Rating: 
Summary: Shooting button get stuck
Review: After having my gamepad one year, my shooting button got stuck. So I can't play anymore with it. I even tried to lubricate it, but does not work.Playing with the gamepad did not hurt my hand, but it could be more confortable. Durability is a problem!
Rating: 
Summary: Not for everyone, but great for some
Review: After reading the other reviews for this pad, you can tell that this thing isn't perfect for everyone! But I do think that this pad will work fine for most people if they get used to its quirks and oddities. First of all, the controller has the infamous digital/analog hybrid D-pad. It's set up like a traditional digital pad, except it's round. In the provided software, you can switch between digital and analog control. As a result, you have a pad that is both analog and digital, but neither mode works as well as the individual component would. The analog in particular is hard to get used to. It requires you to vary your pressure on the button instead of varying the distance from center (like analog sticks), and that can be a little awkward. But in a lot of games, you're going to be pushing down on the thing as hard as you can anyways, so it might not be a problem for you. The digital mode works well after you get used to how the thing is tilted. It seems tailor-made for emulators, so if you are into "classic" gaming at all (legally, of course!), then a game pad like this is a must-have. The thing that bothered me the most is actually the button setup. I can't understand why they put the shift button next to the D-pad. In order to push it, you have to take your thumb off of the D-pad, which will make you stop/crash/die in most games. It defeats the entire Shift feature and cuts the number of button functions in half. All in all, this is a good controller, but be prepared to spend a little time with it before you start fully enjoying it.
Rating:
Summary: Not for everyone, but great for some
Review: After reading the other reviews for this pad, you can tell that this thing isn't perfect for everyone! But I do think that this pad will work fine for most people if they get used to its quirks and oddities. First of all, the controller has the infamous digital/analog hybrid D-pad. It's set up like a traditional digital pad, except it's round. In the provided software, you can switch between digital and analog control. As a result, you have a pad that is both analog and digital, but neither mode works as well as the individual component would. The analog in particular is hard to get used to. It requires you to vary your pressure on the button instead of varying the distance from center (like analog sticks), and that can be a little awkward. But in a lot of games, you're going to be pushing down on the thing as hard as you can anyways, so it might not be a problem for you. The digital mode works well after you get used to how the thing is tilted. It seems tailor-made for emulators, so if you are into "classic" gaming at all (legally, of course!), then a game pad like this is a must-have. The thing that bothered me the most is actually the button setup. I can't understand why they put the shift button next to the D-pad. In order to push it, you have to take your thumb off of the D-pad, which will make you stop/crash/die in most games. It defeats the entire Shift feature and cuts the number of button functions in half. All in all, this is a good controller, but be prepared to spend a little time with it before you start fully enjoying it.
Rating: 
Summary: Gaudy appearance, cheap feel, *awful* D-pad!
Review: All I want is the original MS Gamepad with a USB connector (instead of the obselete gameport connector). This version of the Gamepad has USB, but that's about all I can find positive to say about it. The D-pad is definitely the worst implementation I've tried in years. It's incredibly mushy and difficult to precisely control, so the whole controller causes one wrong move after another. Further exacerbating this problem is that the D-pad is rotated slightly to the right, so the Up directional is pointing to North-Northeast rather than due North. It does have 6 regular buttons, but I still prefer the Microsoft Sidewinder Plug and Play Game Pad USB which has only 4 buttons but a better D-pad. The appearance of the controller is a matter of personal taste, but the attempt at making it some futuristic chrome design fails miserably IMHO with the cheap silverish painted plastic. To me, it looks and feels more like a $5 mouse more than a high-end game controller. One other good thing about this controller is that it is USB and the drivers are already pre-installed with Windows 98 and 2000, so you simply plug it in and go. Still, I stronly recommend you take this controller for a test drive before you buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Gaudy appearance, cheap feel, *awful* D-pad!
Review: All I want is the original MS Gamepad with a USB connector (instead of the obselete gameport connector). This version of the Gamepad has USB, but that's about all I can find positive to say about it. The D-pad is definitely the worst implementation I've tried in years. It's incredibly mushy and difficult to precisely control, so the whole controller causes one wrong move after another. Further exacerbating this problem is that the D-pad is rotated slightly to the right, so the Up directional is pointing to North-Northeast rather than due North. It does have 6 regular buttons, but I still prefer the Microsoft Sidewinder Plug and Play Game Pad USB which has only 4 buttons but a better D-pad. The appearance of the controller is a matter of personal taste, but the attempt at making it some futuristic chrome design fails miserably IMHO with the cheap silverish painted plastic. To me, it looks and feels more like a $5 mouse more than a high-end game controller. One other good thing about this controller is that it is USB and the drivers are already pre-installed with Windows 98 and 2000, so you simply plug it in and go. Still, I stronly recommend you take this controller for a test drive before you buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Not a good analog gamepad
Review: I bought this controller because of the highly tauted "dual" nature (digital and analog). The gamepad works fine in d-pad mode, but really... as an analog controller. You have to press down really hard to get any precision movement and I wound up not using the feature because it gave me a sore thumb. I can't believe Microsoft didn't test this out with at least two people before marketing it. The control panel software for programming buttons works great and is easy to use. But doesn't make up for the horrid analog performance. If you just want a d-pad, there are cheaper devices than this one. If you want a dual controller, there has to be something better.
Rating:
Summary: Not a good analog gamepad
Review: I bought this controller because of the highly tauted "dual" nature (digital and analog). The gamepad works fine in d-pad mode, but really... as an analog controller. You have to press down really hard to get any precision movement and I wound up not using the feature because it gave me a sore thumb. I can't believe Microsoft didn't test this out with at least two people before marketing it. The control panel software for programming buttons works great and is easy to use. But doesn't make up for the horrid analog performance. If you just want a d-pad, there are cheaper devices than this one. If you want a dual controller, there has to be something better.
Rating: 
Summary: Not the Best
Review: I found the controller to fit in my hands well, but the use of the controls is so-so. The D- pad is a little "mushy" and will sometimes make you make errors. But the overall setup of the controller was good, and the USB is nice, but if I could change my controller I would go for the original one.
Rating:
Summary: Despite other reviews, I like this controller
Review: Positives: The controller is very reasonbly priced for something with six buttons and two triggers. Whether or not you agree that Microsoft is a monopoly, the fact of the matter is this controller works extremely well with my Windows system, is a cinch to set up (Win 98 automatically detects the controller when I plug it in my USB), and has great software to go along with it. Using the Sidewinder Software, you can set up various profiles for a wide variety of games. In other words, you are setting a default controller configuration before you even step in to the game. The pad is generally comfortable in your hands. Negatives: As other reviews have pointed out, the directional pad is somewhat poor. I doesn't take me in wrong directions, it just feels flimsy and looks like it could cause some problems with a great deal of use. You may also be able to see a button to the bottom right of the directional pad. I don't know what that is supposed to do (it has an arrow) but in most games it is your 9th button and it is terribly placed. My recommendation is pick this up for a cheap, 6-button controller with no hassles installing. If you've got some more cash to spend and you are a serious gamer, research other alternatives. Logitech makes a good high-end pad.
Rating:
Summary: Despite other reviews, I like this controller
Review: Positives: The controller is very reasonbly priced for something with six buttons and two triggers. Whether or not you agree that Microsoft is a monopoly, the fact of the matter is this controller works extremely well with my Windows system, is a cinch to set up (Win 98 automatically detects the controller when I plug it in my USB), and has great software to go along with it. Using the Sidewinder Software, you can set up various profiles for a wide variety of games. In other words, you are setting a default controller configuration before you even step in to the game. The pad is generally comfortable in your hands. Negatives: As other reviews have pointed out, the directional pad is somewhat poor. I doesn't take me in wrong directions, it just feels flimsy and looks like it could cause some problems with a great deal of use. You may also be able to see a button to the bottom right of the directional pad. I don't know what that is supposed to do (it has an arrow) but in most games it is your 9th button and it is terribly placed. My recommendation is pick this up for a cheap, 6-button controller with no hassles installing. If you've got some more cash to spend and you are a serious gamer, research other alternatives. Logitech makes a good high-end pad.
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