Rounding off my set of game controller reviews, we meet the XBOX 360's wireless pad. After many hours of strenous testing this is my outcome.
Coming with every console , and available in many colours, it boasts 40 hours battery life and a huge 30ft range.
===Controller===
The design of the controller is my favorite of the 3 , the placement of the sticks is way better although the fact the controller is white means it shows up dirt and scratches.
So looking at the front , we can see it has a rounder shape than its playstation counterpart. This makes the handles feel a lot sturdier and easier to grip in your palms.
The two sticks are set apart diagonaly and also indented at the top letting yoru thumbs rest into them and harder to slip, they also have 4 bumps in the four directions which is a nice touch when your pushing in that direction. The sticks also dont fall to the same trap of wear as the playstation does at is a more rubbery feel.
The D pad is a lot less pronounced on this controller and is enclosed in a circle, the arrows are slightly raised letting you push the direction quicker and easier.
X,A,B and Y are used for the action buttons and are brightly coloured to make easier accosiations when prompted during the game, they letters are encased in a bubble which is slightly see through , bringing a bit of colour to the dull white and grey.
Bang in the centre is the dashboard button, used to bring up the XBOX menu. It has the microsoft X cut into it which looks quite cool , easpecially when the green LED shines through it. Sorrounding this is 4 segments relating to your controller number, which are helpfully numberd and make it easier to tell who is who , than on the playstation. Next to this is the start and select buttons.
Moving round to the back their are your four trigger buttons , these have no real grip and have rounded egdes making your fingers slip off easily. Add to this is the white colour showing off dirt and the back can soon start to look a bit grotty.
In the centre is the battery pack, about the size of a matchbox it doesnt add much to pad and holds 2 AA batteries. These are held in by a simple catch release button.
Above the pack is a port for connecting it to the xbox and re-charging it , which doesn't take long and the charger cord is considerably longer than the playstations , making charging not a problem.
Next to this is the sync button for connecting it to the XBOX, very useful if your taking it to a mates house as this is extremely simple and will connect in seconds.
On the bottom of the pad is a small port which you can connect your headset too or your windows messenger keyboard.
The respnce of the controller is a little slower than the ps3 due to the raised buttons , meaning although its more comfortable to hold, you do need to be a 1/2 second quicker with your actions. This may not seem alot but switching between different consoles and trying online play , you do soon notice it.
The controller also has a rumble function which is a little more powerful than the ps3.