Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless Controller for Windows & Xbox 360 Console

This package is an XBox 360 controller with a wireless USB adapter that transmits a signal so you can play wirelessly. In other words, while it comes with an XBox 360 controller, you can also use any other XBox 360 controller as well. Using the simple setup poster and included software CD, you install the software, connect the USB adapter, and youre ready to play. The good news is, the adapter for this Wireless Controller will not only let you connect up to FOUR XBox 360 controllers at the same time, it will also let you connect other devices, such as XBox wireless headsets. The bad news is, there is one fundamental flaw that seems to have been completely ignored by the people who developed the software to support the XBox 360 Wireless Controller for Windows: You cant easily turn it off. On an XBox, you press and hold the controllers center button. The software launches a menu and one option you can choose is Turn off Controller. The documentation and the softwares help files say nothing about turning off the controller. Digging through forums uncovers that you can either set the controller down for 20 minutes and wait for it to turn itself off, or most people disconnect the battery pack every time they want to turn it off (which will eventually loosen it). The center button does nothing if youre not in a game (and if you are, it doesnt give you a turn off controller option). You cant eject the controller in Windows, and if you disconnect the USB adapter or turn off your PC while the controller is still on, the controller will continue to look for a connection until the battery runs down. There is one sure-fire way that works: you have to be playing a Games for Windows Live game, logged into your Games for Windows Live account, and when youre ready to quit, press and hold the center button for 4 seconds. You will get a menu that will ask, Do you want to turn off the wireless controller? Choose Yes, and you can continue exiting the game using the keyboard and mouse. UPDATE: Amazon customer Kitten posts in the comments below that there is a system tray utility that will allow you to turn off the controller if you forget to do the steps above. I havent tested it yet but when I do I will come back here and update my review accordingly--her link is in the comments. That said, there is a reason I bought this controller, and that reason is that I really have come to enjoy the XBox 360 Controller. Ive also had some very annoying compatibility failures over the years with PCs and game pad controllers. The XBox 360 controller--wired or wireless--has been the best. Its literally plug and play and thus far I havent had any button problems, or had the sticks fall out of calibration like some other controllers do. If you love PC gaming, but you need to use a console-style controller for some of your games, this is your best bet. You can go with a wired controller and save yourself the power-down headaches, but if you really want wireless in Windows, the XBox 360 Wireless Controller for Windows is the best. Maybe one day theyll finish the software--I strongly suggest they put a tray icon in with a menu to manually handle this.

I wanted a wireless but unfortunately Microsoft made theirs the only one with native game support for windows games and the wireless is 10 tons of fail. This is exactly the same controller as the regular X-Box 360, but comes with an installation disk. (Which you can DL from Microsofts site instead.) It was very much plug and play, no real setup needed other than key mapping in games. Also the cord is fairly long. Anyway, will be comparing this to PS3 controller since that is the only other one I use. The grip is much more comfortable than the PS3 controller and button layout is designed for comfort of use rather than to look nice. (Still looks nice.)The movement sticks (or whatever they are actually called)have an indent and 4 small bumps that help grip to your finger to keep it from sliding, which the PS3 controller doesnt have. They are also placed much more intelligently and easy to move with your thumbs, which again the PS3 are intentionally out of the way for aesthetics rather than being functional. (This is because the original controllers games primarily used the directional pad and they inexplicably refuse to change the design...) Now for its downsides. It is incredibly heavy compared to the PS3 controller... and those have long lasting wireless batteries built in. I dont know if this is an issue with the actual controller or just game support for it, but so far there seems to be no difference how far/fast you push the movement sticks. If you lightly shift in a direction it moves the same speed as jolting it as far as it will go. The PS3 controller matches how fast and far you take it and will move slower if you only lightly press. Also while the bottom trigger buttons are fairly convenient the top ones are very annoying to use, whereas on the PS3 all 4 are easy to use. The X-Boxs trigger buttons also feel like you are just pressing down a button whereas the PS3 feels like squeezing a soft trigger. Finally the light indicating which controller it is (1-4)is right in the center of the controller facing you, which is slightly distracting since it is a bright neon green. On the PS3 it is next to the trigger buttons where you cans see, much smaller, and red which wont be as distracting in a dark room. All in all it works very well. Since Microsoft forces you to buy this for native controller support in games if you want to use a controller it is this or the Logitech one that emulates it. I do wish they would make a wireless controller that isnt completely terrible and maybe cut down on weight, but do like the design of the outer casing and how comfortable it is.

I want to start out by stating that this review is for the genuine Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless Controller shipped and sold by Amazon.com. I recently finished building a new gaming rig, and since I use my Xbox 360 and Xbox One the most out of all my gaming consoles I decided it would be best for me to stick with an Xbox controller for my PC. I currently own several Xbox One controllers, but in my opinion the Xbox One controllers just arent as sturdy as the 360 controllers. To my dismay, I quickly realized that using a 360 controller on the PC wasnt as simple as the Xbox One controller which comes with a plug and play option for Windows. Since I wouldnt be able to use any of my existing 360 controllers, I decided to look into my available options. I am a person that prefers genuine products over generic counterparts, so I was left with either purchasing a wired 360 controller or purchasing the regular wireless Xbox 360 controller that comes with a USB wireless receiver. I decided to go with the wireless option since during the time of my purchase it was only $8 more than the wired version, which I am more than willing to pay for the convenience factor it comes with. As much as I like the Xbox 360 controller, I am very disappointed with the declining quality control over at Microsoft. Perhaps I have just gotten unlucky a few times, but I think its beyond unacceptable for a company to be shipping out products labeled as new that arrive damaged. In the case of my Xbox 360 Wireless Controller for Windows purchase, the controller came with several deep cuts on the front of the controller. If I had to describe the damage, I would say it looks like someone took a power saw and made a few precision cuts on it. Neither the actual product packaging nor the Amazon box it was shipped in had any kind of damage, which clearly indicates that the damage occurred prior to the product being packaged. Seeing how the product packaging features a large clear plastic surface in the front that acts as a showcase window for the controller, its obvious that there is a quality control issue at the manufacturing plant if products are able to depart the facility in such a condition, as the damage can be easily seen without ever having to open the packaging. It appears that the damage on my controller is only superficial, but when you are purchasing a product labeled as brand new, you dont exactly expect it to arrive with any sort of damage period. The Xbox 360 controllers themselves are pretty amazing, I prefer their shape and overall quality (assuming they come without any damage) over all my other controllers. So I do recommend the controller, but keep in mind that if you order this product, you may end up receiving a damaged one. Another thing to mention is that a lot of people have complained about the actual USB receiver breaking after a few weeks of use, so if you dont want to risk getting a product that may come with manufacture defects or that may stop working, I recommend you go with the Xbox One controller instead. If you do end up getting this controller and the USB receiver stops working, I recommend you contact Microsoft to see if they have replacements available (They may need to verify the serial number on your device, replacements are only free of charge as long as the warranty is still valid). It appears that the software has still not been updated to support Windows 8/8.1, so keep that in mind if thats the OS you are currently using. If it wasnt for the lack of quality control over at Microsoft and the issues with the USB receiver and its software, I would have probably given this product a 5 star rating. Granted, the people who receive a damaged product may be in the minority, but after reading a bunch of reviews it seems that there are multiple people citing the exact same issue in their reviews. And as much as I prefer the Xbox over my other consoles, I have never had my other consoles or console accessories arrive with any kind of damage. Whereas this now makes the 5th time since the release of the Xbox One that I have received a brand new Xbox product that came with damage that clearly occurred in the manufacturing plant. Short summary: I will gladly recommend the controller, assuming that it doesnt come with any superficial manufacture defects, however, with the lack of Windows 8 software support and the short lifespan of the USB receiver I am not sure if I could recommend this specific package. It may be safer purchasing either the Xbox One controller or the Wired Xbox 360 controller as you wont have to worry about a receiver breaking which would render your ability to connect to your PC. But in the case you do decide to go with the wireless controller for windows and receive a damaged one (which you will be able to see without having to open the actual product packaging), I am sure that Amazon will be more than willing to fix the order assuming the item is shipped and sold / fulfilled by Amazon.

I realize its still a matter of personal preference (and personal disgust in some cases) which method to use, but in these days of ported PC games I was getting very frustrated with the sloppy keyboard/mouse controls. I bought this wireless controller specifically for Skyrim. Though Im purely a PC gamer and havent owned a console in 10 years, it is a little less frustrating to use this controller than it is to use the keyboard and mouse. I was getting SICK TO DEATH of the menu and dialogue options with the mouse in Skyrim! I clicked on a response - and a dialogue option three rows down would play! No matter what was highlighted, no matter what was clicked! Anyway... this controller works mostly as advertised, and Ive never had the dialogue troubles I had with the mouse. Its still a mess for people like me who are unfamiliar with the sticks. Im constantly depressing the sticks by accident, sending commands to the game which disrupt my play. Is this an issue with the controller? Naw, its with me the user, but Ive been playing video games for years. It saps the fun to be strapped with an unfamiliar controller, but this is the state of PC games these days. Also, I find the fine line between rapid movement and slow movement to be too hard to master. The swift look movement of the stick is fine, but sometimes its frustrating for a longtime mouse user to manipulate the crosshairs slowly when needed. So far I have found no functionality for the controller other than games. (Duh?) I didnt plug-n-play it but installed the drivers first. It was an instant connect and I have had zero issues thus far. I am using 64 bit Windows 7 Ultimate. I still have the old XP OS on dual boot but never use it any more. Sorry, I havent tried it with XP. So far Skyrim is the only game Ive tried it on (only game installed). I sit about 10 feet from the receiver and the response is perfect with no glitches (at least not in the controller!) For those who keep up with it, the controller runs a process called XboxStat.exe in the background at all times. It uses around 2.2MB of RAM, hardly a concern with a 64bit OS, eh? Final words. Long ago I bought a white wired XBOX controller for Windows. It lasted for less than 6 months before it died and was 100% useless. Im hoping this new one lasts longer. Trust me. I WILL COME BACK TO THIS REVIEW and let people know if and when the controller dies! So check the date of this review to get an idea of how long the controller has lasted me. And why no 5 Star rating? I partly fault Microsoft for games like Skyrim (Elder Scrolls) moving away from PC development and towards console development, thus forcing me to have to buy a special controller to play the PC version of the game. Please note that I said partly. Theres plenty of blame to go around. Still, Im sure some knucklehead is gonna come on here and comment about it. Partly, partner, partly.

Ive went through a number of gamepads over the years, dating back to when they connected to the PC via an analogue gameport. Ive had pads from the likes of Thrustmaster, Saitek and a few others, most recently using a PS2 controller via a

I will begin this by stating that this is the official Xbox 360 wired remote, the same one that may come packaged with your Xbox 360, unless it comes with a wireless one. The only difference between this regular Xbox 360 controller, and this Xbox 360 Controller for Windows is one thing, the windows version comes packaged with a driver disk. Now this disk is unnecessary if your windows machine has access to the internet because windows will most likely recognize the device and install it for you. If not I recommend going to Microsofts website and download the latest drivers, instead of using the disk. I will not go into to much detail about the controller itself because most of use have been there done that. If you havent used a 360 remote I will say though I prefer them over the PS3 style remote because it has a better grip(IMO) and the rear trigger buttons are a lot easier to use for pressure sensitive inputs because of the upward curve, compared to the downward curve. An example of where this comes in handy would be for light gas or brake pressure in a racing game. The quality is of course of high standards, this is not a cheaply built remote and you can expect this to last. IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING THIS REMOTE AND HAVE SOME MORE MONEY TO SPARE, I RECOMMEND FIRST CHECKING OUT

This is a standard Xbox 360 controller. As you can tell Its made by Microsoft, so its a legit brand named controller. The wire is nice and long and I have no problems plugging it into the furthest USB port away from me. I can even lay down and relax a distance away from my computer and theres plenty of wiggle room, so you shouldnt have to worry that you may strain the wire due to distance. This controller works for both the Xbox 360 and PC. If you bought this for your computer like I did, all you need to do is plug the controller in your USB port and it auto installs the drivers and becomes functional. It does come with a disk that installs additional software on your computer. This is most likely important for your controller, so make sure you have this installed. Even if Windows recognizes the device and works as intended simply after plugging it in (like it did for me). Make sure you install the software included, especially if you encounter problems. Ive been using this for not just PC gaming but all kinds stuff. Most software recognizes this device and I had no problems mapping the controller to replace my keyboard. I can even use the controller to operate the entire computer itself if you have the software to do so. Its durable, responsive, feels good in your hands, and its a perfect choice if youre in need of a game pad for your computer. The Xbox 360 controller is what I feel most comfortable holding, compared to other PC compatible controllers the 360 controller feels natural, like an extension of myself. So, in my personal opinion its one of the best designed controllers. I highly recommend the wired over wireless. Ive heard of problems with connectivity concerning the wireless counterpart, not to mention it takes much more effort to keep in working order (Batteries, Charging etc.) and if youre a gamer like me, a random disconnection while in the middle of gaming is out of the question. Dont get me wrong, Ive heard customers that have no problems at all with wireless. But if you ask me, I prefer the good old wired over wireless due to better stability. Ive been using this controller like crazy and Im quite rough with it to be honest. Ive dropped it many times and accidentally tugged on the wire quite hard and I still havent encountered a single problem. This is a fantastic product, so far everything is working as if I just opened it, even after so much time and abuse I had it suffer. When it comes to a gamepad for your PC this product is the way to go, WELL WORTH the money spent. If youre a lover of the Xbox 360 controller and its design and feel like I am than look no further. I hope I answered some questions or helped ease some worries that you may have been experiencing! ~JOHN D.

The controller was official, which was my main concern. Everything works great, no sticky/loose buttons. Even the rubber on the thumb sticks aren’t that worn, no visible scuffs, seems barely used. Cord seems in great condition. Overall surprised at the quality. The greatest controller design with the bonuses of no input lag, and finger room with the absence of the battery pack. Only complaints being the cord length, and the package I received being a bit shoddy, otherwise I more than satisfied.

Compared to the Playstation controller, the 360 controller is much better because of a few simple improvements. The best and main reason I prefer it is the location of the left analog stick. The left stick is on top where the d-pad is on the Playstation controller. This makes for a much more comfortable grip since the analog stick is the main input. I like it even though the right analog stick is still on the bottom. I also prefer the 360 controllers triggers. They feel like real triggers and have a longer push which is pressure sensitive. I have taken apart and repaired several 360 controllers and the triggers are not buttons instead they are circular potentiometer sensors which are also found in pairs on the analog sticks. While this makes these components much more sensitive and provides a much better gaming experience, these are the most fragile parts of the controller and are prone to wear as they eventually become sticky or break. I have broken either the left or right analog stick on half a dozen 360 controllers. By the 3rd one I figured out how to replace them by desoldering the whole assembly and replacing it with a new one from ebay. Each sensor costs $3 which is far cheaper than buying a new controller. The only issue is that if you do not get a genuine Microsoft potentiometer, it will have a massive dead zone. The wireless Windows controller and receiver was on sale so I bought it. At $35 it was almost half off the original price. The sensor alone usually goes for about $15. Since I have 2 other wireless controllers, this package was a good deal. The first thing I noticed after opening the package was that it included 2 AA Duracell coppertop batteries. This was a surprise and I did not notice it in the product description although after reading it again it does say batteries included. Because of this, everything you need to make it work is in the box; including the software on a CD so you can use it even if you are offline. If you are online, the drivers will download for the sensor as soon as you plug it in to the USB port. After that, power the controller on with the big middle Xbox button and then press the button on the top of the controller to the left of the recharge port. When the green lights start blinking in a circular pattern, press the button on the USB receiver and it is ready to use. Response in game is identical to playing on the 360 - there is zero lag.The controller itself is identical to the 360 one and there is no distinguishable features. The only thing that could have made it even better would have been a play and charge kit, but that probably would have jacked the price up.

I used to game exclusively on PCs - Id scoff at people and their game consoles, and could never understand how they could possibly live and game with such few button options. Then Halo came out, and I had to buy the original Xbox. Since then Ive gotten four Xbox 360s around the house, a PS3, a Wii, and a Wii U. And I stopped gaming on the computer completely since the original Xbox and Halo came out... Of all the game controllers for all the systems, nothing felt as good as the Xbox 360 controllers. For me, they were the top of the line, period. And for my 9 year old, the thumb sticks are placed perfectly, unlike the OEM PS3 controllers that are offset too far in the middle. I got hooked on Elder Scrolls as well on the Xbox, and played Skyrim, but was getting tired of hearing people talking about the mods and such they were doing on their PCs since I couldnt do that on the Xbox. And when I upgraded my Media Center PC from a Mac Mini running Windows in boot camp to a new Alienware X51 with the Nvidia 660 card in it, I figured it was time to see just how much better Skyrim would look on my 55 LCD TV in ultra high detail mode with the PC - and then I could mod things to my hearts content. So I grabbed this on sale from Amazon, plugged it in, ran the installer, and fired up skyrim. For the first time, I was playing a game on the PC without having to do *ANY* configuration for the controller. No picking what joystick, etc. All buttons just worked, exactly as I was used to on the Xbox. I then got Borderlands 2 on a gold box deal, and again it just worked. Flawlessly. I love that I can now use the same controller I prefer when I decide to get something for the PC instead of the Xbox. That was one factor in my not gaming on the PC, the logitech game controller I had just didnt feel as good as the Xbox 360 one did. Now thats no longer a concern. If you like to game on the PC, and you like the Xbox 360 controller, this is a no brainer.