Recently, my Halo 3 special edition spartan controller died. This gamepad has served me valiantly for over 2 years, so I was very upset about this. I have never had a MS controller fail on me. on the same day, one of my battery packs died as well. Granted I wasnt THAT surprised that it broke, after all, it got me through 17 days of CoD4 multiplayer, over 40,000 kills, 100 hours on Burnout Pradise, and so on. But nonetheless, i was dissapointed.
I remembered the MW2 controller was coming out. So i went to Gamestop and preordered it. I assume that i am the only tard that did this. But anyways, if you dont get it, you might be disappointed, because it is the BEST controller i have ever used.
So i tried it out today in CoD4 and Halo 3. Heres what i think about it, going through the differences between the MW2 360 and MS 360 controllers.
STICKS:
You dont need to worry about handling being an issue. i know sometimes 3rd party hardware is off in some respect, but IW helped make it, and the movement in the sticks is spot on, just the the MS 360 gamepad. The sticks are backlit, for whatever reason. it looks cool i guess. it is a nice feature, and since it is wired, you wont lose it when it switches off, like a normal gamepad.
One think i did notice was the slickness of the sticks. after a long game session, you might have sweat on your hands. if some of this sweat gets on your thumbs, its like butter on the thumbsticks. so be sure to keep your hands dry.
A while ago, i noticed the left stick-click (sprint button) of my Halo 3 controller was in such bad shape, i thought i would push the stick straight into housing. It seemed so frail, and hung to the left some while standing still. However, the sticks on the MW2 360 controller dont really like being clicked in when being pushed forward for some reason, which makes sprinting a bit difficult. the combat buttons make up for that in a big way, which might help the life span of the gamepad overall.
TRIGGERS:
The triggers are a very intersting shape. they are shorter and have much less resistance than an MS 360 gamepad. In fact, the triggers are so loose, you might think its modded or broken. it is not. They almost feel like they are floating in place rather than hinged. The triggers are great for anyone with bad joints in their fingers or arthritis just because its so effortless. Also, they are very sensitive. i teamkilled a few times out of reaction and barley touching the trigger.
The arrangement of the triggers is hard to get used to. I found myself midgame several times with confused hands, trying to figure out where my middle fingers went. This was not right away though, it was after a few hours and i was getting tired.
BUMPERS:
The bumpers are bumpers. right now they are a bit sticky, but still touchy. Not much to say about them yet. after i wear them in some i might add something.
FACE BUTTONS:
Same as the bumpers. They work fine, they just need to broken in some i think.
VIBRATION:
One thing IW wanted on the 360 version was force feedback. the MW2 PS3 controller does not have this. The downfall is that the controller is wired. the upside is, though, vibration. And this gamepad has force feedback like no other controller i have ever used. trying it out in campaign, for a second i thought i was holding an actual M4, because it seemed like it wasnt vibrating, but RECOILING with the gun firing! i know it sounds odd, but the vibration is so strong and intense coming from the controller, it surprised me, and is VERY immersive.
COMBAT BUTTONS:
The buttons that make this controller specifically helpful in MW. there are 2 switches and 2 buttons on the bottom of the controller. The right button maps the right stick-click, X, and Y buttons, and the left switch maps the left stick-click, A, and B buttons. using these does not disable the normal functions of the other buttons though, you just have 2 ways to do the same job. My left button is mapped to sprint, since the stick doesnt like being clicked and moved forward, but as i said, this could help the longevity of the controller. I use the "tactical" button setup (i dont trust the knife, and i crouch a lot) so i mapped the right button to crouch, again, not really trusting the stick click. of course you can map these extra buttons to whatever you want.
Because of the different shape of the controller, and the extra buttons, you might have to hold it differently. the location of the bumpers suggests index fingers on bumpers, middle on triggers, but that would get uncomfortable and annoying for sure. plus, quick access to the combat buttons is more obscure when your most useless finger (the ring finger)is trying to hit the buttons.
OVEARALL:
If for some reason you need a new controller, or want everything you own labeled "MW2" (like i do), or you have finger/joint pain or arthritis, i suggest this device. Its the same size and feels like the MS 360 controller mostly, so there is not a big change. I did not notice a change in the way i play. i didnt do better, i put up the same big numbers with the random off-matches. i do like not having to click the sticks. The digital camo look, pistol grip styling, and force feedback punch make it a very immersive piece of hardware, and the ammo crate inspired carrying case it comes with make it seem like a weapon in a way.
I know my weapon of choice is the MadCatz/Infinity Ward Modern Warfare 2 Combat Controller.
I remembered the MW2 controller was coming out. So i went to Gamestop and preordered it. I assume that i am the only tard that did this. But anyways, if you dont get it, you might be disappointed, because it is the BEST controller i have ever used.
So i tried it out today in CoD4 and Halo 3. Heres what i think about it, going through the differences between the MW2 360 and MS 360 controllers.
STICKS:
You dont need to worry about handling being an issue. i know sometimes 3rd party hardware is off in some respect, but IW helped make it, and the movement in the sticks is spot on, just the the MS 360 gamepad. The sticks are backlit, for whatever reason. it looks cool i guess. it is a nice feature, and since it is wired, you wont lose it when it switches off, like a normal gamepad.
One think i did notice was the slickness of the sticks. after a long game session, you might have sweat on your hands. if some of this sweat gets on your thumbs, its like butter on the thumbsticks. so be sure to keep your hands dry.
A while ago, i noticed the left stick-click (sprint button) of my Halo 3 controller was in such bad shape, i thought i would push the stick straight into housing. It seemed so frail, and hung to the left some while standing still. However, the sticks on the MW2 360 controller dont really like being clicked in when being pushed forward for some reason, which makes sprinting a bit difficult. the combat buttons make up for that in a big way, which might help the life span of the gamepad overall.
TRIGGERS:
The triggers are a very intersting shape. they are shorter and have much less resistance than an MS 360 gamepad. In fact, the triggers are so loose, you might think its modded or broken. it is not. They almost feel like they are floating in place rather than hinged. The triggers are great for anyone with bad joints in their fingers or arthritis just because its so effortless. Also, they are very sensitive. i teamkilled a few times out of reaction and barley touching the trigger.
The arrangement of the triggers is hard to get used to. I found myself midgame several times with confused hands, trying to figure out where my middle fingers went. This was not right away though, it was after a few hours and i was getting tired.
BUMPERS:
The bumpers are bumpers. right now they are a bit sticky, but still touchy. Not much to say about them yet. after i wear them in some i might add something.
FACE BUTTONS:
Same as the bumpers. They work fine, they just need to broken in some i think.
VIBRATION:
One thing IW wanted on the 360 version was force feedback. the MW2 PS3 controller does not have this. The downfall is that the controller is wired. the upside is, though, vibration. And this gamepad has force feedback like no other controller i have ever used. trying it out in campaign, for a second i thought i was holding an actual M4, because it seemed like it wasnt vibrating, but RECOILING with the gun firing! i know it sounds odd, but the vibration is so strong and intense coming from the controller, it surprised me, and is VERY immersive.
COMBAT BUTTONS:
The buttons that make this controller specifically helpful in MW. there are 2 switches and 2 buttons on the bottom of the controller. The right button maps the right stick-click, X, and Y buttons, and the left switch maps the left stick-click, A, and B buttons. using these does not disable the normal functions of the other buttons though, you just have 2 ways to do the same job. My left button is mapped to sprint, since the stick doesnt like being clicked and moved forward, but as i said, this could help the longevity of the controller. I use the "tactical" button setup (i dont trust the knife, and i crouch a lot) so i mapped the right button to crouch, again, not really trusting the stick click. of course you can map these extra buttons to whatever you want.
Because of the different shape of the controller, and the extra buttons, you might have to hold it differently. the location of the bumpers suggests index fingers on bumpers, middle on triggers, but that would get uncomfortable and annoying for sure. plus, quick access to the combat buttons is more obscure when your most useless finger (the ring finger)is trying to hit the buttons.
OVEARALL:
If for some reason you need a new controller, or want everything you own labeled "MW2" (like i do), or you have finger/joint pain or arthritis, i suggest this device. Its the same size and feels like the MS 360 controller mostly, so there is not a big change. I did not notice a change in the way i play. i didnt do better, i put up the same big numbers with the random off-matches. i do like not having to click the sticks. The digital camo look, pistol grip styling, and force feedback punch make it a very immersive piece of hardware, and the ammo crate inspired carrying case it comes with make it seem like a weapon in a way.
I know my weapon of choice is the MadCatz/Infinity Ward Modern Warfare 2 Combat Controller.
