Customer Reviews

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Combat Controller for Xbox 360 - Snow

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I was really excited to get this controller, I love the idea of the buttons on the back. Unfortunately, within about two minutes I realized it was poorly designed. The buttons on the back are situated way too high on the controller, they can't be reached easily (Defeating their entire purpose). And the joysticks and D-Pad are all much stiffer than a normal Xbox controller, which doesn't seem like a big problem, but after about 20 minutes my thumbs started to hurt. Very disappointed, I returned it the next day.

When I saw this controller I was quite weary of all the negative reviews, but in the end I would have to say that this controller is absolutely fantastic for any games that use the analog stick buttons. It definitely deserves 5 out of 5 stars if you are playing Modern Warfare 2, but maybe only 4 out of 5 stars with most other games that don't use the right/left analog stick buttons. Since it was designed specifically for "Modern Warfare 2" I must give it a 5 star rating.

Pro...
1. The controller has two extra buttons on the bottom face. These buttons can be pressed by using your middle fingers. At first it felt really funny using my middle fingers to press the extra buttons, but this actually took all of 20 minuets to get used to; quite a nice substitute. Maybe in the future, controllers will be made with pinky finger buttons.

These two extra buttons are what really make this controller great. Basically, these buttons can substitute for two other buttons on the front face of the controller. I use them for the analog stick buttons, hence, running/knife-slash in "Modern Warfare 2".

Anybody who has played "Kill Zone 2" or "Modern Warfare 2" can understand that pressing the left analog button to run is very annoying and can cause your character to run in an unintended direction. This sometimes becomes overly frustrating, but this controller solves that problem with the extra buttons.

Another great feature is the side rubber grips. This gives me a really secure grip on the controller and keeps it locked in my hands when pressing the bottom face bottoms. Had the controller been manufactured with no rubber grips, the bottom face buttons would be difficult to press properly.

Neutral...
The controller is corded. I'm not sure weather I should count this as a pro or con. Most of the other reviews that I have read have placed it in the con category. I feel indifferent towards this situation. Wireless is a nice feature to have, but I am tired of replacing the energizer batteries on my wireless controller.

The cord for this controller is 9.8 ft long. At this distance I can comfortably play my Xbox with no problems, although a cord is something else for someone to trip over. Like I said, this is a neutral situation.

Both analog sticks light up with a green glow when plugged in. This looks kind of sheik, but isn't a great feature. One review pointed out that it gets annoying in the dark. This may be. I'll have to try and see if I can see the lights in my perif.

Con...
This controller is not quite as solid as a standard Microsoft Brand controller. It's lighter and, like one review pointed out, better suited for people with slightly smaller hands like my person. It does have a "cheap" feel to it, but certainly worth the money if you can find it for less than $30.

Certainly not a great controller for watching DVD movies because of the corded feature; I would recommend a PS2 (with remote) or a standard DVD player instead. Sadly, there is no louder system than an Xbox 360 on the market.

In the end, this controller is great and worth the $25 that I spent on it. It can't be beat when playing "Modern Warfare 2" and is a great substitute for a standard controller with most other games. However, I would highly recommend a standard white Microsoft wired/wireless controller with most other games that do not use the analog stick buttons. I give this controller a 5 star rating because of its application to "Modern Warfare 2". I'm still going to play Bioshock with a standard controller.

There is no way any experienced gamers can really enjoy this controller and maximize their gameplay, compared to the stock Microsoft controller. Trigger and bumper placement is just totally off. Also, if you try to use this controller with GOW2 Multi-player, it does not work properly. I'm not sure if the system detects it as a modded controller or what. I'm not the only person to have this issue as the gamestop employee I returned this thing to, suffered similar issues. They had a perfect opportunity to capitalize on a market that consists of no controllers that are better than the MS wired 360 controller (wireless controllers suffer split second latency). My only gripe with the MS 360 controller is that the D-Pad is garbage. If the D-Pad worked like the PS3's, then I wouldn't have even been in the market for a different controller. Mad Catz = Mad Failz

The action buttons are difficult to press. Even if I wanted to use this without the action buttons, the triggers and bumpers are not like the official controllers. The triggers are pressed straight instead of rotating like the official ones. There's room for the trigger to pinch my finger. It's uncomfortable to use the trigger and bumper with just your index finger because of the way you have to press the trigger. I would have to use my index for the bumper, middle for the trigger, and somehow press the action button with my ring finger.

Anyone who has given this controller a positive review has tiny hands, has never used it, or is a Madcatz employee :P

I too absolutely loved the idea of this controller- and then I actually got to use it once it arrived :/

Problems:

1. Immediate thing you notice is that the black plastic on the thumbsticks is quite slick...the stock xbox360 controllers have a slightly ruggedized texture, concave surface, and tick marks to help hold your thumb in place: of all of these, this controller has one and it's only the very center of the stick that's concave. I took a knife to the surface to scuff it up, and now it holds in place just fine. Which brings me to problem 2:

2. The headset voice has what sounds like a phase delay- gives an echo to the sound and making any headset sound far less crisp than even the basic microsoft headset (plugging that headset in sounds just terrible). Wish I had spotted this before trying to modify the thumbstick into a usuable feature because I'd have returned it on the spot if otherwise. Test your new stuff in a real game, not in a private lobby alone so you're testing things you might not realize don't work right: which brings me to #3

3. The bumper buttons are huge and the sensor pad for them are near the top- so the bottom portion of the buttons that I touch the most are intermittent at best. Cooking a grenade? I hope not :P Reallllly disliked seeing a grenade I'm trying to carefully time suddenly fly out of my hand because the bottom of the button wasn't applying enough pressure.

4. Trigger frame and bottom buttons. Unless you've got tiny child-like hands, you're going to have a hard time finding a comfortable position to put your fingers so that they sit on the combat buttons on the bottom. I don't know anyone who doesn't wrap their middle, ring, and pinky fingers around the palm grips of a 360 controller, so why not put these buttons there? The sloping of the frame where the trigger is pulled into makes it impossible to hold the controller tightly and use the combat buttons. I'm in the middle of trying to figure out a way to balance a beam across a bearing over the button to extend these down the underside of the palm grips, but I why should I have to redesign the controller to make it usable? That's Madcatz's job and they failed at it. Great idea, incredibly bad implementation. Great controller to let someone you hate use, so unless that someone is you, don't buy one.

All the other bad reviews are 100% correct. this thing is terrible. I cant believe i wasted $50 on this.

its hard to use after using the Microsoft controller. The buttons on the back are lame and dont give good options to map. joysticks are terrible. When I got it, the grenade button was busted, and also the controller just does not feel comfortable in your hands. Include that with the fact that it is not wireless, and stay away from this product

You know whats funny? All the whiners complaining about this controller. oooooh it doesn't feel comfortable after 10 sec, waaah. let me tell you something. of course its not going to feel normal in your hand after using a regular xbox controller. duhhhh or else it wouldn't be called a specialized controller. after using this for about 10 min my hands and coordination with everything was perfect. I love how slowly or fast you can use the joysticks to aim and the precision can be if you practice, the buttons on the back I don't even actually use. yeah the left and right bumpers can be a little frustrating because they are a little bigger and harder to slide your fingers up to, but other than that, I love how durable everything feels. I rather have the buttons feel a little stiff and hard to push down, then feeling way too flimsy. Overall I really enjoy it for call of duty games all around. Other games I have to agree the regular ones work better with though.

Sickest looking controller ever created. Get it for that reason not because of the combat buttons.

So, I actually purchase this controller at a local store knowing I may just return it, which I did.

I have summarized my impressions below:

1) Seems like it was designed to keep your fore-fingers on the bumpers and middle-fingers on the triggers (I can't seem to get used to that setup)

2) The bumpers are huge compared to the default MS controller and I often found myself hitting them instead of the triggers in my first several games. Has anyone ever had an issue with the size of the bumpers on the MS controller?

3) Triggers respond OK but feel as though they are placed a little too low for my liking (I'll provide pictures)....hence the hitting the bumpers instead of the triggers. The spring for the triggers seems to be weaker than the the default MS controller slightly slowing my rapid rate of fire.

4) The sticks feel just fine, I had no issue with the lack of bumps or rubberized grip, and the sensitivity feels just the slightest hair off from the default controller. Also, unlike some of the official reviewers I had no issue with clicking the sticks.

5) The extra buttons on the back of the controller I found were virtually useless with their placement because they are placed so near the top of the controller that you have to go out of your way to hit them when holding the controller regularly. This defeats the purpose for me gaining back that quick knifing ability using the Tactical button layout in MW2.

6) I don't like that I have to hit the left rear button to knife (B button duplicate) and you can only map the rear right button to X, Y, or Right Stick Click.

7) The Back and Start buttons are spongy awefulness but really how often do you use them but for the occasional score-board check.

8) The cord is a nice braided vinyl looking mesh material but really should have been longer. It also has a gold plated USB connector (whatever).

9) The face buttons (A,B,X,Y) and the Guide button seem very cheap despite their responsiveness. Also, the Guide button graphic on my controller was not straight.

Overall, it is an OK controller and will work as a decent replacement for a regular MS controller if you sit close enough to your 360 and you can find it cheaper than a regular MS 360 controller.

It was exactly what I was afraid of. Light feel, custom buttons don't match up with normal fingers and it just feels cheap - kind of like a typical Mad Catz product.

I bought it mainly for the extra customized buttons and cool digital camo. But the extra buttons are in an awkward spot (maybe a nine year-old's hand would find it useful). I think I have normal average hands, but in the heat of the moment when I thought I was pressing the customized buttons...I was actually pressing the screw holes. So for me, obviously the screw hole locations would have been a more natural spot for the buttons. I seriously think my hands would have cramped up under extended gaming periods trying to angle my fingers to the actual buttons (did they do any any research on average hand placements?). The buttons feel cheap and have that "playing a knockoff product" feeling. I also couldn't get used to the trigger buttons.

Basically there is no way this controller is worth the money they are asking. Especially being wired! I returned mine.