The controller uses the same basic layout as the Controller S, with twin analog thumbsticks, a digital directional pad below the left thumbstick, and four colored buttons arranged in a cross. The black and white buttons, the Back button, and the Start button are also right where Controller S users would expect to find them, but transitioning to this unit takes a little practice. The directional pad wobbles a bit compared to the tight pad on the Controller S, making it slightly more difficult to pull off precise moves in games such as Soul Calibur II. The analog thumbsticks are a little taller than those found in the first-party controllers and have rounded thumbpads instead of ones with concave tips, like Microsoft's controllers have. The height difference is subtle, but it actually provides more precise control in racing and first-person shooters. Because of the rounded pads, in dozens of hours of usage our thumbs never slipped out of position.
The springs in the triggers are weaker than those in the Controller S and take some getting used to. The right trigger on the stick we tested was so sensitive that merely resting our index finger on it caused it to respond. This isn't a big deal in racing games, but it can cause problems in first-person shooters, as a slight nudge can cause your gun to fire when you don't want it to. The lighter pull was actually a boon in racing games, where the triggers must be held down for several minutes, but this isn't the best controller for playing games such as Halo 2.
