Xbox 360 Controller gets redesigned D-Pad on November 9 @ Gaming Target

Written by John Scalzo on August 31, 2010

News: But say goodbye to the distinctive colored buttons.

For years, Xbox 360 gamers have been complaining about the D-Pad on the console's official controllers created by Microsoft. Come November 9, Microsoft plans to rectify these problems with a new version of the Xbox 360 Wireless Controller.

Available exclusively in a $64.99 Wireless Controller/Play & Charge Kit bundle, the new controller will come with a "Transforming D-Pad" that Microsoft claims will "[provide] ultimate accuracy and control for both directional as well as sweeping movements." The "Transforming D-Pad" allows gamers to switch from a traditional plus design on the D-Pad for fighting games or games that map weapons to arrows while a simple twist transforms it into the standard disc D-Pad that currently adorns every Xbox 360 controller.

However, even if the "Transforming D-Pad" fixes the feel of the Xbox 360 controller, Microsoft has managed to bungle another part of it. The colorful A, B, X and Y buttons that now make up the face of the controller have been recolored into lifeless grey blobs that no longer stand out like they should. Not only is this an aesthetic mistake, but it breaks the color-coded functionality built into the Xbox 360's Dashboard. Green for "go", red for "back", yellow to return to the Dashboard. All undone thanks to the recoloring.

Perhaps that's why the new Xbox 360 Wireless Controller (with "Transforming D-Pad") will only be available in a special bundle. The regular 360 controllers will still be available.