Modder removes buttons from Xbox 360 controller, still finds a way to play

At first glance, this Xbox 360 controller mod doesn't look as hardcore as some others we've seen, but its minimalism disguises its epicness. The modder took the controller apart and rebuilt it without the four face buttons or the direction pad, then placed a couple extra switches on the back that perform the same functions. The elaborate and not-at-all-easy process detailed beyond the read link results in a practical layout for hardcore types -- with the buttons on the lower back, leet first-person-shooter players don't have to take their hands off the sticks to perform actions like jumping and reloading, and the controller is less likely to rock due to alternating activity on the top and bottom. This isn't the first mod to employ this idea, but the complete removal of the dead face buttons for better aesthetics sets it apart. Video after the break.

[vvtopkar @ Nov 7th 2008 8:22AM]

....Why?....

[gonintendo @ Nov 7th 2008 8:26AM]

RTFA

[Ethan @ Nov 7th 2008 8:31AM]

So he can change his aim whilst jumping and express his general hatred for d-pads.

[Brian @ Nov 7th 2008 8:37AM]

Because he can....

[Tom Robertson @ Nov 7th 2008 8:42AM]

Why not?! It's awesome!!

[High Ranks make you sterile @ Nov 7th 2008 8:44AM]

I had the same "Why?" feeling as you

.....then I read the actual post.

[Yogurt @ Nov 7th 2008 9:35AM]

Because you don't need any other buttons other than the power button to get the RROD!

[High Ranks make you sterile @ Nov 7th 2008 9:46AM]

^ Okay, come on Xbox 360 fanboys....

I'm one of you... but that comment is just f'n funny!

[Leindurstit @ Nov 7th 2008 8:38AM]

iBox.

[Intrepid @ Nov 7th 2008 8:56AM]

Go away.

[El Taco @ Nov 7th 2008 9:51PM]

please

[Gabe @ Nov 7th 2008 8:41AM]

OMG that is amazing...

[Vanillacide @ Nov 7th 2008 9:14AM]

...that some people cannot spell "their" and write "there" instead?

[Vanillacide @ Nov 7th 2008 9:45AM]

He goes for the Lowest Rank post of the day -- with spelling Nazi comment -- and scores!

W00t for the weekend. :)

[Travis @ Nov 7th 2008 8:43AM]

This guy may be able to mod somewhat well, but he cannot spell at all...

[Ghen @ Nov 7th 2008 8:43AM]

horrible video, don't even get to see what he did with the buttons since its so dark.

[StalematE @ Nov 7th 2008 11:29AM]

i know at least SAFP already.

[Funke, Tobias Dr. @ Nov 7th 2008 9:00AM]

I've never been able to get over the design of Xbox and 360 controllers to begin with. They're only slightly more natural feeling than a Dreamcast controller. Sony did it right the first time almost 15 years ago, and they've only improved upon that formula since.

[Rollins @ Nov 7th 2008 9:03AM]

Sony may have gotten the overall shape right, but in this day and age having the directional pad in the most easily accessible spot on the controller no longer makes any sense.

[swingin' dick hero @ Nov 7th 2008 9:05AM]

You think?

[Josh G @ Nov 7th 2008 9:05AM]

Pfft.

The Gamecube controller got the scheme right. PS1/2/3 controllers have always felt really unnatural to me. The Xbox S controller was alright. The 360 isn't fantastic to be honest.

But my Wavebird? Second to none :)

[Funke, Tobias Dr. @ Nov 7th 2008 9:11AM]

Good point Rollins.

[paul eastwood @ Nov 7th 2008 9:29AM]

Yes, the Playstation controller is a bit awkward to use. Sony needs to just admit the only reason the stick is down there is because it was an afterthought, and move it up where it belongs. GameCube did have the best; the control stick was in exactly the right spot, and you could easily press multiple buttons at the same time.

[coolblue @ Nov 7th 2008 9:36AM]

The Playstation controller is truly rubbish! The original was a great design compared to the others at the time but the design is now showing it's age. If I play for long periods it makes my hands cramp up! The directional sticks are not in a natural position either. The only current control scheme which is worse is the PSP.

However the 360 pad is great and is very comfortable to hold although the d-pad is practically useless apart from using as menu navigation and it still does not compare to the wavebird controller for ergonimics. The best of the current controllers has to be the Wii Classic controller. It feels comfortable and the d-pad is great for streetfighter.

[daveo @ Nov 7th 2008 11:38AM]

the man inside?

whenever i read your posts i hear them in that voice.....

[Loban @ Nov 7th 2008 10:29AM]

"Sony did it right the first time almost 15 years ago, and they've only improved upon that formula since."

I was just going to say the complete opposite. The playstation controller is horrible. It gives me instant hands cramps. I didn't like it 15 years ago, and compared to today's really good controllers (Gamecube, Xbox 360, etc.) it really feels terrible.

[Mr Roboto @ Nov 7th 2008 11:20AM]

Honestly, the 360 controller feels like someone took a big chunk fo Silly Putty, told someone with hands like mine "hey, grab this like you would a game controller", then smoothed the edges and molded the controller from that. It feels absolutely perfect in my hands.

A good number of my friends love the PS# controller, but the shape of the grips feels completely unergonomic, and after using the 360's concave analog sticks, the PS#'s convex ones just feel like a terrible design decision that Sony has been too lazy/arrogant to correct.

[USMarty @ Nov 7th 2008 11:23AM]

You Mr. Funke are incorrect. The xbox 360 controller feels AGES ahead of the sony controller. Why you might ask?

Well, for one the controller sits in your hand comfortably rather than having to make your hand into a claw to hold it. The triggers are TRIGGERS instead of rectangles AND xbox uses the nice a, b,x,y formula instead of the odd x, square, o, and triangle bs.

I honestly don't get why people like that controller, and although I do have an xbox, my roommates have ps3's and I cannot get used to the controller and I've played it ALOT. To be honest it distracts from the game experience. Maybe its because I grew up on nintendo, then super nintendo, n64 then xbox. But the triangle and all that s^%t I have to think about while playing the game instead of it just flowing naturally.

[Kartik @ Nov 7th 2008 12:51PM]

first i will state that the gamecube controller is definitely not the best controller, rather a clusterf*** of buttons.

I used to love the ps# controller, and i did like it better than the xbox1 S controller.
btw the xbox1 controller is a ripoff of the dreamcast controller

And there is NOTHING wrong with x,circle,triangle,square. they were just trying to be different, instead of letting competing systems set the standard for buttons.

but now i would have to admit that the 360 controller is hands down the best, no questions asked. although i still enjoy using a dualshock 3 every once in a while

[Evan @ Nov 7th 2008 1:04PM]

Even with the mod, the controller still has no relation whatsoever to holding and shooting a real rifle. Controlling an FPS with a controller is as obtuse as controlling a car racing game with a keyboard and mouse. Get a steering wheel controller!

The Wii is the only controller that bares any resemblance to aiming and shooting a real rifle. But hard core FPS fans hate the Wii and it's controller, they've spent much time and effort building their elite button and knob pushing skills, having to learn anything new would set them back to n00b-status and hurt their ego.

[agiovanni05 @ Nov 7th 2008 1:06PM]

I personally prefer the D-Pad where it is on the PS3 controller. I cannot play fighting games with a joystick and having it on the spot where the joystick is would be terrible for that. D-pad on the 360 is alright, but they really have to improve it a lot more, overall it really sucks. I also don' have any issue using the joystick on the ps3, like some people seem to. Personally I feel the PS3 controller is the most widely accessible for ALL game types, whether it's an old school 2d platformer or an FPS. That being said, I do think the 360 controller is slightly more comfortable to use overall. Just not as responsive to me.

[joshky @ Nov 7th 2008 1:13PM]

@ everyone who thinks PS# controller sucks.

though i completely agree with you. you have to understand that the original PS design was made for the japanese, who are shorter and have proportionally smaller hands. Im asian but at the same time im tall and have massive hands, hence the xbox controller fits into my hands perfectly but ive seen a lot of people struggling with the massive size of the xbox controllers (though there was ALOT of improvement with the 360 controllers, i still see people struggling)

TL:dr, to each his own

[Nick @ Nov 7th 2008 7:55PM]

@USMarty

What the hell does it matter if the buttons are A, B, X, Y or square, triangle, circle, cross? I personally have played with the PS1, PS2 and PS3. It's just a matter of getting used to their placement, which takes about 2 minutes unless your IQ is < 5. It's pretty much the same as getting used to A, B, X, Y when you are used to the Playstation's controller.

I still think the Xbox 360's controller is too big and bulky. It has improved alot over the original Xbox controller but still, the Playstation's controller is much lighter and more comfortable, just because it's rather small (in comparison). The placement of the analog sticks is also alot better. With the Xbox controller you have to stretch your thumbs all the way over the controller to use them, with the D-pad in between. Quite uncomfortable to have your thumbs placed differently, where analog sticks are used 90% of the time in almost every game.

[ydzhao79022 @ Nov 19th 2008 2:15AM]

XBOX360太有意思了。

[Backlin @ Nov 7th 2008 9:02AM]

I'm a fan of minimalism, but I think it actually looks better with the buttons and control sticks.

[Phawx @ Nov 7th 2008 9:35AM]

Yea it would be like titties without the nips. Just unnatural

[swingin' dick hero @ Nov 7th 2008 9:41AM]

Where can I find these tits w/o nips?

[ill trooper @ Nov 7th 2008 9:58AM]

...Date a mannequin?

[jupiterthunder @ Nov 7th 2008 6:17PM]

@ill trooper

That used to be true.

[AJR @ Nov 7th 2008 9:19AM]

Cool idea I just I would've gotten a better look at the bottom of the controller to see what he did to it. pretty slick though.

[Rob @ Nov 7th 2008 9:23AM]

The general problem with this mod, to me, is that the buttons on the top are their own micro interface within the controller as a whole. Their Diamond-shaped layout, colors, and labels are there for a reason and I think you'll find a number of games that use those indicators to relay something specific enough that memorizing the layout by feel isn't in itself good enough. Quick Time Events and fighting games with intricate combos come to mind as the most stand out examples. I do like its clean look, though.

[Mark @ Nov 7th 2008 9:56AM]

I will post better bottom images tonight when I get home..

[Mark @ Nov 7th 2008 10:12AM]

Also dont fault the controller for that gaming video as kingmike and f00 f00 can tell you im the worst at FPS games I suck badly :D in the hands of a proffesional it would pwn I will give it to my neice and shoot another video also I had the tripod of the camara between my arms..

[robin @ Nov 7th 2008 10:16AM]

hey great work mark so i submitted to digg check it out digg it up for the world to see http://digg.com/xbox/Redesigning_the_360_Controller_no_buttons

[Mark @ Nov 7th 2008 10:20AM]

Thanks Robin,,,

Also for those of you who are asking why.. We like doing things to test possibilities sometimes we flop but when we hit on a winner we pave the way for inovation and the progress of technology.. Keep in mind we are the R&D team for the big companies we may not get paid from them but 10 years from now we may spawn ther next console improvement..

[BJ is Gooder @ Nov 7th 2008 11:05AM]

Well done, Mark! Great looking mod, and looks like it would be a lot of fun to use for a FPS. If I had the know-how and/or imagination to do this, I would!

Anyway, just wanted to say kudos, that thing is sick balls.

[Vidikron @ Nov 7th 2008 10:51AM]

I don't really see the point to this. You can mirror the buttons without removing them from the top, but maybe the modder just did that for fun? Anyway, I have a 360 controller at home that has mirrors for all the face buttons on the bottom of the controller, but the face buttons are all still present and work perfectly. This guy also seems to have replaced the face buttons with a single stick on the bottom. Wouldn't that mean you could only ever use one button at a time? If so, this whole design it rather terrible. Unique? Yes. Useful? No.

[Mark @ Nov 7th 2008 11:02AM]

with the buttons being digital they only input one at a time on existing controllers with the sticks on the bottom you can esily do combo's of buttons like jump reload or jump melee just by swinging the stick this design was ment to be for First person shooters

[Vidikron @ Nov 7th 2008 11:20AM]

Are you sure about the buttons? I can't think of any off the top of my head for the 360, but some fighters and such on previous systems have had moves that relied on multiple buttons being pressed at the same time (e.g. Street Fighter games where you have to press all 3 kick or punch buttons simultaneously).

Either way, what was the reasoning behind removing the buttons themselves? Was there some reason you couldn't have the sticks and the buttons at the same time?

[TareX @ Nov 7th 2008 11:08AM]

FINALLY. I didn't hear about the ones that used the same idea before.

What I think is: The PSP is more in need of a similar mod, and use the extra real-estate for a bigger hi-res screen.