"Ask me what my favourite games controller of all time is and I'll almost certainly point you towards the Nintendo Gamecube's Wavebird. The GameCube controller certainly had its issues -- a dodgy C-stick and that tiny little Z shoulder button to name but two -- but in terms of ergonomics, it made my hands the happiest they've ever been. When Nintendo brought out the Wavebird, my palms reached nirvana. It was heavier, felt sturdier, and it was seamless in its wireless connectivity. It was pure comfort and thus an absolute joy to hold.
Then Microsoft made it better.
The Xbox 360 controller decided this generation battle for me, that and the fact that Microsoft's console arrived earlier and proved cheaper than the PS3. And though I love my PS3 dearly for its superior collection of diverse exclusives, I've always found the DualShock controller to be abhorrent. The thumb sticks are the wrong places, it feels squashed and lightweight, and playing on it with my giant mitts for long periods of time results in an imagined sensation of bone deformation. The DS4 is a definite improvement, however, But the Xbox One controller might be in another league in terms of comfort. It's smaller than the Xbox 360's game pad, sitting in the hands the way that Ubisoft's limited edition Ghost Recon Future Soldier pad did, albeit without the mesh grips (more on that in a bit). But the shape is still incredibly pleasing."
http://www.dealspwn.com/xbox-controller-initial-impressions-152226#more-152226
"The best thing about the Xbox One?
Where do you go when you've already produced the best? That must have been the problem facing Microsoft when it came to designing a new controller for the Xbox One.
All but the most stalwart PlayStation fans would admit that the 360 controller is more ergonomic, more responsive and more accurate than the still very usable Dual Shock 3, and it's no surprise that it's become the choice of controller for most PC users too. When Nintendo came to design the Pro controller for Wii U, it was Microsoft's controller that it took its inspiration from.
With the Xbox One pad, Microsoft has taken a more evolutionary route. Pick it up and it's instantly familiar, your thumbs and fingers rapidly settling into their accustomed places. The shape, weight and textures are largely as before.
Basically, Microsoft hasn't messed with what already works."
"Overall, this is a promising debut for a new controller. The ones we tried at the show were tethered and possibly externally powered, so we don't have a full idea of balance and weight, but by taking what was already great and adding a few tangible improvements, Microsoft has made what was already the best console controller one step better.
If there's one area where Xbox One will probably stand tall over PlayStation 4, then this is it."
http://www.trustedreviews.com/xbox-one-controller_Games-Accessory_review
"Our final two demos, simulating a ticking heart and braking car, are the most impressive. The pumping brakes deliver a realistic halting sensation the likes of which we've never before experienced in a racer, while the heartbeat - delivered by alternating pulse-like vibrations in the two triggers - feels scary-real. In fact, we're guessing the latter effect will significantly up the fright factor in survival horror games; imagine navigating a dark corridor or derelict space station in complete silence, all while the protagonist's racing pulse thumps beneath your fingertips."
"Our hands-on time barely scratches the surface of its promised 40-plus improvements, but our satisfied fingers and thumbs are already anticipating what other surprises the Xbox One's gamepad has got hidden beneath its buttons, sticks, and triggers."
http://www.techradar.com/reviews/gaming/games-consoles/controllers/xbox-one-gamepad-1153646/review
"What I’m going to try really hard to do in this article though is to not harp on about how incredible the new feedback-enabled triggers are on the Xbox One, and sing about the massive difference that they make to your driving experience by feeding extra information into your brain via your index fingers. I’m not going to do any of that, OK? OK."
"Upon braking into the corner, my mind was temporarily stunned by the amount of information travelling up my fingers through the new Xbox One triggers, letting me know that I had just locked up my front wheels and was now tearing up a strip of the rubber attached to them. Honestly the amount of feedback I received from the trigg… ahem, sorry… let us carry on."
"Finding the balance that keeps the car fast and settled is a big part of what makes lapping a car so enjoyable, and from what I felt in the demo the physics are able to deliver a much more satisfying and realistic feeling of force, weight, suspension load and that all too important feeling of rubber to the road, especially thanks to the feedback you get from the new Xbox trigger feedback. Oh, those wonderful triggers."
"The Controls Feel So Wheel"
"In all seriousness though, I really do have to take a moment to praise the incredible new feedback system that Microsoft has integrated into the new controller’s triggers. Rumble feedback has been available for a long time now, and is a great way to convey a message to your hands and brain that you are bashing into the car in front of you, running over a rough surface or running wide over a red and white curb. Now if rumble was the deep base that plays out in a song, then the triggers are the treble, the detail. By using these smaller motors and linking them directly to the triggers, the game is able to fully convey information relating to the sudden jerk of your wheels locking up, the slipping out of your tires as you lose traction and all the smaller details that happen in-between.
Once you have tried Forza with the new triggers, you will feel like there is no going back. These triggers are to controls what surround sound was to stereo, or HD was to SD. Suddenly there is clarity and an additional amount of information at your disposal and the kind that you could live without… but you really wouldn’t want to.'
http://www.lazygamer.net/general-news/forza-motorsport-5-hands-on-assists-off-a-hardcore-perspective/
More to come as I get time. Just WOW at the reponse.
