The Controller

The Controller

The running joke of the Xbox seems to be its size, and the controller is no exception. I consider myself to have average sized hands as I wear medium gloves and I find Logitech's MouseMan Plus form factor comfortable. Even so, the Xbox controller felt a bit large in my hands. After a few hours of gameplay, I still remained conscious of the controller and trying to find a better grip. A good gamepad is like a good mouse, and should be entirely transparent after a bit of gameplay. Size isn't always a problem with the Xbox however, the gamepad cable is 9 ft long as opposed to the 6 ft of its competitors, making it easier to play games on your sofa rather than the carpet space in front of the TV. Moreover, the retail Xbox gamepad still has its breakaway-cable design which prevents someone from tripping over a cable or yanking a controller too hard and pulling the machine down with it.

XBox Controller

In the hand

The tactile response of the buttons was generally good, although Microsoft chose to go with the MS Sidewinder like "high gloss" and "high-profile" dome buttons as opposed to the matte and general flat buttons of every other console. The analog thumb sticks had a nice feel to them with a nice rubbery touch and solid resistance. The directional pad is nearly identical to the MS Sidewinder's which means it was a bit mushy. Like the Playstation2 each action button has 8-bit pressure sensitivity.

Vibrotactile Feedback

The Xbox gamepad's vibration feedback seems to be a step up from the PlayStation 2's. It is more along the lines of the feedback found in Logitech's iFeel mice and we'd guess that the Xbox is using similar technology. The PlayStation 2 uses two motors, one in each handle to spin weights of different sizes to achieve its rumble effect. The speed and ratio of the two motors allows a good number of different effects. The Xbox also seems to be using two separate actuators that can spin at different speeds. However, the Xbox is capable of stronger effects than the PS2 and weaker effects as well. The PS2 is limited to rumble effects, whereas the Xbox can provide more nuanced texture feedback such as having one wheel driving on a streetcar's rail through finer control of the motors.

DC, PS2, XBox

Height Comparison

Memory Cards

By the very nature of a console, there are various numerous decisions and trade-offs that need to be made, but from a technical perspective, the Xbox hardware is a clean and thoughtful design.

We could write an individual review for each of the games, but in the interest of getting this article out before November 15, we've cut down our coverage a bit. Think of them as detailed impressions, and if there's something you want to see in more detail, just let us know. So, let's get to the games, shall we?