14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has confirmed previous rumors that is was redesigning the D-Pad element of its Xbox 360 controller, launching an upgraded design on November 9 with a new Play & Charge Kit with an attached price tag of 64.99 dollars.
The new D-Pad, as seen in its full glory on the Major Nelson official blog, is designed with a dual nature in mind, allowing gamers to depress it in order to use it to offer video game directional input but also to twist their hand and transform it into a simple button.
The new Xbox 360 Wireless Controller also has a uniform gray color, leaving out the rather colorful buttons of the original design, and the finishing has a silver tint.
Although the new controller is at the moment only set to be sold as part of a the Play & Charge Kit it players like it Microsoft will probably begin to bundle it with new Xbox 360 consoles.
Apart from the new D-Pad and the new controller there are quite a few other changes coming to the Microsoft home device this fall.
The biggest is the launch of the Kinect motion tracking system, which requires no controllers and will allow users to control the interface and a variety of games simply by moving their body in the right way.
The new peripheral is set to arrive in November in North America and will be supported by a line up of titles designed specifically to take advantage of it.
Microsoft has also announced tweaks to the pricing model for the Xbox Live service, increasing the price tag for the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Mexico, in an effort to keep up with inflation.
Microsoft is also facing a number of challenges linked to the Xbox 360, with the PlayStation 3 also getting a new Move motion tracking system and with Nintendo continuing to rule the hardware sales charts in North America.