New 360 Controller Shiny, More Functional

The rumor mill has been turning for a while, but this morning Major Nelson gave us the official announcement that a new Xbox 360 controller is coming soon, in fact, set to release on November 9th.  The new controller features a few aesthetic changes, but the biggest alteration involves the part that gamers probably use the least.  This iteration of the controller will feature a new D-pad that you can raise and lower at your convenience.  We got to admit, that’s a pretty spiffy innovation.

Of course, this change comes with a bit of a down-side.  The controller will retail at $64.99 and include the play and charge kit.  That seems a bit high given that new wireless controllers are $50 and you can usually find them cheaper somewhere.  So, what say you gamers?  Is the new design enough to make you shell out the extra cash, or are you just fine with the older model?