Customer Reviews

Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless Controller for Windows

5 star:		(76)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

If you have Vista and play games then you need this controller. Works perfect without the need of installing drivers or gamepad/game configuration. Finally an easy care-free gamepad for Windows! Remember not to install the CD that comes with this controller if you have Vista. I've had this controller for over a month now and it works perfectly. Take note that the batteries go fairly quickly.

UPDATE 2/6/2011
I've been using the controller for a few hundred hours now and it still works fine. I've dropped it a few times, tossed it around in my backpack, and even stepped on it -- it still works perfectly! The main con still exists. My motherboard hangs on startup whenever this is plugged in. I tried flashing my motherboard to the newest update, but the problem didn't go away. No software fixes have been released to give the controller the ability to be turned off without taking out the batteries either. I haven't been tracking the battery life, but I believe I am getting over 40 hours. The controller is holding up great!

UPDATE 12/20/10
I've been using the controller for some time now and it still works fine. I have used it for over 40 hours and the battery still seems to be working fine. So, the battery life is as good as advertised, perhaps even better. The controller is in good condition and there is no significant "dead-zone" in the analog sticks and the buttons are just like when they were new. Construction and durability is definitely great as well. I only have one complaint I have noticed though. Whenever I have this controller's receiver plugged into my computer, it boots up slower. After the computer does the POST boot up test and beeps, it hangs and waits about 20 seconds before proceeding. I looked at the LED boot code on my motherboard during this delay and it said the USB controller was being initialized. So, whenever I have this plugged in, it takes the computer a bit longer to start up. This is a huge con for me as I like to have a fast and snappy startup. My solution is just to leave it unplugged until I start using it. I guess the reciever has a large power draw and slows the bootup or maybe my motherboard thinks that the receiver is for a keyboard and tries to set it up to control the computer which doesn't work. I'm not exactly sure why. (For tech people: My computer is self-built and has an EVGA x58 motherboard using AwardBios with an i7 920 processor. Maybe that info will be useful)

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REVIEW:

This controller by far is the best controller for the PC. The ergonomics of the button layout and the precision of the analog sticks and buttons are fantastic. The large number of games with built in 360 controller support/profiles make it a desirable choice, especially when considering the versatility to use the same controller on an Xbox 360 console.

I have tried it on multiple games such as Team Fortress 2, The Last Remnant, Dirt 2, Assassin's Creed, and more. The controller works flawlessly with no input lag or incorrect button presses. I have even used programs such as Xpadder and Dolphin Emulator with the controller to test it out and it performs perfectly. One of the greatest strengths about this controller is that many games have already created profiles for the controller. With my old logitech rumple pad 2, I would have to manually create a profile and would often change buttons around to try and find what feels "right". With this controller, the guesswork is eliminated in most games and all games will recognize the controller. Some games

Another huge positive is the ability to connect multiple controllers to one receiver. I have played multiplayer games with many controllers hooked up to the same receiver and had no trouble. The receiver is able to differentiate the button presses of the different controllers and everything works out smoothly. Also, you can go and hook up these controllers to an xbox 360 after if you need to and they will work just as a regular 360 wireless controller would. (I had some friends bring over their wireless 360 controllers. We paired them to my receiver and then they later took them back home and reconnected them with their 360s.)

You get a pack of two duracell AA batteries, the controller, instruction manuals, drivers CD, and wireless receiver. Unlike what others have said about having to go to Microsoft's website to get the drivers, I merely ran the CD and followed the onscreen instruction and my controller was set up in under 5 minutes. (I am using Windows 7 64 bit). The receiver is able to work through obstacles; currently, mine is behind my wooden computer desk and it still works fine. The software also comes with a widget-like program for the desktop that shows the number of controllers connected and help files. I find it largely useless, however, maybe you will like it.

Many reviewers seem to be complaining about the power draw of the receiver being too high and being unable to boot up with the receiver plugged in. I feel no such problems on my computer and I leave my receiver plugged in 24/7 along with 9 other USB devices such as 2 hard drives, 2 printers, gaming mouse and keyboard, and more. I don't think the power draw from the receiver is anything to be concerned about. However, I do have a semi-powerful power supply (800watts). Also, the green light on the receiver is bright enough to see and not bright enough to disturb your slumber if you sleep in the same room as you computer. Some people complain about a fuse blowing in the receiver. I have not faced any issue like that, and even if it does happen, I can simply purchase a new receiver for about $10 online and pair my controller to the new receiver.

CONS:
The only thing that I can even say is a negative for this amazing controller is a lack of a dedicated off button. From what I understand, on the Xbox, you would hold down the center Xbox button and press turn off controller. On the pc however, this button does not function the same way. Every time I am done playing, I have to manually remove the battery pack and put it back in. This only takes about 15 seconds to do, however, it would be nice if there was a safer and "official" way to do this. Since this version is specifically targeted at PCs, there should be some sort of off button made available. Or the drivers should allow the long press of the xbox button to pull up a menu similar to the 360's, so that the controller can be turned off. Not a big deal.

Also, the use of actual batteries is a bit disappointing. In this age, it would be much more preferable to have a standard rechargeable battery pack. The good thing is that that there are a plethora of cheap 3rd party rechargeable battery packs. The bad news is that they cost money. The controller comes with two duracell batteries which lasted me over the advertised 40 hours.

SLOWS BOOTUP

Final Thoughts:
So, if you're in need of a controller to play games for which the keyboard and mouse just feel awkward, look no further! Your search has ended.

First off, this is one of the best controllers I've owned, works with Xbox360 as well, which is a big plus. Another thing I'd like to add is that after you purchase this, and would like to add another controller to play multiplayer games like FIFA, NBA Live, Street Fighter, etc, you just need to buy another regular Xbox360 controller. You don't need to buy another one of this model with the wireless receiver, regular 360 controllers will be recognized by the single receiver. The receiver can have a maximum of 4 controllers connected.

Other than that, the item I bought was stated as NEW, but the package came opened, the plastic packaging was slit throughout and was taken out before. Should have stated as openbox item, not NEW.

This is a great heavy controller. Didn't use included software - simply connected it to Vista(32), let it install the software automatically, then turned on the controller and let it install that automatically.

This controller is ridiculously more precise than the Logitech controllers I've tried (with the square area for the joysticks). I'm having SO much more fun playing games, especially racing games.

Rumble feature works for me.

The transceivers that come with the controllers are crap, shame I didn't learn about it until after I picked one up but these things have been failure prone for years. The power draw is high and users have had USB devices that were plugged in simultaneously fail (actual device failure, just just plug back in failure), and even if it doesn't kill other devices, the receiver is prone to fail itself. There was a link on Engadget years ago describing these issues and user feedback.

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The problem with the receivers themselves is that the power draw is so high the F1 fuse on the unit is blowing (which could potentially kill underpowered USB devices on same computer). It can be opened up and hacked manually, but why should you have to do that? Now you've got a device which takes too much power, and exceeds the operating limits that even MS defined.

Oh - and product only warrantied for 90 days, never mind that the receiver doesn't get the wear and tear that the controller would. Disappointing, bad design that's sure to fail after long enough, and I would not recommend.

Using it on Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit and works fine.

Downloaded and installed that latest 64 bit software for the controller from Microsoft and then plugged everything in and it worked perfectly.

It fits well in the hand and is not too heavy. Only tried it with Batman Asylum so far and it worked out of the box with all buttons mapped.

I have a USB wireless keyboard and mouse, a wireless USB receiver for my Windows Media Center remote, and now this wireless controller. My wireless router is 1 foot behind the TV. Everything works fine without any interference.

Not as good as a keyboard and mouse for for some games (I am not going to use this on any of my FPS games because its too slow compared to a mouse).

It simply works. The best part is because its made my Microsoft and highly backed by them thanks to the Xbox360, all the PC games I tried were preconfigured for it to work just like they would if I was playing the xbox360 version.

my only issues with the controller is that it wouldn't update the software properly. It would prompt me to update but then tell me I wasn't connected to the internet and that it couldn't. It eventually updated after about 7 tries. And then there is the issue of turning off the controller. If you hit the guide button it pops up a small menu on the screen which shows battery life and there is a button to open some options with the mouse, but none of the options are to turn off the controller. My solution for turning off the controller has been pulling off the battery or just wait the 10 minutes for it to shut itself off.

So far I have only used this for emulators, Project64, ZSNES, and JNES. Works great.

I won't waste words reiterating that which so many others have already said regarding the great performance of this controller. We've all played an Xbox, we all know that Microsoft knows how to make computer components.

Here's the rub: you literally cannot use any other wireless devices (bluetooth is fine) at the same time. Even using my Wacom tablet (the tablet itself uses a USB cable connection ... but the pen itself is wirelessly sending info to the tablet) renders the controller confused and utterly unable to find the receiver, even when scant inches from said component.

Seems a bit busch league to me, but on the bright side: i don't often need to use my tablet and the controller at the same time. if it weren't for the fact that rebooting is the only way to reset the coupling, I wouldn't mind at all.

PRO: The design of the Xbox 360 controller is a very comfortable, ergonomic one. The ability to use these controllers on your PC, after installing the included CD, makes it a great PC controller as well. The wireless receiver that comes with this item is very useful, and can be used on the PC with more than one Xbox 360 wireless accessory (ie: driving wheel, wireless headset, etc).

CON: The wireless controller goes through standard AA batteries very quickly, and after you go through a handful of standard batteries you feel compelled to spend an $20 extra dollars on the plug and play kit, which includes a rechargeable battery and usb cable to charge the controller with while playing. The irony appears when you find yourself sitting with a controller in your hand that has a wire to the xbox, and you think to yourself that you could have spent $40 on a wired controller for the same experience that this now "wired" wireless controller is giving you for $80.

FINAL THOUGHTS: You require at least one wireless controller when using an xbox 360, as it only supports 3 wired controllers, and many games allow up to 4 players on the same box. The PC receiver is great for utilizing some of the other xbox 360 accessories in windows. The price difference between the standard wireless and the wireless for windows is only about $10. It is worth it if you enjoy PC gaming, otherwise save your money and buy a standard controller.