PRICE: RETAIL- $44.99

The release of the XBOX 360 brought a sigh of releif to the PC gaming community hoping make use of it’s controller under the Windows platform. This controller uses a standard “USB” connector and will install under Windows using the proper drivers supplied by Microsoft. The controllers sleek design is slightly smaller than the original XBOX “S” controller and also sports a softer feel. The black and white “thumb” buttons on the original XBOX controller were replaced by two extra triggers on the 360 version, these are programmable as most buttons are via the controls menu in the majority of games. This controller operates pretty well in most games post calibration in “start/control panel/game controllers”. For games without support for gamepads there are several third party tools like Pinnacle which allow you to create custom game profiles and map keyboard commands to the controller. I have tested and confirm this controller works excelent under: NBA LIVE 06,Tiger Woods 06, NHL 06, Need For Speed Underground 1+2, HALO PC, Harry Potter - Chamber of secrets, Harry Potter - Goblet of fire, All Lord Of The Ring games and Track Mania Sunrise. Not to say that this controller won’t work excelent under other games, though these are which I have tested.

Now for those “not so great” aspects of this controller. The pretty silver “X” in the center of the controller takes you to the XBOX LIVE menu on the 360 console. However, this button has no function as of yet for operation on the Windows platform. The “X” Lights up for aproximatly 3 seconds if it’s connected during the PC’s boot sequence. One of the biggest downfalls of the controller is the lack of “rumble” while operating under Windows. I have yet to find support for this even with third party tools. That is a big no/no. The lack of support for the issues I’ve mentioned come from the drivers Microsoft has provided for this controller. I have written them several times about these issues and will keep writing them until I see some progress, But you know Microsoft! All in all I give this controller 4 out of 5 stars simply because It has EXCELENT design , feels comfortable and operates as a “game pad” under windows far better than any I have come across as of yet. The reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is for the two main Issues I stated above, The lack of Rumble and support for the guide “X” button. Come on Microsoft! Release new drivers/fixes so I can hook you up with that extra star!