Xbox 360 Wireless Controller - Matte Black

by Microsoft

Product Features

• Xbox 360 Wireless Controller Black

Product Details

• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B000OYITQO
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 6 x 2 inches ; 8 ounces
• Media: Accessory
• Release Date: April 17, 2007
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (195 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,859 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #7 in Video Games > Xbox 360 > Hardware > Controllers > Gamepads

Product Description

Wireless Controller Black Xbox 360

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for your PC too, January 28, 2009

By 

B. Barcellos (Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Xbox 360 Wireless Controller - Matte Black (Accessory)

If you own an xbox, the choice here is fairly obvious. There isn't much to say other than if you don't have a wireless controller already, get one. If you only own a PC however, or play games on your PC as well as your 360 like I do, then things get a little more interesting.

I wholeheartedly recommend using a 360 controller in combination with the Xbox Wireless Receiver for Windows. The range on this thing is great and goes through walls. You can tuck the receiver behind your monitor, under your desk, or in a drawer and you'll get perfect reception. The support for this controller is excellent in all applications I've tried, the drivers are minimal, and the controller even turns itself off after not being used for a while to save battery life. In a Games For Windows title, all buttons automatically work like they would on the 360, no muss, no fuss. Hitting the Guide button even pops up the Windows Live overlay if you're playing a game that supports it like Fallout 3 or GTA 4 (normally the Guide button just gives you a summary of your battery life).

It is also possible to install a third party profiler app that lets you bind keystrokes and mouse movements to the controller, like XPadder (free). This lets me play a movie on my PC, and then sit on the couch and use the controller play/pause/ff/rewind,etc. I've had zero problems using this controller with xpadder.

If you like emulating old games on your pc (nes/snes/n64/etc), the large number of buttons lets you map the controller to pretty much any retro console controller you can think of.

As for the merits of the controller itself, there are plenty of reviews here that praise its comfort, feel, and reliability, and revile the D-Pad, so I won't go over any of that.

Summary:
+ Most comfortable and reliable controller I've used.
+ Wireless, great range, good price on amazon.
+ Good battery life and auto-shutoff feature.
+ Great game & app support with little to no headaches or installs.

- D-Pad is nearly useless, but there are few games where this makes a difference, like fighting games.
- It can be hard to find the proper wireless receiver driver if you are running 64-bit Vista, but its out there if you search hard enough.

edit:
Works flawlessly in Windows 7 x64 without having to hunt down the driver!
The D-Pad can be improved by following these instructions: http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Fix-the-d-pad-on-the-Xbox-360-control-pad-mor/. I tried it on one of my controllers and can verify it works great and feels much better, but be careful, and remember that you'll be voiding your warranty and can damage your controller.

62 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A slight improvement., April 29, 2007

By 

Sinister Crayon "Crayon" (Golden, CO USA) - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Xbox 360 Wireless Controller - Matte Black (Accessory)

Ok, so this is basically just the white controller painted black. To be honest, the white controllers don't look too bad, its the white console that looks terrible. But that is my opinion. On to the facts. The black controller is almost exactly the same, but part of the grip is more "matte" than the white one. The white controller always makes me sweat for some reason because it is too smooth. These look great however. The colors are well matched even though it may not look like it in the pictures. I'd definitely recommend picking these up if you have an elite, or if you have core/premium and you want the black ones so the grime doesn't show as much, I'd highly recommend these.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love the controller, January 20, 2010

By 

Duane M. Williams "LostinSLC" (Lost in Salt Lake City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Xbox 360 Wireless Controller - Matte Black (Accessory)

I have had gaming systems since the day of the Atari 2600. From the single joystick to the Nintendo pad to the 360 I have played with all of them. I have to say that the people at Microsoft did an excellent job in developing this controller.

It is lightweight, comfortable and is very easy to use with all games. I highly recommend getting the black controller, it looks and feels better. You cannot beat the wireless function and unlike the controllers of old, you do not need to face it directly at the console.