Microsoft Plans Xbox 2 Wireless Controller Shake-up
Button allocation and more under consideration in US.
Microsoft US is planning a major overhaul of its existing Controller S, with both trigger and stick sensitivity and positioning being reviewed. As well as the analogue shake-up, the position of all buttons and the digital pad may well change.
It is widely thought that the almost forgotten black and white buttons may be scrapped, expected to be replaced with a more generic media-player or browser friendly suite of inputs.
Microsoft's pad evolution has been one of the Xbox's crowning glories. From the disastrous "burger" controller the machine launched with in the US and Europe, a rapid thinktank was established for the Japanese launch resulting in the Controller S, arguably one of the best controllers on the market to date. The revised unit then entirely replaced the "burger" and what could have been an embarrassing failure in understanding was turned into a triumph of "Microsoft listening and responding to gamers."
The controller for the Xbox 2 is expected to reflect the expanding role of the Xbox project and will only be made available in wireless form.
Expect more over the next year, with a sneak preview perhaps being on offer at this May's E3.
It is widely thought that the almost forgotten black and white buttons may be scrapped, expected to be replaced with a more generic media-player or browser friendly suite of inputs.
Microsoft's pad evolution has been one of the Xbox's crowning glories. From the disastrous "burger" controller the machine launched with in the US and Europe, a rapid thinktank was established for the Japanese launch resulting in the Controller S, arguably one of the best controllers on the market to date. The revised unit then entirely replaced the "burger" and what could have been an embarrassing failure in understanding was turned into a triumph of "Microsoft listening and responding to gamers."
The controller for the Xbox 2 is expected to reflect the expanding role of the Xbox project and will only be made available in wireless form.
Expect more over the next year, with a sneak preview perhaps being on offer at this May's E3.
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Comments
almondVanHelsing 26 Feb 2004 13:04
1/4
I don't think the Controller S is much of an improvement.
The black and white buttons are in a stupid place, you have to move your hand to press them, they should have been second triggers like PS2. It still gives hand cramps when you play Tony Hawks for over ten minutes. And you have to use the inside of the nuckle of your thumbs to move the sticks--most uncumfortable.
Only good thing about it is it stays on your knee when you take a drink!
The black and white buttons are in a stupid place, you have to move your hand to press them, they should have been second triggers like PS2. It still gives hand cramps when you play Tony Hawks for over ten minutes. And you have to use the inside of the nuckle of your thumbs to move the sticks--most uncumfortable.
Only good thing about it is it stays on your knee when you take a drink!
SPInGSPOnG 26 Feb 2004 17:00
2/4
almondVanHelsing wrote:
>I don't think the Controller S is much of an
>improvement.
I agree with professor Van Hellsing. I don't think the Controller S is much of an improvement, either.
But let's not forget the abomination it's not much of an improvement on. The original Xbox controller is designed for sausage fingered fatsos fromt eh Land of the Giants.
The S in Controller S stands for smells.
Only a Microsycophant could call it "one of the best controllers on the market to date". In fact, only the existence of the word "arguably" in that sentence saved you from a credibility gap the size of a large planet.
>I don't think the Controller S is much of an
>improvement.
I agree with professor Van Hellsing. I don't think the Controller S is much of an improvement, either.
But let's not forget the abomination it's not much of an improvement on. The original Xbox controller is designed for sausage fingered fatsos fromt eh Land of the Giants.
The S in Controller S stands for smells.
Only a Microsycophant could call it "one of the best controllers on the market to date". In fact, only the existence of the word "arguably" in that sentence saved you from a credibility gap the size of a large planet.
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Nobo 27 Feb 2004 08:05
3/4
It is very ironic that Microsoft went to a lot of trouble to re-design their controller for the Japanese launch of Xbox. I have never met anyone in Japan who owns an Xbox.
scanman 27 Feb 2004 09:42
4/4
I'm with you all the way.
The original XBox controller is the worst controller I've ever had in my (chubby) hands. Fat fingers or not, if your hands aren't big enough you're in agony with hand cramps within a couple of hours of play (with breaks, you health and safety dweebs)
The buttons have always been too domed, leaving you with an almost permanent dent in the middle of your thumb.
I thought the PS pad was bad after nearly endless days of playing Burnout left me with red, calloused thumbs, but the Xbox controller had me in the state after a few hours.
I was trying out 007 EoN yesterday at my local Game, and the stupid button positioning pissed my off so much, I couldn't be bothered with the game after 20 minutes. Shame, cause it seems (surprisingly) like such a good game.
The original XBox controller is the worst controller I've ever had in my (chubby) hands. Fat fingers or not, if your hands aren't big enough you're in agony with hand cramps within a couple of hours of play (with breaks, you health and safety dweebs)
The buttons have always been too domed, leaving you with an almost permanent dent in the middle of your thumb.
I thought the PS pad was bad after nearly endless days of playing Burnout left me with red, calloused thumbs, but the Xbox controller had me in the state after a few hours.
I was trying out 007 EoN yesterday at my local Game, and the stupid button positioning pissed my off so much, I couldn't be bothered with the game after 20 minutes. Shame, cause it seems (surprisingly) like such a good game.