Microsoft explains Controller S
Well, everything except the stupid name
Microsoft has issued a press release talking about its new, silly-sounding Xbox peripheral Controller S. Ignoring the various controller issues we've raised in the past for now, Controller S does look quite nifty. But just in case the pictures it released a couple of weeks ago weren't enough, Microsoft has clarified what's interesting about Controller S and how it's different from the Japanese controller in a page of easily digestible bullet points. Perhaps this release was intended for another market… Anyway, the Controller S is of course smaller, so as to fit the human hand, and the improved diamond layout allows people to hit more than one button at once without rupturing veins. The secondary black and white buttons have been moved to beneath the diamond, and on the other side the Start and Back buttons mirror their position. This is an odd play and we'll be interested to see how it's received, as we reckon that's where a big chunk of our hand rests… Furthermore, Microsoft promises that the new d-pad surface isn't quite so awful, and that the thumbstick surfaces have been altered to increase surface area. As it happens, we didn't actually have any complaints with regards to the thumbsticks on the original pad. If anything, our thumbs don't slip off them during intense situations quite as often as they do with Sony's Dual Shock 2. Those other, subtle differences of which Microsoft spoke include cable length, which has been increased by half a metre to three, button appearance, the colour of the Xbox emblem and most interestingly, stronger springs have been used in the triggers. Whether this means the springs are now stronger than their regular Xbox pad equivalents though isn't expanded upon. We'd be surprised if there is much difference, however. Related Feature - X Marks The Spot