New 360 controller on the horizon

In the past five years, Microsoft has encountered a number of complaints regarding its Xbox 360 hardware. The most vociferous of those were likely related to critical hardware failures, but not far behind were gripes about the standard Xbox 360 controller's D-pad, which players felt yielded insufficiently precise inputs for some games like Lumines Live or Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting.

The former complaint has largely been addressed with extended warranties and newly redesigned Xbox 360 systems. The latter one could also have a solution on the way, as Xbox Live director of programming Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb has revealed that a newly redesigned Xbox 360 controller will be released later this year.

"We've heard from the community that you're not big fans of the D-pad, so the engineers went back into the laboratory and came up with this ingenious solution," Nelson explained in a YouTube video introducing the controller.

The solution is a patented D-pad that switches from a disc configuration to a raised plus sign by twisting the pad around. The new pad will also feature a revised colour scheme with buttons in shades of grey instead of the candy-coloured gems Microsoft has used since the debut of the original Xbox. Hryb said the pad also boasts other improvements, though he didn't specify what those were.

The pursuit of precision comes with a price, as the new controller will only be available bundled with Microsoft's play-and-charge controller kit for US$65. The new controller will be available in the US on 9 November, with a European debut expected sometime in February. It's currently unknown on when it will hit Australian shores.