Update: Grrr, we take back anything nice we said about Amazon.com or its Deal of the Day junk. They decided to switch this great deal to something more DS based and did it mid-day. Stupid Amazon.com. But we'll make it up to you fellow X3F reader, we'll find another great deal even if it paralyzes us for the rest of our waking lives. No joke.
We love Amazon.com lately and their gaming Deal of the Day program. For some reason we get all jolly and happy when we see an Xbox 360 product appear, so much so that we sometimes break out into a Riverdance mid-day. And that exact scenario just may play out in the next twenty-four hours, because today's Deal of the Day is a 360 combo pack including a spiffy black Xbox 360 wireless controller and a play and charge pack (with battery) for only $44. This combo pack usually retails for $69, so take advantage of the savings and pick up an extra controller if you're in need. We're feeling the urge ... the urge to Riverdance.
Getting bored of your bland white and black Xbox 360 controllers? Are you feeling the need for some color in your life? Well, today Microsoft revealed two Xbox 360 controller colors that should make you a happy camper. The brand new blue and pink wireless controllers will retail for $49.99 just like their older white and black cousins and will be available this October. Now remember fanboys, blue is for boys and pink is for girls.
Read - Blue Xbox 360 wireless controller
Read - Pink Xbox 360 wireless controller
Talismoon's little Tiltboard project is finally blooming as they just announced that the Tiltboard will available for purchase next week. But be warned, it's expensive ... very expensive. This board, which allows tilt control on your 360, will retail for $39.99 (ouch!) not including a controller or soldering iron. Though, we have to admit it does have more features than we initially expected including adjustments for sensitivity, zero degree setting and an option to invert the Y axis. If tilting is important to you and your bank account/mod skills can handle it, then we must say that the Tiltboard looks to be your only best choice.
CNET UK decided to rank the top five video game controllers of all time and you'll be happy to know that the Xbox 360 controller did us very proud. Actually, according to CNET the 360's controller is the best gaming controller of all time! They thought that the controller is comfy, practical, and gets extra points for being the first to the gate in being a wireless standard. We agree. Going further down the list the 360's controller beat out favorites like the PS2, N64, SNES and Atari 2600 controllers. But we do have one issue with CNET's controller description. The Xbox 360 and its controller are not "beige" in color. They are a light kinda whitish ... greyish. So, please get it right.
Feeling a little black today? EB Games has come to the rescue by offering a few black Xbox 360 accessories before the Elite makes its grand arrival next week. Right now, you can order a black Xbox 360 wireless controller, play and charge pack, or extra play and charge battery. The black versions all cost the same as their white counterparts and are ready to ship within 24 hours. As we always say, black is the new off white ... or something like that.
That Ben Heck has used his evil genius to do it again, gutting an Xbox 360 controller and replacing its innards with ::shutter:: PS3 Sixaxis technology. Being commissioned to do so, Ben used his technology knowledge to put a functioning Sixaxis controller into a 360 controller shell. We definitely know there is some Xbox 360 controller envy coming from the PS3 fanboys, but why did you have to do this Ben? What have you done with our colorful buttons and you even replaced our spherical guide button with a ... Playstation logo. And is that a USB cable going to the back of it? Please, say it ain't so! It's a sad sight to see, but we know how hard it is for Playstation fans to use that dreadful Sixaxis controller. With heavy hearts, we'll share our controller ... but just this once.
The talented Ben over at BenHeck.com has come up with a new take on your standard Xbox 360 controller. Ben must have had the logic that using two hands on your controller is so 2005, why not just condense the control scheme and make it so you only need one hand? This modded 360 controller allows just that, only one hand required! All kidding aside, the inspiration for this mod what so that people with disabilities or those who have function of just one hand could play the 360. This is actually a great mod and very well thought out, gold star for you Ben!
If for some odd reason you wish you could use your uncomfortable PS2 controller on your 360, then TeamXtender has an answer. TeamXtender is in the planning stages of creating an adapter that your Xbox 360 controller would plug into to allow full PS2 Dualshock support and would also allow keyboard/mouse connectivity. I'm in love with my sexy white controller, but would you be enticed by such an offering or are you like me and satisfied with the your current 360 controller?
I hated to have to break this disappointing news to the shivering PS3 fanboys camped out in the cold and wet at my local Best Buy, but somebody had to do it:
As it turns out, gamers who own older HD sets that feature only 480i, 480p, and 1080i resolution input capabilities will have to settle for the display quality being downsized as the game boots in its 480p mode rather than upscaling the image from its more desirable 720p mode to the TV's 1080i. We tested this development on older HDTV sets with games designed for 720p but not 1080i -- Resistance: Fall of Man, NHL 2K7, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07, and Need for Speed Carbon. Sure enough, the system downshifted all four titles to 480p rather than moving up to 1080i.
The PlayStation 3's competitor, Microsoft's Xbox 360, does upscale 720p games to 1080i if the HD set supports the latter resolution but not the in-between and commonly-employed 720p resolution.
One guy countered (illogically) that he didn't care because 360 controllers are too big for Japanese hands. Apparently he still thinks we're wrasslin' with the Duke, although it might have been the hypothermia talking.
These USB-chargable AA batteries will work with anything, but the manufacturer is pitching them as an alternative way to keep your controller powered up.
It's a rough time for Halo fanboys. Every week Frankie gives us an update with almost zero information. It is our job as fanboys then to take this information and blow it way out of proportion. So what is it this week? Bungie is changing the controls! Egad, it can't be true. What's more, Bungie is toying with the idea of adding plenty of new setups ranging from hardcore to grandma friendly. The end result of all this is that we'll have a setup that makes more sense on our 360 controllers -- especially now that the black and white buttons don't exist. Basically, all we know now is that the bumpers will receive more logical actions than turning on the flashlight and teamspeak.
The only other tidbit of news this week: the AI is coming along nicely. As an example, the AI of a warthog gunner has been changed significantly. In the words of Frankie:
"In previous Halo games, the gunners were smart and would pick off targets in a logical fashion, but this time around, and it could be my imagination, the gunners are more precise and easier to influence. You can target individual bad guys by steering the Hog and even 'convince' your gunner to pick a more relevant target and have him stop trying to blast a lone grunt hiding behind a rock when a bigger menace approaches."
Hey, as long as we can still stick a sniper with infinite ammo in the passenger seat, we're cool. Other than that, it's all quiet on the Halo front -- unless you'd like to read what Peter Jackson has to say.
Good news if your lack of confidence with a screw driver is inhibiting your desire for nerd bling. TeamXtender.com has released detailed step-by-step on how to pimp your 360 controller with some flashy chrome.
Ludwig over at Joystiq passed this little gem onto us today. Looks like the 360 will be getting an arcade stick after all, courtesy of Mad Catz. While it's obvious that the stick should be perfect for old school favorites like Galaga, certain elements are rather curious. First of all, the controller has both a joystick and a D-pad, suggesting that the stick is in fact analogue. Also, the triggers and shoulder buttons don't appear to be on the face of the controller at all. As such, hopeful Street Fighter purists may still be left without a suitable control.
The original item on EB Games has since been yanked from the internet, but we managed to snag a shot of the page, which lists the controller for $69.99 (ouch) with a release date of October 1st. That's a pretty hefty price for a decent game of Pac-Man.
No need for 360 fanboys to waste energy mocking the "revolutionary" PS3 controller for being sadly inferior to a 7 year-old product that worked with Warhawk on the PS1 when Playstation Magazine is producing humiliating videos like this. It turns out Pelican somehow got motion-sensing and rumble feedback to work on the same controller back in 1999. The first 30 seconds where he apes the Sony E3 keynote is classic stuff.
Coming to you from Team Xtender is the full chrome controller shell, complete with LEDs for seizure-inducing fun. How's that for a pimpin' accessory? They say more pictures of the wireless controller shell will be put up soon, but the current ones are just as impressive. These kind of awesome additions could go great with some creative faceplates too.
Update: Grrr, we take back anything nice we said about Amazon.com or its Deal of the Day junk. They decided to switch this great deal to something more DS based and did it mid-day. Stupid Amazon.com. But we'll make it up to you fellow X3F reader, we'll find another great deal even if it paralyzes us for the rest of our waking lives. No joke.
Talismoon's little Tiltboard 
CNET UK decided to rank the top five video game controllers of all time and you'll be happy to know that the Xbox 360 controller did us very proud. Actually, according to CNET the 360's controller is the best gaming controller of all time! They thought that the controller is comfy, practical, and gets extra points for being the first to the gate in being a wireless standard. We agree. Going further down the list the 360's controller beat out favorites like the PS2, N64, SNES and Atari 2600 controllers. But we do have one issue with CNET's controller description. The Xbox 360 and its controller are not "beige" in color. They are a light kinda whitish ... greyish. So, please get it right.
Feeling a little black today? EB Games has come to the rescue by offering a few black Xbox 360 accessories before the Elite makes its grand arrival next week. Right now, you can order a black Xbox 360 wireless controller, play and charge pack, or extra play and charge battery. The black versions all cost the same as their white counterparts and are ready to ship within 24 hours. As we always say, black is the new off white ... or something like that.
If for some odd reason you wish you could use your uncomfortable PS2 controller on your 360, then TeamXtender has an answer. TeamXtender is in the planning stages of creating an adapter that your Xbox 360 controller would plug into to allow full PS2 Dualshock support and would also allow keyboard/mouse connectivity. I'm in love with my sexy white controller, but would you be enticed by such an offering or are you like me and satisfied with the your current 360 controller?
I hated to have to break this disappointing news to the shivering PS3 fanboys camped out in the cold and wet at my local Best Buy, but somebody had to do it:
Ludwig over at Joystiq passed this little gem onto us today. Looks like the 360 will be getting an arcade stick after all, courtesy of Mad Catz. While it's obvious that the stick should be perfect for old school favorites like Galaga, certain elements are rather curious. First of all, the controller has both a joystick and a D-pad, suggesting that the stick is in fact analogue. Also, the triggers and shoulder buttons don't appear to be on the face of the controller at all. As such, hopeful Street Fighter purists may still be left without a suitable control.
