The official 360 joypad seems to be quite popular with people, but I don't really like it that much. I love the Playstation Dualshock and have considered it my favourite joypad for a long time. My issues with the 360 pad:
* The two analogue sticks are not positioned on the same level; makes some games a bit awkward (Beautiful Katamari, Beat'n Groovy, etc)
* The "B" button tapers off the size of the joypad. It's not flat on the joypad like the other buttons. I don't know why anyone thinks this would be good...
* The d-pad is a bit squishy and inaccurate; I find it poor on diagonals.
So I came across pre-orders on Amazon for this Saitek Cyborg Rumble Pad around November. It seemed to be the perfect solution: it lets you switch round the position of the d-pad and analogue stick so if you want it to be Xbox 360 style or Dualshock style, that's up to you.
There are more details on the official Saitek Site.
So I ordered one. :)
Here are some photos, showing it in its packaging (I think it looks tacky), then what it looks like without the removable module, with it in one position then the other. And finally, the base of the controller - the headset won't plug in.
The controller feels really nice. The material they used feels lovely; I think it's silicon? I don't know. It feels almost like suede or velvet without the fur, if that makes sense. The build feels sturdy and the look is also very professional. The sticks seem good and I've tried the controller on my "problem games" and the frustration is gone and it feels natural. The buttons are all good and responsive.... well, all except the "guide button" which needs a little more effort to press than seems normal, but then, it's set deeper into the pad than in the official pad. I haven't really tried using the d-pad much yet but it didn't seem to do too well when I was testing it in windows - it kept hitting other directions for an instant before settling in diagonals. One other note - it's bigger than the 360 pad. I quite like the little 360 pad (I only have little hands), but this Saitek pad is still comfortable for me. Oh and it's connected by USB, rather than being wireless. I don't mind, since my console is near where I sit to play.
Overall, I like this more than the official pad, right now. :)
