The Xbox 360 Controller Is Being Revived By Hyperkin This June

The difference is that already in 2005 the control was wireless. Now it is wired and more expensive... No thanks…

I love the idea of having a bunch of different "retro" pads for modern consoles (I have the 8bitdo SNES style controller and the PowerA Gamecube pad for the Switch/PC) but the fact it's wired just kills it for me. I get the why, and I'm happy for those who want it but man I can't go back to cables dragging across the floor it wasn't fun then and it wont be fun now I have kids.

But why?

I mean seriously, the 360 controller was just the beta version of the Series controller when you really get down to it. The current controllers are basically the same sort of shape and layout, only objectively better to use and far better featured.

Eh, I'm fine with a wired Duke but a wired 360 doesn't sit well with me.

As someone who used a wired 360 controller back in the day, the weight distribution and comfort was much better than the wireless version.
The absence of a battery bump in the back, and no battery weight. It was great.

It's the dpad i'm concerned about.

The original wired 360 controller is the best designed and most comfortable controller I have ever used. It was a sad day when my puppy chewed the cord on mine 8 years ago and I couldn’t get a new one.

Eh it's nice, but I'll pass. the wired ones can get in the way, and while good as an option I prefer the flexibility.

I wonder if my old 360 USB knockoff works on my Series X?

The thing is this is a design that's actually been refined to the controller we have today and it being wired only is a massive negative.

I genuinely don't think the controller has evolved ever since this one, but at least the current version is wireless, as was the original 360 one. Not ever interested in a wired controller - unless it comes with a VR headset

Microsoft still don't license wireless controllers for Xbox. They need to change that.

@JayJ I can’t agree with that. The 360 pad had easier to nudge the bumpers whilst you grip the triggers and you could tell which player was which with the segmented lights.

The newer pads only have a better d-pad IMO.

@Titntin the core design has not changed, same layout of most buttons, there is the addition of the share and differences in the “start/select” button naming, but other than that it’s the same layout and button naming, and this controller conforms to the X|S share/start/select convention.

But the controller itself has definitively evolved since then. Just trying to play with a 360 on a 360 feels like traveling to the Stone Age for me. It feels awkward, clunky, just all around wrong. I ended up getting an adapter to run my 360 with X|S controllers because it just felt so bad.

The first Xbox One controller also does not feel great, but it’s a giant step up from the 360.

The last Xbox One controller, the one that shipped with the One X, was “perfect”. X|S simply adds the share button. I say “perfect” because I feel the share button placement is a bit prone to accidental screenshots. Too often I go to reach for the menu or option buttons and accidentally hit that instead.

Anyways even with nostalgia I don’t see myself using this thing. Besides, I have already like 10 of the original ones all over the house that still work.

I wish Hyperkin would make a replica of the small OG Xbox controller. I bought the duke thinking it would be less awkward to play OG BC games (pain to see on screen white and black jewel buttons and make my brain mal if ro RB and LB) but that thing is just terrible….

@Tharsman
Wow - 10 old 360 controllers? That's practically hoarding
I'm afraid I only have one old one I kept in a draw to use with PC, but I tend to use others now, so any comparison I make is via memory at this point!
I also hit screenshot when I don't want too, but do that far more often on the PS dualsense - its too easy to hit!
I have 3 series X controllers, but every one of them suffers from 'sticky triggers' which just goes to show I play too much forza.
I often use a Xim Nexus now, as it feels good in the hand and I very much value gyro on the Xbox, and its the only way I've found to get it.
Its a shame they don't license wireless designs as I've seen some good looking 3rd party controllers, but wont buy a wired one.
Thanks for your reply.

@Tharsman Did you miss the news from yesterday that Retro Fighters (and CastleMania at least) are doing preorders for essentially what you are asking for? The Hunter by Retro Fighters is a remake of the original Xbox S controller, for use on Original Xbox, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

@Titntin I am known among my friends as the person that will accept all their old console “garbage”, so got quite a few around. Also got 2 OG Xboxes even if I never owned one myself during its lifetime.

The 10 count might be inflated (or who knows, maybe I’m short, that’s how much I keep track of those.) last batch I received had like 4 controllers, one of them sealed in box with the pc dongle. I have since given that one away.

On the most modern ones, I know I have the one that came with my Kinect-less VCR Xbox one, the one that came with my One X, two that game with my Series X (had to buy a bundle, as it was with most retailers at launch), the one that came with my Series S, and the 20 anniversary one, so that’s 6 controllers there? I have been considering getting me a design Lab one too… I don’t need all these controllers, that’s for sure….

@Scummbuddy I did see it but the controller won’t be usable on 360, Xbox One or Series X|S.

Will only work with an og xnox with the included dongle, and PC or Switch via Bluetooth. A huge fail IMO, other than that the look is very sleek.

But why? The XBOX ONE controller is an evolution of the XBOX 360 controller. And at least 100x better. And the XBOX Series controllers are even better.

I'm not too fond of the 360 controller. I love the one and series controller though.

can’t wait to cop this . love the 360 controller , best xbox ever .

The thing I like about them is the coloured buttons but you can design the best controller in the world, Xbox Elite Series 2, with them on the Xbox Design Lab website.

@Banjo- Yeah I do kinda miss the old school colored buttons these days, as the muted/uniform look has become really popular with modern controllers. The controller I got with my Series X had them, probably what I like the most about that standard black controller.

@JayJ Strangely enough, my first Xbox controller was the Xbox Elite Series 1 because the first Xbox I got was the Xbox One Elite bundle. As a controller it's awesome but boring and the bumper broke. Now I have the Series X controller but I use the Xbox Elite Series 2, as good or better than Series 1 but just as boring. I'd like to design an Xbox Elite Series 2 with coloured buttons but it's not justified...

Will it have the twisty d pad?

@Banjo- Yeah that's sorta how I feel about all the fancy high-priced controllers these days. They look appealing, and you can design some cool looks these days, but you definitely gotta pay for it. I also have an Elite series 1, and it's been my default PC controller essentially since I bought it, and I always just use it as a wired controller. That's probably one of the best things about it over the series 2, the removable batteries really makes it feel great as a wired controller. Luckily the bumpers never broke on mine, probably because I made it so it's only got the two big paddles underneath and used those as the bumper buttons, so my bumpers hardly got any use.

I remember how weak bumpers was an issue with early Xbox One controllers, I broke the bumpers on my favorite Xbox One controller back in the day, but luckily it seems like they fixed that with the later controllers. It's part of the reason why I feel like the Series controllers, like just the basic ones, are probably one of the best controllers, they just feel sturdy and well designed. It's hard for me to justify spending over twice as much for anything more fancy.

@JayJ I would pay the extra price and get a coloured Xbox Elite Series 2 if I didn't have a regular Xbox Elite Series 2, though.

My Xbox Elite Series 1 was one of the very first because it launched in those console bundles before being sold separately and I got the bundle as soon as it was released. The bumpers have been improved in later Xbox controllers.

@Banjo- Yeah I have definitely been thinking about ordering one, I made a couple of nice looking designs for the Elite 2 in the design labs, but I still love using my Forza Horizon 5 edition controller. Although I like using the big paddles underneath, it never really felt essential and the way you can grip the standard controller without paddles tends to feel more comfortable for most games, especially during long sessions.

I was actually recently looking at Elite-esque solutions for the PS5 and it's a bit disappointing there. They just have the Edge controller that is basically their attempt at an Elite, but it reminds me of the Series 1 elite where it's just got the one basic and boring default look, and it doesn't seem to be nearly as well designed either. That and I am not a fan of the Sony analog stick layout, I greatly prefer having the left analog on top and the d-pad below. There's a couple of controllers with that layout, but they lack the dualsense technology which pretty much eliminates the appeal. Scuf has a great Edge alternative, but it's just as expensive, and it can get crazy expensive if you customize the look of it. I customized one and it was priced at about $325 before tax and shipping, which is way too much for any controller IMO.

@JayJ I wouldn't bother with the PS5 Edge. I agree about the paddles, although they're very useful for shooters because you can jump and aim at the same time, it's more comfortable to grip the controller without the paddles on.

EDIT: I bought a Brook adapter to use the Xbox controllers on PS4.

@Banjo- Yeah I'm sure that adapter would be great with a PS4, sorta wish I got one as I never really liked the PS4 controller, didn't even think about doing that. Sadly with the PS5 I am pretty much stuck with whatever has dualactive support as that's a pretty big part of the appeal with that console and controller. Looks like I'll be sticking with the standard controller on that one.

@JayJ Yes, you should be using the Dual Sense controller on PS5. Just get whatever exclusives draw your attention on that console. What are those?

@Banjo- Not much to be honest lol, just Gran Turismo 7 for the most part. That said I also enjoy plenty of other racing titles on it, I think that is where the dual sense really shines. Well that and FPS/shooters, but there's only a few of those that I am into.

The cinematic "2deep4u" games as I would refer to them, like God of War and The Last of Us, just really don't appeal to me. I know they're critically acclaimed and all that, but every time I played them they could never hold my interest for long. Sadly that seems to be the bulk of Sony's offerings these days, it's probably the main reason I have generally been more of an Xbox fan.

@JayJ I was trying to think of a PS5 exclusive I really want to play and I couldn't find any 😂. The Last of Us is the most disappointing of those "2deep4u" exclusives for me because I love horror and still didn't really like it. Also, a full-priced remaster remastered? Xbox is more gamey and that's my thing. It's also more user-friendly. I like racing games like you do but there's more than I can handle on Xbox. The only thing I'm missing on Xbox is more Rare games like Banjo-Kazooie and Viva Piñata.

@Banjo- Yeah it's kinda sad how Rare never really did anything great on Xbox, but at least we got franchises like Forza and Halo that have been going strong and appeal to me. The PS4 was a really disappointing console for me, they were briefly making games like Killzone and Driveclub only to drop that fast and focus on nothing besides cinematic style 3'rd person character action games. I mean I had to wait nearly a decade to get a new proper Gran Turismo game, and even after GT7 finally arrived it still didn't feel like a proper GT game. It's like I still don't like how that game is so focused around live services, but after a year it finally feels like a decent game at least. So that's literally 10 years I had to wait for the GT series. In that same span of time we got 7 Forza games, all of which felt like better entries for their series than GT7 was for it's. Heck right now the new upcoming Forza game is probably my #1 most anticipated title, while I can't think of anything I am really looking forward to on PS5.

@JayJ I bet that Forza Motorsport 8 is going to be awesome and you're going to enjoy it a lot.

Those interactive films that Sony and critics seem to love are not what I really like playing. Gameplay is mediocre. If that wasn't enough, the stories themselves are massively overrated. Do The Last of Us I and II really have great stories? I'm not sure.

@Banjo- Yeah, it's like I know what I like and don't like, and there is a good reason why I don't seem to connect with most critics these days. It's like what they value and what I value seem to be different things these days, and it's been a long time since I looked at them as a source of good advice. All the praise for the interactive film games and games like Elden Ring has made me quick to dismiss whatever they say. I mean I got nothing personal against them or people who like those games, but I have played them enough to know how they really don't live up to the praise.

Especially with the Sony games, where you're right about how mediocre it feels, it's very "paint by numbers" as I call it, where you are just going with the motions and essentially just do whatever they want you to do how they want you to do it to progress. It's also why I call them "streamer games" because they tend to be just as good when watching someone else play them. Like no playthroughs really differ, everyone generally has the same experience. That and I agree about the stories being massively overrated as well, it's like they're either going for melodrama or over the top action, usually both, and they can't even begin to compete with good books or movies. Honestly I think it's always been a part of the big push to "legitimize" games to compete with the movie industry, heck I'd say the same thing about the video game awards as well.

@JayJ I couldn't have defined them better. In Sony's games, it's like press the stick and the button and the animations and progress that we have defined are going to trigger, so every player basically gets the same experience. Games that are interactive films, competing with the movie industry with extreme plots and situations that wouldn't make a good movie and clearly overrated by some organisations and reviewers.

@Banjo- Yup, and I have long since passed the point of questioning their motivations as well. It seems obvious how there is a clear bias and agenda involved, but my only reaction to it by this point is indifference. It's like I just truly don't care about what they have to say anymore, I've been fooled too many times by their awards and recommendations. If they want to keep doubling down on that direction, fine, but don't expect me to be buying or listening. It's like video games journalism and awards is one big club, and we're not in it. They apparently wanted to make the video game industry more like the movie industry, and I guess they succeeded in that sense.

Right now I am just at the point where it's like, I know what I want and I know what I like. There's some youtubers that I like and can relate to, and I am far more likely to look towards them for insight and advice. I have slowly become an Xbox fan over the years as they have been making the kind of games that appeal to me the most, and I really don't care to be involved in whatever is going on with console wars these days. I just want to enjoy the kind of games that I like, and that's easy enough to do.