New Xbox 360 Controller Improves D-Pad, Removes Button Color, $64.99 on November 9th

Starting on November 9th, a newly redesigned Xbox 360 controller will be available in the US for $64.99.

The controller sports a number of new features, most importantly, the controller’s much-maligned D-Pad has been replaced by a transformer. Simply turn the circular bed the D-Pad rests in, and the directional button raises from the bed, providing a button much easier to deal with. Among other prominent new features, the analog sticks have been redesigned to be concave and the face buttons have lost their color, now in differing shades of grey to match the new sleek silver matte.

The redesign seems largely positive, though two somewhat pressing issues remain. Currently, the controller will only be available in a new Play & Charge Kit, requiring that customers spend extra money on peripherals they may not want. The other issue, though probably not affecting the majority of Xbox 360 owners, suggests the new grey buttons won’t match the color of the buttons when displayed onscreen in games, potentially causing an issue for Xbox 360 players who identify the buttons via their color cue and not their letters.

(Major Nelson via Engadget)