, so don't mock us! My controller smells of ... I don't know but it's quite nice! My hands get quite sweaty whilst playing, so be careful you don't sweat so much that you break your controller, as they are quite fragile when it comes to water, as I found out! Opening up the back, you can smell the good old electrics in there...lovely. Anyway, the taste lets move onto that. Oh wait my bad, sorry. No, do not eat your controller or it won't be very pleased. Sometimes it is tempting to just slash at your controller with your teeth, but it really hurts. The analogue sticks are soft and chewy, but this is an unattractive sight to look at with bite marks all over it. I would say the best way to take out aggression is on a convenient punch bag hanging beside your gaming chair...wouldn't that be great. My controller has got some dirt in parts actually, like in the small holes on the start and back buttons and in-between the grooves leading up to the D-Pad and analogue stick. If you give it a wipe over every now and then, it will stay in mint condition, but spray or wet a cloth, don't directly spray onto the controller as it is sure to damage it.

Ok, so you have been tempted to get one of these. Well, the RRP is £32.99, which isn't bad. The controller helps to provide the ultimate wire free gaming experience! Refer to my review on the wireless headset to add to your wireless collection. They are pretty well-made but be careful with them when water is about, it wrecks them. If you have the battery pack, two AA batteries (standard) will last around 40 hours, which is good going. You will receive ample warning, in fact the warning is more than ample, to tell you that the battery is running low. After all, the last thing you want is the battery running out half way through a game! To notify you of this, the circular lights surrounding the guide button appear to rotate. The controller can be bought anywhere from Amazon.co.uk to Game, Dixons, Virgin Megastores, Tesco, Asda and elsewhere!

Included in the package:

* Wireless Controller
* Battery Pack
* Two AA Batteries

- All for £32.99

In conclusion, it is a great product that is well worth buying. I have to say the controller is the most annoying part of a console when there are wires, as they just get in the way, lie along the floor, trip you up, and it's just ten times better without them! You can take the controller wherever you go easily, and you can be within a wide range of 30 feet and still play perfectly. So if you fancy standing by the range, cooking dinner whilst playing your Xbox 360, then this is the number one tool to go on your shopping list!

Thank you for reading, rating and commenting.

- Recon -