Your Attempt at Control is Feeble!

Microsoft Unveils New XBOX 360 Controller

OH NO!!! TOO SEXY!!! TOO SEXY!!!

So the wonderful folks of Bill Gates' esteemed empire at Microsoft have unveiled their newest iteration of the XBOX 360 controller this week. The new wireless controller is a testament for many XBOX gamers who have been complaining for years about certain features in the control. Specifically, many gamers, myself NOT included, are whining about the functionality of the D-Pad on the current control. For those of you who don't know the d-pad is the round part of the control next to the left thumbstick that isn't used for many context sensitive functions in games. And that's my big problem gripe with this new control.

Now a part of the Smithsonian

Among the big change with the new control is the ability for gamers to twist the D-Pad to allow for the "plus" part to extend, thus allowing for better accuracy and control. You can alternate between the regular control style currently, or "twist" your D-Pad to extend the movement stick. In my honest opinion, this is a gimmick. I've read the so-called arguments gamers have with the 360 controller claiming that they find a better sense of control (no pun intended....honestly) when they use the D-Pad in many of their games, but in my opinion, they're living in the past. Older generation consoles like the NES, SNES, and Genesis had D-Pad style controllers that gamers nowadays are craving, but in today's world of 3-D games, it doesn't work anymore. Many games that include the D-Pad movement only use it for secondary action in many games like say, choosing a weapon. Sure you can change your control scheme, but with many first person shooters and fighting games, the joystick is the way to go.

Thank God for technological advancements in gaming

Another cosmetic change to the control is the buttons. It's nothing with the functionality but rather, they've changed the color scheme. No longer will your 360 controller have a blue, green, red, and yellow palette. Instead, Microsoft decided to go Steamboat Willie on everyone and change the colors to different hues of gray. I don't know the logic behind this decision, considering that many game developers include their games with button-prompts that use the default color scheme. For example, in game tutorials will show the button and color to players in order to cement their control style to gamers.


With all the changes in the new control, I'm further convinced that Microsoft is out to make a quick buck thanks to the Kinect. In case you haven't heard, Kinect releases this November (around the same time as this controller I might add) and features a new playability on the 360 that uses your voice and body movements as the control so to speak. My point...until now, the control for the 360 has worked just fine. I feel that old saying "if it ain't broke don't fix it" fits quite appropriately here. Why release another controller when your company is obviously pushing it's new piece of hardware that promises to ditch controllers? I mean, did Microsoft drop the ball on this in terms of financing the development? Are they desperate to try and make back whatever cash they wasted in developing this new contraption that they'll tell you it can cook Easy-Mac in less time than you can? Damn...I should probably invent something like that. Easy-Mac is my life-force.

PS3 Controllers have barely changed since the PS1 days. Thank God!

Anyway, The new "Steamboat Willie" 360 control is set to release on November 9th -- which will include the Play and Charge Kit -- for a hefty $64.99. Until then, here's a video from XBOX Live's Major Nelson showing you the new controller. Enjoy!

XBOX Live Ups its Price Tag

Listening to Little Racist Kids is a Premium Package

The biggest gathering place for incoherent rants

Today the good ol' boys of Microsoft announced that beginning November 1st, the price tag for XBOX Live will shoot up for Gold subscribers. 1-month users will now pay $9.99 instead of $7.99, 3-month users will pay $24.99 instead of $19.99, and annual holders will pay $59.99 instead of $49.99. After doing a little research across the online community, I've noticed that many internet trolls are upset over the inflation and are threatening to keep their beloved XBOX consoles from online usage. Sure no one likes paying more than they have to, but are you really that surprised?

Sometimes frustrating, online games are about the community

XBOX Live has been around for about 8 years now. Since its inception (and not the Chris Nolan kind), the service has flourished into a major revenue stream for Microsoft. With millions of users, the increase in downloadable content, and the implementation of mainstream friendly features like NETFLIX and Facebook, it's surprising that Microsoft hasn't raped our wallets sooner. This is the first time Microsoft is increasing its fees since Live launched, and I people need to stop their whining.

Online gaming is the way we will be playing video games for years to come. In this day and age many game critics will blast a game for not containing some kind of multiplayer facet in its game. It's very difficult these days for a game thrive as a single-player only experience, and very rarely does it happen that its both a critical and commercial success. There are always exceptions to the rule (i.e.Bioshock) but developers are now looking for ways to extend their revenue stream by adding multiplayer components and downloadable content for months, or even years to come. As it is, many triple-A publishers are starting to hire two different development teams for a single title. One team focuses on the single player campaign, while the other concentrates on multiplayer.

Pretty Much

One of my biggest complaints with online play has to be the community. 9 times out of 10, I avoid putting my headset during an online game because I can't stand the shouting expletives and ignorant, egotistical, racist remarks. Sure trash-talking is a part of any competitive video game, but it goes too far. You should hear some of the stuff that is said online. It's not that I'm insulted or anything, it's just impossible to reason with these kinds of people. It's like trying to talk Mel Gibson into not having a drink...it's impossible. 

Despite the incoherent online rants, there is a very good reason to stay a part of the online community, and that's the features. For $59.99 a year, XBOX Live is still worth the price of admission. Besides playing your games online, there are a number of other things to keep you entertained for months on end. Features like NETFLIX, Last.Fm, and the soon to be ESPN are great addition to have on your XBOX console. They add another dimension to your console's usage, defining it as an entertainment console rather than a gaming one. There are buttloads of other features as well such as faceebook, twitter, and Zune, but these are merely cosmetic additions to the interface and don't really add a great deal of depth if you ask me. The point is, you're not just paying for your online games anymore...and that's a good thing.

Sony's sneak attack tactic into your wallet

Another thing, lets try and do the math here folks. With a $59.99 per year price tag, XBOX Live comes out to just $5 a month. Other online gaming service like World of Warcraft have a $15 a month price tag, but people keep on playing. And lets not forget that running an online service takes a considerable amount of money in terms of server maintenance issues alone. I know there are the elitist Playstation afficionados who swear by the PSN network because it's free, but mark my words fellow PS3 owners, our days of free online play aren't going to last very long. Sony is pushing its "Playsation Plus" premium service down gamers throats. Just like with Microsoft, it's only a matter of time before PSN ups its price tag. In the end, I'm just glad my XBOX Live subscription renews this month.

P.S. Here's a good example of why I hate playing online. Enjoy.