I picked up Modern Warfare 2 for the 360 – The Madcatz Controller, not the game – And not for my 360 either, but for my PC. Apparently a majority of the “Games for Windows” line is exclusively compatible with the 360 gamepads, as I’ve found none of my other perfectly functioning non-360 gamepads work. So in a show of non-support for Microsoft’s hardware, I got the 360 compatible Madcatz. At first I was feeling a bit of buyer’s remorse. After-all, this black MW2 themed controller is $50! Yet as I opened up the package and felt it for the first time, the remorse had almost immediately left. The control feels marvelous with it’s silicone/rubber underside and rubber side grips – very comfortable. The top bumper buttons are significantly larger than the oe 360s and the triggers nice and concaved. The analog sticks emit a nice green led glow from the base (I wish they were red). The face buttons should have been more spherical, similar to the oe controller – And it would have been nice if they emitted light as well. But the real star of the show is the well functioning d-pad. As we all know the oe 360 controller’s d-pad is unusable! This Madcatz controller finally gets it right for the 360! On the underside of the controller where your fingers grip there are two more buttons on either side “combat 1&2” – Along with toggle switches above them which correlate to the face buttons, X&Y/A&B. I can see a use for this feature in intense FPS battle where you don’t want to remove your thumb from the analog sticks to hit the face buttons. It’s a nice feature, but I’d rather they operated rapid fire or analog stick sensitivity. There is also a very nice and sturdy braided cable. Yes this controller is wired, but it’s 3 meters long! Plenty of slack for me considering I play less than a meter from my monitor, with the PC the control is hooked up via USB in close proximity. I played a series of games and demos for the “Games for Windows” line and many non-GW. Okay I admit it, I played some(many) emulators too. I tried at Batman: Arkham Asylum, Trials 2, Sin and Punishment (yes!), and an assortment of 8-bit to 16-bit console/arcade games. The controller (after some calibration for each program) worked flawlessly. Now is this controller worth $50? At first glance, I imagine most will say immediately “NO!” due to the fact that it’s a Madcatz. A brand which most will agree is historically subpar and cheap. I submit that some of this control is produced on the cheap side. Like the digital camo design on the face of the controller; Whatever it’s made of will peel away over time – It’s already started to. The rubber side grips will likely erode away as sweaty palms have at it. The control even comes with it’s own storage container. Perhaps having to keep it safe in a container is Madcatz indirect hint at its quality. I say $50 is too much. Drop it to $40 and I’m sure more people will be comfortable with the purchase. All that said, I was just in need of a GW compatible controller. Sure, I payed quite a bit, but I’m happy to find that the many good qualities of the controller outweigh the few of the bad. [side note] – holy s—- that was long write! If you read through all that, you have my deepest gratitude. #talkamongstyourselves