Dan

link?

Decker

It's not them that would get into trouble. Due to a glitch, you could get locked out of Live:
Joystiq story

Dan

Dammit. They won't ship to Canada either. Actually, I think it's the same seller (their feedback quantity is insanely high)

mattysemo247

Let me know what you guys think about the new controller. As much as I wanted to grab one, I just couldn't justify it right now with three others that work just fine. But if the D pad is that much better, one might break by accident

tlwizard

No , I knew about that. And their message wasn't about due to system incompatabilities I might have trouble, it's... if you open this before it's supposed to be released, you're gonna be in big trouble and get banned from Live. We didn't do anything wrong, but if you open it you will do something wrong.

I already knew about people getting locked out of Live, but they're not getting banned. And what I wonder is if the people who are in the beta dashboard are the ones having the problems or if it's the people who aren't (or both.)

OldBoy

i played a few minutes of Borderlands with it and it is like a whole new controller.

you switch weapons with the dpad and it is like instant and super quick now. the other controller you had to do like a split second of feeling around to determine direction (at least for me). now, with the raised + it is like instantaneous.

the other buttons feel tighter (not stiff though) and more responsive as well. the analog sticks feel, maybe a little different and responsive, triggers as well. and all the buttons have a nice feel to them, nice and tactile i would say. i did like the color coded buttons, but you don't really look anyway so it is not a huge deal. plus, my other was starting to squeak in triggers.

mind you this was literally like 30 minutes of play thus far.

overall, for the price and the better responsiveness in sticks and dpad i would say it was well worth it.

Michael Corvin

How's the overall texture of the body?

Shagrath

Whoah!

edstein

[moving to xcritic]

OldBoy

smooth and silky...like a new born baby's bottom.


it actually does feel a little smoother. like the original black i have, feels a little rougher compared to it. the black almost feels like micro dots to the hands underneath, if that makes sense.

the new one kinda more slick without it being slippery and feels very good in hands. but, very slight difference with the body (to me). the buttons are what feel the most different.

also, think the bumpers feel a little better and more responsive on the new.

the analog sticks also don't have the 4 little braille-like bumps on them to indicate direction. i did like those on original and that feels a little different on new and maybe slight bit to get used to.

i feel with the new dpad, there would be no reason to not leave it raised always. feels a lot different and really better. almost like the old NES controller which i used to love.

Decker

Well, I wonder about Fighting games that often use the diagonal direction. I'm not sure if it'll be easier or harder with a cross shaped controller. I also wonder if the D-Pad is more responsive in the lowered position, like the green PES one was -- we all assume so, but I don't know yet. Can't wait to try Pac Man CE with it, though.

TheBigDave

Just got an email about a mandatory update on Nov 1st. Anyone have details on what's being added?

Michael Corvin

The entire interface is getting a revamp.

OldBoy

don't know about fighting games, but i just now tried Pac Man C.E.trial that was pre-installed on 360 and it played well with the raised, better in fact then when it wasn't raised.

very easy to control with +. turns were responsive and felt like i was more in control than when lowered and compared to old controller.

when i played lowered it seemed to take on a life of its own with some turns and almost like i wasn't controlling it at all, but still better than old.

played very fast both ways, but much better raised and i scored a lot better, which is obviously the point.

used my black original controller and it sucked in comparison. i again, was not controlling very well and played very loose. Pac went left when i wanted him to go down and stuff like that.

i mean with the bits and pieces i've played it really did seem much more responsive with the switching of weapons in Borderlands and turns through maze in Pac Man.

i tried to switch off a few times and the new just seemed to be the winner each time, with key word responsive.

i don't know if it will be the most revolutionary new controller to hit the market, but suspect that with the games it was truly meant for and high use of D-pad, in long run, gamers will like it much more than the old controllers. i liked the old controller just fine, so this is that, but enhanced for more responsive gameplay with buttons that seem to respond better and play more accurately when pressed.

i also suspect Batman: Arkham Asylum and the sequel will make great use of the new pad, what with all the gadgets mapped to each of the 8 directions of the D-pad.

so take that as you will. i'm certainly not an advanced gamer or play hours upon hours a day, but find the new controller a lot better than the old.

hope that helps anyone.

MC,
have you tried yours yet?

Decker

Thanks Scott. I was talking about trying Pac Man CE with the cross bar raised, though my post didn't make that at all clear. Pac Man is, obviously, a game that only needs the Dpad to move in 4 directions. Games like fighting games and games that require you to shoot at a 45 degree diagonal like Bionic Comando would probably need the Dpad in the lowered position. I play Street Fighter games with a Fightpad like this:

But I'd be happy if I could accurately use this new controller's Dpad instead.

OldBoy

^ the raised D-pad was leagues better than when it wasn't raised if that is consolation. much better in control. lowered it was still better than the older controller, but didn't play any games yet, that used the directional other than the 4.

Decker

That's good to hear. Hope those idiots at Fed Ex try to deliver my package again on Monday. Seriously, I buy tons of stuff from Buy.com that takes over a week to get to me. Some is even sent USPS. But I preorder a new controller that I don't really need and they send it by overnight courier? I've seen transplant organs sent with lower priority shipping!

OldBoy

is there more of a benefit getting things delieved to office rather than home? would they not just leave at doorstep without signature?

Decker

That's it. I'm paranoid that something will disappear, so I just have it delivered at the office. Plus I pay a fortune in rent and for a staff of six. Might as well get some use out of it. In 2 1/2 years, this is the first time a package delivery was attempted on a Saturday. And I buy thousands of dollars' worth of very perishable vaccines.

Michael Corvin

I did the update prior to work this morning and played around a few minutes. I hope everyone likes looking at loading circles, it's everywhere and often.

OldBoy

MC,
how do you like the new controller?

PixyJunket

I can't tell if the new dpad is any good or not yet, it feels entirely cosmetic, it's probably just a placebo.

But, whatever, the controller design is pretty sexy, so no regrets.

Michael Corvin

Just used it in Halo last night, so no thoughts on the d-pad yet, but it does seem more responsive in menus, but it could be a placebo thing. I miss the nubs on the analog, but I do like the more defined concave groove. I didn't notice a difference in the bumpers or triggers while playing, but the bumpers do feel more "clicky" than "mushy" when just comparing a couple different controllers.

Texture-wise it's about on par with the solid color controllers, but not as smooth as the red/graphite one that I prefer. It's not a deal-breaker though. Thankfully it's not rough like the Reach controllers.

I LOVE the monochrome. So yeah, no regrets.

Decker

Looks like Fed Ex won't send mine back to the office until tomorrow. It's in time-out apparently.

Did anyone try the dashboard update today? Do the avatar clothes work yet? I'm so freaking tired of seeing that moving clothesline and cat on a skateboard. All I want is unrestricted access to my freaking virtual wardrobe!

pinata242

I updated my avatar stuff last through the dashboard week. Looks like it's all working to me.