Microsoft's doing an Xbox 360 controller for the PC, too

Well wouldn't you know it? Microsoft' peripheral announcement earlier today also broke a bit of ground by them offering their new console's controller not only, you know, for the console itself, but also in a version compatible for the PC. We're not sure if it's corner-cutting on continuing to make new PC peripherals or if it's really because they want "a consistent gaming entertainment experience across Microsoft's gaming platforms," but what we want to know is what's up with the $5 MSRP difference on the PC version (slated for $50) from the $44.99 console version? They're both just going to be the same freaking USB controller, aren't they? Well, aren't they?

[Thanks, Dingo]

[Alex W @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

$10 would probably pay for the wireless receiver?

[DidYouLoseASock @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

Rumor -

Windows Vista will be abill to play xBox 360 games if your computer has the power to handle the game...

I dont know if its true or not but i thought i remember learning it from MS conference a long time ago

[azn804 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

i thought it was shown at E3 and it ran on USB, but wireless would be better.

[erik @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

yeah, don't sound so suprised, you (engadget) already had this comfirmed from MS.

http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000767041603/

As for the $10 difference, I'm sure that is the for the wireless receiver-which is built into the 360 already, but not your PC.

[Rohan P. @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

I thought hardcore gamers preferred keyboards to controllers... I don't, but isn't that why people in gaming forums beg for keyboard compatibility for XBOX and PS2 shooters like Halo 2 and Call Of Duty?

[James Scott @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

Re 7: This is for the people with Emulators :) Xbox 360 emulators and old school emulators :) gotta have a nice Microsoft gamepad to play all those roms you.... ripped from your own personal collection.

[yo @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

wouldn't be surprised if the next windows didn't play 360 or xboxOne games.

Think about it, most of the revenue MS, Nintendo, and Sony make are from the revenues off the games - not the hardware.This is like a 100% profit for MS who took such a loss on hardware this gen. And with all this talk about XNA and such. This may be MS's way of really thwarting sony in future...

[Boxgamex @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

heck ms ripoff again, the port on the bottom of the controller where the mic plugs IS a usb ports:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/77754018@N00/29540363/

i had an old rio mp3 that used it (r.i.p rio :( )

[DidYouLoseASock @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

So "if" you can play xBox 360 and xbox games on your PC, it makes the 360 100% pointless because PC has everything the 360 has but more and alot better.

20Gb harddrive for $100.... hahaha

[GunForHire @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

The wired Xbox 360 pad has already been announced as Windows compatible by MS some time ago.

[lazymegaman @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

Just an off-the-head idea, but I'm going with maybe the CD with the "drivers" on it, aka a rip-off on a plastic disk.

[Slim Thug @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

there's already adapters for console controllers that cost around $10. Micro$oft just wants to cash in.

[n8 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

Sock: that's right, but a PC will cost more. MS is smart on this one though - Sony had the opportunity to do it with Bleem back in the day, and they chose to put Bleem out of business instead. This might be the thing that makes x360 ultimately more successful than PS3 - especially in encouraging the game companies to sign on.

[Liam Billington @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

I could see if Microsoft was to add a XBOX emulator for Windows. It does seem tempting to have it on PC as then it could completely shut off XBOX production. As we all know the XBOX uses a celleron/P3 (can't remember) processor, so Microsoft releasing an emulator for the PC would need no tweaking as one there will be a developer kit already to test this stuff and all it needs then is publishing.

A XBOX 360 isn't technically possible at the moment for the consumer as we would need at least 3 cores (P4 EE but who has that?). The whole point of the XBOX is another way for MS to gain revenues from games. Otherwise developers would just write it straight to PC. I doubt this will happen though :( MS will want to push sales of the 360 and people to buy 360 games.

[bnelsontfs @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

jesse (#1): I'm already doing the exact same thing with an original xbox controller... when I get in the planes or helicopters, I grab the xbox controller. Works well.

[Joe Smith @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

i really want a mouse for the xbox 360, just because i suck at aiming in rpg's with the stupid joystick on the normal xbox controller. enlighten me.

[Joe Smith @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

sorry, not rpg's, fps's.

[Dave @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

I don't think this is an attempt to bring 360 games to the PC ... I think it's just Microsoft's way of getting more money back on the expense they incurred designing the 360.

[Gaurav @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...............
If Xbox 360's wired controllers use USB, is it possible for me to purchase a USB adapter for my older Xbox controller and use it with my 360? Because I love my "Duke" Xbox controller, and I want to continue to use it.

[REY2K7 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

POWERMAC G5 + XBOX 360 CONTROLLER = XBOX 360 DevKit!!!

[Jason @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

Edit: I meant #22, not #21.

[hall @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

another way to get your cash

[ss4vegito7 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

Loghorn will NOT play X-box 360 games.

Remember, X-box 360 uses a Power PC Proccessor. It won't even be compatable with most X-box 1 games...

[koolzero @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

what's a "Duke" controller?

[jazzay @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

its not compatible with xbox1 games cause of its ATi chip as opposed to the nVidia as far as i know

Xbox uses a P3 chip clocked at like 700Mhz

P4 EE is single core

Im still not seeing how they can get the power of 2 (two) PowerMac G5s that probably cost at the minimum 2000 each, well equipped 4000 each, max i think i added up one time is 8000 with the dual2.7, 8gigs of RAM and such, into a little 300 dollar box, PowerPC 2.7ghz requires liquid cooling, how is a triple core PowerPC 3.2ghz gonna get by in that little box?

As for keyboard mouse/controller, i vastly enjoy keyboard/mouse more for BF2 and UT2k4 (that doesnt mean im not buying BF2 for PSP ;) its just more precise and more functionality (bunch of numbers for weapons and such as opposed to opening a menu and choosing weapon a la Socom. Plus, as opposed to PS2/xbox, PC has much much better graphics, but x360/PS3 lookin pretty darn good, especially for the price of a new video card (>400 for the 7800GTX, and i would have to buy a new mobo to use PCI-X, so thats another hundred, plus more RAM, point is, PC is expensive and is not for little kids) I dont see an x360 emulator anytime soon, PS2 games dont run fluent or stable on PC, and PS2 has a 300mhz processor and like 32megs of RAM, so to play x360 games on PC would take some SERIOUS power, in which case your better of buying PC games, and those are better :)

[Ryan @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

Isn't it Vista now? Or did I miss something?

[paralipsis @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

I've been using a USB adapter to connect my PS2 controller to my PC for a couple of years now. While I never use it for FPSs, it comes in really handy for alot of console ports. The advantage of playing them on the PC being that I can go higher than the basic TV resolution, and usually chuck on a fair serving of AA and AF too.

If the Windows version is compatible with both devices, then I think its a great idea. Were I to own a 360, I would definitely get a dual compatibility controller if possible. I only hope that Sony and Nintendo consider the same option.

[jesse @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

it would be cool to use it, combined with a mouse in bf2. use the mouse for the ground stuff, and grab the xbox controller for the flying.

[n8 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

Hmm. Authorized X-Box emulator, anyone?

[Mike @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

um, from all of the articles I have read, there is no wireless version for the PC, just a USB wired version

[Jason @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

LMAO @ #21! That's so true.

[Conrad Quilty-Harper @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

We covered this over at Joystiq in mid-August, the Xbox USB version is XP compatible. So just go out and buy a wired Xbox controller and don't bother paying extra.

http://www.joystiq.com/entry/1234000220055111/

Thanks,
Con

[Omegar @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

NO, NEVER AGAIN (sorry about the shouting). Years ago I purchased a very nifty, very comfortable, easy to use and hold gamepad from Microsoft, the SIDEWINDER. Granted, it connected via gameport, but it wasn't THAT long ago (1998 or 1999, I think). Years later I got a new top notch system, one worth playing games in it, and I tried to install the Sidewinder. I even bought a gameport to usb adapter from radioshack in order to do so.
It didn't work.
At first I thought that it was MY fault, trying to connect the gameport through an USB adapter, but reading through specialized forums, searching for a solution, I found out the truth:
THERE ARE NO NEW DRIVERS FOR WINDOWS XP FOR A PRODUCT MICROSOFT MADE. Not for downloading, not for buying, nothing, ever. Period. Discontinued.
�How much trouble is building a driver for XP, for the company that makes both products? Not much, one would think, but still, they CHOSE not to, leaving me with a useless piece of junk which had always worked perfectly.
I'LL NEVER BUY HARDWARE FROM MICROSOFT AGAIN, EVER. Not an XBOX, not a mouse, not a phone, not a gamepad, nothing, ever. Great costumer support, Microsoft.

[Google Nazi @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

The xbox controller is only designed for first person shooter games. Therefor I will not get it, and for $50 I can afford a new game or two DS games.

[rally9x @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

Actually 33 I think the sidewinder is pretty much the only gameport gamepad that still works in XP. I had mine connected a couple weeks ago. XP tried to get rid of the gameport you don't need to swear off microsoft forever over a gamepad that you could pick up for 3 dollars (yes thats what I paid for one of my 3). Getting rid of legacy ports (gameport, serial etc) in favor of USB was a big thing around then.

[Shin @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

You gotta admit, it's still one of the slickest gamepads out there for the PC.

[Russell K @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

your all talking about emulators. i thought those were illegal. but, if they arent illegal, would someone link me to one, i want to play path of neo, but my xbox broke and i want to use a 360 controller with it. (on pc)

[Shinji @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

There are _no_ usable emulators for the XBox r PS2. Emulators are NOT illegal. However having roms of games which you do not own IS illegal. Hence why emulator development continues. Bleem got shutdown because it used a built-in bios to emulate games which is a big no-no. They reverse-engineered the software on the system... Other playstation emulators have chosen to rely on an external bios file which you can retrieve from your PSX if you know how or you can find on the internet (won't say where though here is a hint -- drivers).

[Patrick @ Dec 29th 2005 7:38PM]

Does anyone know if the wireless version of the xbox 360 controller is compatible with windows xp? I have the play and charge kit and plugged it into my pc's usb port after installing the driver but the controller wouldn't install (the found new hardware wizard couldn't find the software)... anybody know anything?