14 DAY TRIAL // For a long time, the battle of videogame consoles was waged with computing power and graphics capabilities in mind, but the fight might just shift to controllers in the near future. The Nintendo Wii has built its success mostly on the innovative control scheme and apparently both Sony and Microsoft are scrambling to come up with an answer to the motion sensing controller.
At the GDC conference in Leipzig, the keen eyes of Eurogamer reporters spotted a new Xbox 360 controller which is said to have a vastly improved d-pad. It seems that the new controller will be launched on the 24th of October and that it will only be available on European and maybe Asian markets where the Xbox 360 is currently sold.
The new controller was used in the Konami stand, where Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 was played to show off the new capabilities of the device, with the developers even saying that Microsoft "optimized" the pad for the football series from Konami. Other people have mentioned that Street Fighter IV is also created with the new, more accurate, d-pad in mind and there are even rumors that a bundle is planned including the game and the new controller.
Microsoft stated that "The new limited-edition green wireless controller offers enhancements to d-Pad functionality, which will add to the experience of playing games where the d-Pad is the primary control mechanism", but this is the only detail we have at the moment.
This limited time offer which is not even available on the main North American market might be just a test for a future enhanced Xbox 360 controller which will be designed as a permanent replacement for the current one. But Microsoft refuses to say whether the new rumored controller will incorporate any motion tracking capability, similar to the Nintendo Wii devices.