What happened to releasing Mr. Green and Mr. Red here in the USA?

I NEED the Green controller though, could care less about the adjusted D-Pad.

bennifer3000

What is it going to take for MS to get them to bring that over here? I need this controller for SF4, and any other fighting game I might want, without having to buy an arcade stick...

ShatteringLast

This clearly demonstrates why MS continues to piss me off. They do shit like this, along with their proprietary crap and ridiculous prices, etc.

Gam3r

Waaaaait... But the problem with the D-pad wasn't that it doesn't register enough directions, it was that it registered directions you didn't push. Half the time when I push right it thinks I've pushed up; every once in a while I forget myself and try to navigate the menus on Live with the d-pad and just have to laugh as I'm reminded of its uselessness.

I don't really see how adding 28 more sensors when it can't properly register pushes on the current 4 is a step in the right direction. If I wanted more analog control, I'd use the ANALOG STICK.

mwoody

Why is it no one uses the analogue? D-pad sucks so use the analogue right? Good that it senses more directions so I'm tempted to get two for when I'm playing fighting games but I'm cheap so will probably leave it. As I said just use the analogue.

@LittleBigPlaneteer: I wouldn't say they're that important. I've played Guilty gear XX accent core using the analogue and that is a very fast and tough fighing game. Analogues are great but a solid D-pad is better I'll admit. Still it's not MS's fault people suck with the analogue stick.

Llost

That really sucks. So they can't fix the controller. They can only bundle a fixed one with a game. And they have to make it limited. And they can only release it in europe :| :| :|
I don't really have a problem with the D-Pad as I don't play many games that take full control of it. So this doesn't bother me at all really, but man this sucks for fighting games, sports games and the like where the D-Pad is more used.

Refused

@Eltigro: i second that, it looks like i sneezed whilst eating pea soup... eww..

Technogamer1992

Latin America? That includes Mexico?

Because I live in Mexico. :P

AxelMinami

With Street Fighter 4 on the way, and possibly King of Fighters XII, they BETTER get me a new d-pad...

Or i'll be outside Microsoft headquarters in a fancy suit, with a sawed off shotgun, at their front desk "R&D offices please?"

Kayeliminal Antithesis

@LittleBigPlaneteer: Oh how I wish they hadn't changed the DS d-pad. It works very well, but the DS lite d-pad makes diagonal movement pure hell. I'm playing FFIV right now, and the isometric building interiors are causing anguish on par with my playing 60 hours through Legend of Legaia only to find there's a bug in the PS3's backwards compatibility making it impossible to complete the fakking game.

Elly

@LittleBigPlaneteer: Thats another good point about the importance of a d-pad

Neo-Senku: The World's Finest Pervert

uhm..a D-Pad with 32 directions?? talk about overkill!!
and it still looks pretty much the same. Doesn't the buttons have to be separated in some fashion before we can consider it fixed?

tok1879

What is this? Some kind of test to see how badly some people are willing to go for a fully functional controller?

"Hey, we'll release an actual working controller --- but to prove that it's not financially profitable enough to make it a standard replacement, we'll release it in the same color as newly born wildlife's feces!"

Or maybe they will, I don't know. I know I won't be paying money for that, though.

Arttemis

@cringer8: With Microsoft, they probably go, "We need mess up as many little things as we can so that people will notice and be periodically pissed off."

DancingCorpse

Oh well, i don't really use the d-pad. I do like the green color tho

Cork2

Quite possibly the ugliest controller in existence.

Exactly what year in the 70's were they channeling when they decided on "avocado" for the color? I always preferred "almond."

Eltigro

I never knew why people hated the 360 D-pad. I thought it was because it's the most awkwardly smooth and shaped piece I've seen.

Ryodestined

"...it can now register movement in 32 directions, as opposed to the existing one's...4."

I WISH the 360 D-pad could register 4 directions as it stands now. However, it even fails at that. Try inputting text with the D-pad and you'll see what I mean. That thing confuses one direction for another 50% of the time. How can you fuck up something as simple as a D-pad?

cringer8

@kojirodensetsu:

I disagree. With the emergence of XBLA and PSN (and Virtual console), the importance of a good D-pad has reemerged. Those classic games play much better with a D-pad than with analogs. Gmes like Street Fighter IV need a good D-pad as well.

LittleBigPlaneteer

The current dpad can register 8 directions with its 4 inputs. The new one has 8 inputs, and I would imagine that from that it can register 16 directions. 32 must be an excited typo.

Apparently they changed how it is mounted significantly, so it feels less clacky and more responsive (you know what else did? the s controller d pad).

penty85

BEst Dpad ever has to go to the Sega arcade pad. First Sega controller (or any controller) to have 6 face buttons and the smoothest most responsive Dpad ever. It was the perfect controller for Street Fighter 2 Hyper Championship Edition and it rivals any DPad made since. The second best Dpad would go to the Sega Saturn (The arcade fans dream system, followed by the DC) and the third to the Super Nintendo.

Playstation is close but trying to do fireballs will give you blisters. DC was better but still not as good. Man I just realized that Sega is the only company that really cared about arcades (and still does to an extent)

Maybe MS should hire the engineers that made Segas awesome controllers. This limited time Dpad mess is ridiculous and I bet it still would be ass to do fireballs in any fighting game. Unless I want to open up my pad and sand it down.

*I know there are more moves than fireballs but it's the most recognizable move that needs a good dpad.

Netnavi

Here is the ball- O

Now the ball is here- O

You know why Microsoft? BECAUSE YOU FUCKING DROPPED IT.

sarcasmOD

Screw the D-Pad, where can I get a neon green controller? Whats that you say? Europe, Asia and Latin America? oh whats that? I have to get soccer with it?

Bah, screw you Microsoft!

*goes and magic marker my controllers*

NeVeRMoRe666

@Soyerzz: The PS3 d-pad is as good as the original PS1 d-pad. In other words, old school d-pad goodness. It works. They haven't messed with it.

I'm not quite sure how Microsoft managed to fall so far from the excellent Controller S d-pad, which was compared by many to the late great Saturn d-pad.

Qube

Technically everything that Microsoft makes and turns out to work correctly is a rare limited edition item.

and yes I own a 360.

susurrate

Wait, wait, wait. 32 directions doesn't improve this thing in the right way. 8 directions. 8 simple directions, and the pad should not make my ship go diagonal when I'm trying to make it go right.

@kojirodensetsu: You miss the point of the dpad, my friend. Different inputs work better for different games.

Regulus

So now instead of hitting up, left, AND right all at the same time, I can hit, up, up left, up left left, left left up, left up, left, and a multitude of right directions also all at the same time? EPIC, I'm so gonna pown even though my XBox is going to RROD as soon as I hit all that at once because to many inputs at once, can it even handle that many inputs at once? If it can for one controller, I doubt it can if 4 controllers do it at once.

DancingCorpse

Why the fuck...

I would get a new controller with a better dpad just for Soul Calibur and N+. Maybe I should just mod mine.

concrete_d

@kojirodensetsu: I mean I guess D-pads are here to stay.

kojirodensetsu

I stopped using D-pads since last gen. D-pads are an archaic form of control imo. But people find analog sticks too hard to use, apparently. So I guess they're here to stay.

kojirodensetsu

Who needs a 32 direction d pad? seriously..

Shawk

Dang, I was excited for a minute. I just finished modding two of my controllers so they would work with Bionic Commando Re-armed and they work great now. It takes a good 40 minutes per controller, but it's worth it.

loud

@CCCombobreaker: 63,040,534 directions. Yeah, it's pretty sweet.

Seriously though, the only problem with the D-Pad on the 360 is that it's way too mushy. Otherwise it moves in all the same directions.

Thorax

32 directions...so, its an analog pad now? sounds dumb.

kablammyman

... My problem isn't that it only goes 4 directions. its that when I press up it goes right or left also.

Rurik

As the Brawl announcer would say: "Failure"

KingBroly

@DigiMish: LOL,true. MS seems to have copied the rest of the DreamCast controller without any issues, why should thye have problems with that part?

arazzor

@Scott3D:

How many directions does the Dualshock 3 Dpad do? Im guessing its the same...but im curious.

CCCombobreaker

When they say limited, they probably meant that the green PES controller would be.

Inglix

@Kocrachon: Fighting games.

Neo-Senku: The World's Finest Pervert

@LittleBigPlaneteer: It may not look pretty, but if they were all separated as you suggest I do not believe that there would be anyway for it to recognize more than 4 directions, negating the point of their "improvement".

zdevex

I would not bet on Microsoft changing their minds about this, but I hope they will. I'd love to get a controller with a more responsive d-pad. It's definitely a strange business decision, at the very least.

wild homes loves you but chooses darkness!

i can't believe they haven't taken care of the miserable d-pad yet. i hope sf4 gets people a little more vocal about it.

thaKingRocka

Jesus dude, is it really that hard to just take the SEGA d-pad, and copy it without breaking any patents?

DigiMish

@Soyerzz: Totally agree. Thats why I'm getting SF4 and SSF2THD for the Ps3.

graze81

Thats not improvement. If anything its worse. I use D-Pads for precise movement in either left, right, up or down movement. If I wanted to be able to move in 32 different directions id use the analog stick

Scott3D

If it is only available for a limited time there will probably be almost no game support for the added directional sensitivity, so I guess it isn't really a big deal that it is not coming out in North America.

zdevex

Meh, who cares if it has a better dpad, how many games really optimize it, and what will it really bring to use aside for soccer. I don't even care about this news in the slightest

Kocrachon

If it's so improved, why not make it the standard from now on instead of a limited time? Or is the colour just the limited offer. Eh, D-Pad, Shme-Pad, I'm a sucker for a good green, and I like that tone.

Erwin

@LittleBigPlaneteer:

tied*

LittleBigPlaneteer

Poor little business decision. You shall not last.

Mainman

wait.....WHAT?

____

I heard that the new controllers would have a new d-pad. I thought it would have a different design that actually worked well. Guess not. CLACK CLACK CLACK.

sanyo

@dead_red_eyes:

I'm just saying that part of the reason the D-pad sucked was because the directional buttons weren't separated from one another. They're all tited together to theback. Look at a Sony D-Pad, a Wii D-pad, and a DS D-pad and you'll see they're all separated. I'm sure it'll perform better since it has more directions, but it still isn't separated.

LittleBigPlaneteer

w...t...f...

3inst3in

@Soyerzz: I think that's a statement that about 99.99% of the commenting population here can agree with. I know I do.

arazzor

um what? thats stupid. Why would any company make an improved device available only for a limited amount of time and then take it away? that just does not make sense. I bet MS will change their minds on this.

asTer0id

What kind of LAME excuse is that?. If it is some supply and demand cock play, they PHAIL HARD.

PsycheE

What the hell, why would they do that? You release an improved version of your controller for a limited time. Something seems wrong about that just really wrong. Hopefully they will change their minds about that.

Neo-Senku: The World's Finest Pervert

@LittleBigPlaneteer:

Yep.

PapaBear434

Another victory for common sense.

LISA FORWARDS

I hate the 360 D-pad, Love the Ps3s. This is not a fanboy comment just a statement ;)

Soyerzz

Seriously though, the current d-pad can only register in 4 directions?

LittleBigPlaneteer

Comical, indeed. I haven't met a d-pad I enjoyed using since my N64.

Bakeroo

@LittleBigPlaneteer:

You're supposed to play it, not look at it. Silly.

dead_red_eyes

Fucking ridiculous that they just can't fix the D-pad on all of the controllers. Lame that this is limited edition, and super lame that it's not coming to the states.

dead_red_eyes

The d-pad still looks terrible.

LittleBigPlaneteer

Uhhhh. The D-pad will still suck until they get rid of the fact that it feels like a third analog stick.

Amazon_Chris

I see them possibly fixing that when all of america shits on their faces.

They did it with the original xbox controller.

Speak up, and hope.

litrock

@SamuraiG0SU: People who enjoy fighting games, like me.
And as for the circle and the 4 directions: theoretically the circle should be better, but SOMEHOW the xbox 360s d-pad is made of pure shit. I read an interview once and the street fighter guys said that the reason the xboxs d-pad doesn't work right is because it has something to do with how the controller is built and how it registers.

suya123

I have no problem with the 360 d-pad, but I wouldn't mind a better one. Annoying they won't release it in the States and Canada, though.

Does Not Equal (ダズノット)

Does the black hand included as well ?

xCruciaLx

I don't see why people complain about the 360's D-pad,
I play fighting games with it all the time and have no trouble. Maybe you could just not suck so much.

gophzero

I dont use the 360 d-pad a ton, only for naving menus, but sometime when i want to push left it pushes up. fuck that, and either fix it or... no just fix it Bill.

icegoat

32 directions? WTF? Every other article I've seen about this says 8.

Rhainor

@jello44:

$100*

jello44

@SamuraiG0SU: I tend to use it now and again on fighting games but not much else. Never really found it much of a problem for me though. It's an improvement that the pad has been worked on and may soon get released in all territories (if they decide to not just make it limited edition) which is better than the limited PS3 BC idea or the sixaxis being replaced.

it's 4:30am here though so I'm going to bed now.

Llost

Only thing I use the D-pad for is for Racing Games (Shock and Horror) yes yes, I use a D-Pad to steer my car instead of that 100 steering wheel which I will be absolutely horrid with. It handles quite nicely, for me anyway, it really isn't the best for most other games.

jello44

soo who uses the d-pad?

i assume majority of the people who play use both analog sticks . . . .

only time i use the d-pad is for texting a message to someone when i dont wanna send a voice message.

.. oh and the dashboard.

this news seems very irrelevent to complain about it.

lol the ps3's dpad is 4 buttons; the 360s is a circle.

but to each their own. the choice of that shade of green is pretty nasty though. yuk X_X

SamuraiG0SU

@mwoody: my problem with the 360 dpad is that as well as registering as left or right when pressing up is that it will sometimes NOT register at all!

You have to really press that thing down to get it to respond. So trying to press up when pressed would register as up-left or right. It's just a wonky dpad.

And and edit to the list of great dpads ever: The 3rd dpad shouldn't be SNES , it should be the dpad from the Neo Geo Pocket color! That Dpad is like butter! Like a analouge dpad. So frikken good.

Netnavi

The problem I have with the D-Pad isn't the sensitivity it's the shape the rounded D-Pad's have always sucked. they need to switch to the cross D-Pad like the PS3 and Wii's classic controller.

Can't wait for the Red controller though, I want to air brush the Gears of War symbol on it.

Assassin_Kensei

Microsoft: The only right thing to do is release this pad in all regions,also not just for a short period but pack it with every console and sell no other pad than this one anymore as soon as you got rid of the stock of the old one!
You hear how many gamers say "hm, i think i´ll get bionic commando on ps3 because the dpad on the 360 sucks" and similar things?
This will only get worse the more games come up that require precise dpad (ok,even better arcade stick,but that´s a different discussion :) ) controls, like street fighter 4 etc.

tomsamson

MICROSOFT?

THIS IS SPARTA!

race

If it hasn't been said already rumor has it the improved d pad will also arrive stateside alongside the release of sf4. YAY!

ViRtUaThEoRy

Marketing genius.

Agnostic

Microsoft didn't put time and money into this technology to only release it on a limited edition controller. Luke, and everyone else here is looking at it the wrong way. The technology isn't limited to this controller, this is just the FIRST sighting of it, and that happens to be a limited edition controller.

I pretty much guarantee this technology will show up in all future controllers made by Microsoft. Just because they didn't announce it doesn't mean it isn't coming.

LittleBigPlaneteer

Dear Microsoft,
All I want for Christmas (or earlier) is a controller that works properly in all aspects, especially the d-pad. I feel you owe that to the fans of your console, to be honest. Your controller is incredibly comfortable (beatin the competition out of the water). However the D pad always been a problem.
All this tells me is that you have recognized the problem... and refused to fix it, in spite of the fact that acknowledgment generally means correction. This violates not only all common sense, but the very spirit of efficiency in the marketplace (if you haven't noticed, Sony is going to be a problem).
You've already suffered this problem with the RRod... (fourth console here) recognize, correct, instead of getting a bad reputation... Not too hard, really...
Thank you. That will be all.

Seriously. This is crap. Hopefully MS adds this tech to future controller production, rather than a single production, limited run.
They probably will. They aren't that foolish.

Iocarios

What are they thinking? A lot of people would like to buy those.

Jorw

@Does Not Equal (ダズノット): @gophzero:

Yeah, I agree. It really isn't as bad as people say it is. It could be better, but I do fine.

jello44

I will be asking my girlfriend to mail me one while she is in France, but I'm guessing these controllers will be coming to the United States eventually.

theuglyteradon

I, for one, play fighting games with a stick. Any other way just feels terrible and off.

That being said, the dpad is bad. I don't think the PS3's is good, but it sure works better than the 360's. The SNES dpad was the best from what I've used.

jookie

WTF is up with this "32 directions" bullshit. All you need is 8. The norms and the diagonals...MS never learns.

phosphor112

For everyone complaining about the Xbox D-Pad not registering the right direction, it's because it seems that the 4 directions it reads are the diagonals, for lack of better terms: Northwest, Northeast, Southeast and Southwest. Or so I've been told. Either way, it's shit and we all know it.

This definitely seems like a weird decision, but luckily there are no Xbox games that I play which need the D-Pad and any future ones that I'm planning on playing (SF4) I'll be getting an arcade stick for. Still, I can only hope that the improved D-Pad stays in all future controllers and the hideous green thing is what's limited, just in case we ever do need that D-Pad.

TrjnRabbit

sigh... I only really use the d-pad for xbla and fighting games, and there aren't that many fighters on the 360, especially 2-d ones... :(, but with street fighter 4 coming out, a decent d-pad would really be handy, i hate fighting w/ a stick...give me a pad any day? ... sounds like some playtex pantiliner commercial... "hate fighting with a stick (tampon), well take our pads... :O" sigh.

KingDavid73

It doesn't matter how many directions it registers, 4 is just fine, we already have the analog stick for, well, analog movement. Just fix the feel of the damn thing, there is no excuse how bad it is. Last time I had to use it was with Assassins Creed and god damnit if I didn't end up selecting wrong weapon almost every time I had to touch that.... thing. Way to miss the point.

ara

Not interested if it still has the single bit of plastic sitting on top of the new design.

hagridore

Having 32 or however many points of contact will not be of any help if the d-pad itself is unresponsive. The current d-pad does not need any more contact points but simply responsiveness to the lightest tap, and that will be hard if you have a single chunk of plastic layered over those contact points.

Apparently this new controller does not address that problem, and thus it shouldn't matter if it was around forever.

ChiChi_BBQ

The 360 controller is very close to controller perfection in my eyes, and the d-pad is the only thing holding it back.

Ever sinse the first day, people have been moaning about it, yet it takes Microsoft 2.5 years to fix it, then they only do it on a limited number of controllers???

Mr_Ed

haha, real football fans get something better :P

Sriously now, I feel so special not only because Latin America is getting something the US will not for once, but because we were friggin' MENTIONED in a videogame news piece!

Alex_Mexico

once they get enough gripes and complaints it won't be limited anymore. but i don't think anyone will care. but can anyone enlighten me as to what makes it so necessary to do this for PE09. what features in the game require this upgrade?

INDIGOVENOM

Microsoft, here's the thing: I like the games available on yoru console. I like the capabilities of your console making a bunch of the games I want possible. But when you do stuff like this - Making a major fix for a major issue limited in time and area - , it just makes you look almost unbelievably stupid.

Zero_Beat

haha you people who say "use the analog stick instead!" are dumb. :)

henhowc

Wow....what an obviously idiotic decision by M$.

TheGuilty1

*sigh* Do you all really think that if Microsoft had solution to the mushy D-pad they wouldn't just integrate it into the main product line? You know how many pads they'd sell? Hell, all they could even charge more for "precise controls" and the fanboys would still pay.

Given that picture, I'm more inclined to believe that Microsoft meant that ugly ass color was limited. Let's face it, without a named source or direct quote, this is just another unconfirmed rumor.

Microsoft may be many things, but they generally make sound business decisions. You might get where they are by being evil, but not by being stupid.

Bonkerjerks

WTF Microsoft... Limited time? Not available in the US??

XbhaskarX

This is a comically terrible decision.

urutapu

wtf Limited time? Are you kidding me ? Microsoft What in the hell were you thinking?

Mj92

@Dr. Nooooooooo: \

what are you talking about 4 is all it needs?
did you grow up playing the PS2 or something? Lots of games need more than 4 simple directions.

NeoAkira

@Dr. Nooooooooo:
D stands for directional.

TrjnRabbit

@AxelMinami: I'm guessing so. Since it's a cross promotion, they're only doing it in places where Pro Evo does matter... so basically everywhere in the planet except those quaint americans and their american "foot"ball.

:p

Grive

D-pad. What does the D stand for? Digital. So...4 directions are all it needs. What is the point of 32 directions if there isn't a single game that uses them?

Dr. Nooooooooo

At this point, I don't even care anymore. In my opinion, just vote with your money. I have a PS3 and X360, but I really like my PS3 controller better -- lighter, smaller, lighter (to press) buttons. I began buying PS3 games even when both PS3 and X360 versions were available.

Geraldo

@Muisee: Haha really? That definitive huh.

henhowc

btw. does anyone on here have experience doing the d-pad mod for their current controller?

is it really worth doing?

henhowc

The 360's controller with or without the terrible d-pad is still the best controller ever released, by far. The next best might be the Game Cube controller, but even that is far behind and had some major problems.

Muisee

there is no way that they will just sit on this, everyone that currently has a 360 will buy one of them, some may get two.

I just want one, or at least get a chance to try it.

Alchemy_Comrade

Thats pretty ridiculous, if ur gonna release a fix like this it should be released everywhere.

bmac320

@ChiChi_BBQ: The Ps3 is also a hunk of plastic layered over all four contacts. That's not the issue with the pad.

The issue is that it's poorly made, with the press resistance being shared by all four buttons, and it's not really stable in one direction, so it's hard to be precise with it.

Grive

What's next? Are they going to announce the improvements made to the console itself to prevent RROD is a limited time improvement too? How stupid do you have to be to make decisions at Microsoft?

mugido

Every console by now should replace the dpad with a click stick like the Neo Geo Pocket Color. Its incredibly easy to pull off moves in the fighting games.

NoBullet

Lol Latin America is sure getting a lot of attention from Wii and now 360.

.. I'm hispanic, So hushity hush

Razorwiretroop

@henhowc:

That is opinion of course, do I really have to state "in my opinion"? Whose opinion is it? Damn, this site keeps getting worse and worse.

Muisee

Its funny how a lot of people here (including you, Luke) just assume that MS is seriously gonna improve the d-pad for a limited time only. No one's ever been stupid enough to improve anything for a limited time only and MS isn't gonna start that trend. If you're gonna make assumptions, you should assume that that's a limited edition green controller.

josh924

way to fail MS!! one more reason why we hate MS!!

Gutter_Trash

@Muisee: Right...and do I need to include a smiley after my posts for people like you to not get all offended? haha Get over yourself.

Anyway back to the discussion...has anyone tried out the d-pad mod?

henhowc

Speaking to Eurogamer at Games Convention, one third-party publisher told us that the pad was also designed to work with Street Fighter IV, so perhaps it will turn up again next year.

Whoa, nevermind. I guess that isn't so bad, but an arcade stick is still better.

Poisonous Taoist

I cannot see making this only available to those areas as a sound business decision...WHY THE FUCK would you not put this out in retail in your biggest market...rumors and lies; deceptions and heresay

Guess what I'm watching Under Siege 2 oh god my kingdom for a Steven Seagall game...

Ibramgaunt

The new d-pad registers 32 directions. It is only available as a tie-in with a soccer game.

Chances are, the d-pad is still mushy, but will act as some sort of extra, improved control for that specific soccer game. It will not have an effect on any other game (most likely).

And to everyone whining about fighting games: if you were really serious about fighting game controls, you would buy an arcade stick. I use the Hori Fighting Stick EX2.

Poisonous Taoist

@henhowc:

Yes, you actually do, because unlike opinion emotion is not conveyed through simple text. This is not exactly English 101, it is more like grade seven stuff.

Muisee

just buy a arcade stick if you are worried about the d pad. i havent found a use for it in any game so far anyway.

maraxusofk

32 directions isn't a Dpad... It's a flat analog stick...

bobtheduck

The current 360 control has a 8 direction hat switch.
This one has a 32 direction hat switch.
You know what that means? 4 times as many directions to press, and thus 4 times higher sensitivity, and thus you will be 4 times as likely to utterly fuck up using that d-pad.
Thats what i read from this. What Microsoft need to do, NEED TO DO, is suck it up and release a new D-Pad design. NOT BASED ON A HAT SWITCH. What ever happened to the good old D-Pad based on buttons?
Besides - Sega's gone under, surely they could work out a damn good deal on the Sega d-pad design. That was a good one.

toejam316

@henhowc:

I simply pointed out your mistake, you obviously do not take being wrong well. Then you have to resort to flaming, if I was ten years younger I might have been offended.

Muisee

@Muisee: Whateverrrrr you say drama queen. No need to get all butt hurt when someone in this thread doesn't agree with you. Speaking of grade school, you can stop the pouting and feet stomping now. :)

@Poisonous Taoist: Call me crazy by I always liked using a controller better than an actual arcade stick. That being said...the trigger buttons on stock control pads have always been the limiting factor on 6-button fighters. Wish I could have both...

henhowc

@sarcasmOD: Indeed. They didn't just drop the ball, they dropped it onto a bed of floor tacks which promptly deflated the ball and left it nearly irreparable.

I love my 360, I really do. But I LOATHE the freakin' dpad. It's the worst designed thing ever. I remember having old gameport PC gamepads with mushy dpads like this, all of which unceremoniously found their way to the trash. Unfortunately that's not an option for my 360 controllers.

They missed the point and then overcompensated instead of actually fixing the issue. My copy of Soul Caliber 4 cries silently in its case awaiting a better d-pad.

Captiosus

this makes me want to kick microsoft's ass in 37 different angles!

if_deez

Someone important from Microsoft has _got_ to be reading these comments. This is for you: Release this in the States. It'll actually make a lot of Live Arcade games playable.

goodknight

nothing wrong with my d pad whenever i rarely use it thats what analogue sticks are for lol

adamr999

I've never had a problem with the D-pad. Everyone jus' gotta shut up and stop bitching. You rarely even use it, and 4 directions is enough. Hell what do you need it for anyways- Chatting to players?...

32 directions? Well thats nice and all. Lets make a controller even less appealing to non-frequent gamers.

King Seafoam

Maybe there was something lost in translation here. Get a hands on report Kotaku!

henhowc

Best gaming news in a decade, europe not jibbed!

StuiWooi

Seriously Microsoft... limited time? And it's a disgusting green colour? You can fuck right off. I'm sure for a limited time it will be only available with PES as well. Then maybe a few months later they'll release it on its own, and in America. At an even higher price than the normal ones are now.

OddyKnocky

I don't see what happened, the D-pad on the Xbox Controller S is better than that of the 360.

Xander

@King Seafoam: Seeing as you're talking about using the d-pad for voice chat, I'm going to assume that you are an Xbox Live Arcade virgin.

You probably didn't bother to read the Bionic Commando review either so here:

Digital Controls - We reviewed the game on the 360 (though we have also played it on PS3). And by God, Street Fighter aside there's never been a game to make you hate the console's awful d-pad as much as this one. You will die, and die often, because the mashy pad sends your arm in a direction you don't want it to go. If you own both consoles, you'll want the PS3 one, just for this (that and the PS3 version's a tiny bit slicker).

henhowc

That green will nicely match my blue, pink and 3 white controllers...

Seriously I don't need 6 controllers. I barely need two.

f0cus

@Neo-Senku:
Use an arcade joystick. as a bonus feature, you'll be able to easily hit multiple face buttons at once. It also helps with fatigue. (for example while playing melty blood for ten minutes gave me cramps with the 360 controller (god that game requires rapid button pressing), I don't have much problem playing for several hours with an arcade stick.)

That said, the dpad on the 360 controller DOES suck. It's a real shame, as I really liked the dpad on "the duke" (original xbox 1 controller). It's especially a shame because I like to use dpads for menu selections because they are supposed to be more precise.

Also while I dislike the inaccuracy of the 360 dpad, the "separated" design I have always hated, it felt painful to hit diagonals. Then again, it could be because the first console I really played was the sega genesis...

Akin

@henhowc: Don't suck up, not cool. I'll admit I've had some stubborn moments in Contra and Metal Slug... But then again... Thats Contra and Metal Slug...

King Seafoam

@King Seafoam: Maybe you're just better than the rest of us at games :P

henhowc

@henhowc: No- i own plenty of XBLA games- but have always been fine with the control stick. So this Bionic Commando- you CANT play it without the D-pad?

hah.

King Seafoam

@Snake726: To clarify, Sony got around this by removing the middle bit connecting their dpad.

Yeah, Nintendo's patent is that specific.

Snake726

@Soyerzz: The PS has always had a good responsive D-pad in my opinion. The 360..not so much, its the only thing that lets an otherwise perfect controller down for me.

OkayOctane

Nintendo owns the right to a four-directional dpad without diagonal bits in between.

And naturally, Nintendo is enjoying your outrage by limiting a usable dpad to their consoles :)

Snake726

The first time I ever played a 360 was when I saw PES6 in a 360 cabinet, back in the day.

Being the PES faboi that I used to be, I instantly grabbed the controller and tried to play with the D-PAD.

I swear to you that that moment made me think that I should never get a 360 to play PES. And I was gonna buy a NG console for PES. So I bought a PS3, intead.

And now I play FIFA on the analog stick :|

/end

ruialexandre

@NeVeRMoRe666: true! :D

haloboy3000

This isn't going to make the thing any better, its just going to make it WORSE. I have a hard enough time getting the thing to understand that I'm pressing, say, to the right and not up-right, so now there's a full 32 degrees of it not understanding what I want. Brilliant.

meatee

@Poisonous Taoist:

Yeah i have the same arcade stick which i use for vf5 but I always played street fighter on dpads, i grew up on sf2t on the snes. I wish someone would release some sort of snes pad port or a direct copy of the pad for 360 so i can use it with sf2hd when its released.

ali_g_84uk

Nuts to the pad, how is Pro Evo looking? Much better then 08 I hope, or is this pad a sign that they need a gimmick to flog it?

CockneyKaiser

I don't quite see the point of a dpad that recognises 32 different direction presses...now its just an sudo-analog stick/psp nub. Can i not just have a snes dpad with its four directions please?

ali_g_84uk

I can then send you guys some of these :)

Th3Chos3n0n3

@Netnavi: I'll agree with you there. I recently came across when I was packing my old consoles away and thought how great it would be to use for street fighter and fatal fury on my 360.

Reikoku

WTF!!! COME ON!!! Forget Pro Evo 2009 (thats a soccer game right...)what about SOUL CALIBUR!!! I mean thats where you need the d-pad. And Tony Hawk games. It was nearly impossible to really do any combos with that damn D-Pad. I know you want to improve sales in other regions, but you can always improve them here in the States! Damn...this new D-pad better be worth importing.

Killer_WaLrUs

@Amazon_Chris: we need more ps2-like d-pads. those were awesome, and still are

Phibius

Wow, so many people think this is "useless". It shows you how many people only use the 360 for shooters.

2D games will never die!

Humpski

@Soyerzz: I'm of the belief that.. both suck. The PSP's dpad takes the cake for absolute shitness though.

Conversely, my DS dpad is awesome..

Passa

the best d-pads ever made, in order:

1. sega saturn
2. sega genesis
3. super famicom / SNES
4. Playstation
5. N64

rainofwalrus

@Humpski: Nah now that's stereotyping. I use the 360 for fighting games (DOA, Soul calibur, Naruto etc.) action games (ninja gaiden black, ninja gaiden 2 etc.) RPG (eternal sonata, lost odyssey etc.), FPS (Halo 3 etc.) arcade titles (Braid, puzzle quest etc.) and I've never had any problems using the analogue stick. Yeah the D-pad can suck on most of those but then why not just use the analogue?

Llost

@LittleBigPlaneteer: What? It's bad when it's separated and the playstation d-pads have always been the worst. The best ones were on Sega's old controllers and especially the Sega Saturn's complimented with 6 perfect face buttons (which Xbox took also, but aligned them all wrong). I agree the 360's isn't great but it's not the separation that makes it bad, it's just badly made. People are still making mods of the Saturn pads to use with newer systems since for most 2D gameplay titles and especially fighting games they're the best controllers to have.

Agnates

Surely adding more directions to it will make it even more clumbersome than it is now. Why can't they admit that the ACTUAL d-pad structure they made is flawed, not that it can only do four directions? Which isn't surprising since well... up, down, left & right are the only directions I see on any d-pad. Yeah there's diagonal movements too, but that's just pressing two of them together.

Fonzythedog

@LittleBigPlaneteer:
They are only separated from view. If you push one side of the ps3 dpad in you'll see the others tilt. They are connected under the plastic housing - just hidden from view.

cubabit

Don't pretty much ALL d-pads register in 4 directions, but allow for two to be pressed at once? (Up+Left for a diagonal)

StupidDufus

@Shockadin: *analog

Shockadin

32 directions? Like a third joystick...

Shockadin

Are 32 directions really that better? I mean you can take 32 directions and directly interpret them as 4 directions. But when the controller itself has a d-pad that doesn't feel natural, and plays "arcade" games like crap. I think there are other worries aside from adding more directions to an already flawed design.

NewSpecies

Toying with our minds man, toying with our minds.

SolidEyeSystem

Wish Microsoft would take the complaints about their controller more seriously. There have to be a ton of folks who find they inhibit gameplay for various reasons ranging from arthritis to their mushy D pad.

Chilly Hollow

Sony has never made a "D-Pad": there's simply four buttons arranged in a D-Pad style.

The last good D-Pad I liked was on the SNES.

FanDam

Sucks, hopefully they'll come to their senses and release it permanently.

Evinco

wow europeans can now arrange their inventories in 32 directions while americans can only arrange theirs in 4. Is this punishment for our naked aggression against Iraq?

onepoker

Clearly they just need to release a decent arcade joystick - a SF2 stick with a switch with a 4-way limiter for the vintage arcade games on the XBL store - it's so obvious that would be a niche, but essential, controller I'm stunned it doesn't exist (in the US - apparently there are 3rd party ones in Japan)

LongDarkBlues

If it turns out to be a real improvement I'd wager it would eventually become standard. Even so couldn't they get rid of the round shape?

With 32 directions it's just like some cripple analog stick... in which case I'll stick to the analog sticks (as I've done so far)

TheHun

What's with the power button?

Jordan Lund

before you hope for the release see it in real action !:

[www.eurogamer.net]

who tried is look pretty disappointed so it's not that improve that it's need to

EvilHunter

@susurrate: Quote. Of. The. Day.

Akisazame

@Jordan Lund: It's just a sticker telling you the guide button will turn the console on (and controller).

I love the color. Darn you Microsoft!!

Atsumi

So the first 360 controller only had a d-pad that registered 4 directions? lol No wonder it felt weird.

ST19AG_WGreymon

There is no way that Microsoft is not putting this out here. With SF4 around the corner they have to know that their d-pad is GARBAGE.

Don't be fooled it will come out here.

Why make a better working d-pad for a limited time?

Morons have more sense!

maniacmayhem

I need it.

FunKrusher

@NoBullet: Ok. How, exactly, did NoBullet get banned??

The Japan comment yesterday? I wonder how that happened.

Billkwando

. . . . Did anyone else notice that the thing is bright GREEN?

Smileface

@Muisee: I think you're overreacting a little to an obviously tongue-in-cheek comment. Let it go already.

There was a 6 button controller released by Capcom awhile back for the SF2 Anniversary Edition:

[www.amazon.com]

Anyone ever use one of these?

cheapassgamer

Well, I guess I'll import one. At least I'll be to play SFIV correctly ::rolls eyes::

Gnutslinger

um, when is the D Pad ever used though?

johnny150

The XBOX dpad has always sucked, and probably always will, heck adding 32 directions of movement imo will only make things worse.

>Duh, how do you change weapons?

>>Push right

>Why has the phone came up?

>>You pushed up, jackass

>No I didn't, watch *pushes right slightly of so it becomes up*.....

>WTF?

mabus__

Seriously, at first I thought this complaining about the Xbox360´s d-pad was just nitpicking; but then I tried it for the first time. I thought to myself 'Did an analog stick and some directional buttons have a good time, and this was the horrible, horrible result?'

crabperson