Xbox 360

The Xbox 360 Arcade Gamestick from Mad Catz has a full size joystick and spinner control. It comes with the Xbox Live Arcade games Frogger, Time Pilot, and Astropop. It is officially licensed by Microsoft.

The game Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action comes bundled with four special wireless controllers called Big Button Controllers, which resemble game show buzzers. Each controller has one large “buzzer” button at the top, which also doubles as a d-pad, and four smaller buttons for multiple choice answers. The game’s price is unaffected by the inclusion of the controllers. Other games such as UNO and Wits and Wagers have added support for the Big Button Controllers.The Big Button Controllers use an external IR transmitter which connects to the Xbox 360 via USB. When the IR transmitter is connected all four quadrants on the ‘ring of light’ are lit to tell the user that four controller devices are active. These big button controllers can be used at the same time as the wired and wireless gamepads and the wireless headsets.

There are two official versions of Remote control for the Xbox 360 and a number of unofficial ones. The first official media remote is the shorter version of the Universal Media Remote that can be bought at retail. It was supplied at launch with the Premium version of the console, and replaces the Xbox Live Headset in the Australian, New Zealand and Mexican Premium Xbox 360 systems, as well as the Brazilian official pack. All remotes can assists in the playing of DVD movies and music (although the console can play such media without the remote), while the Universal Media Remote offers more function by having the ability to serve as a control for a number of TVs or Windows Media Center-based PC. All remotes allow basic control of games, along with being able to navigate the dashboard. All of the remote control’s interface with the Xbox 360 via infrared.

Microsoft released a small keyboard suitable for messaging in the Summer of 2007, coinciding with the launch of Windows Live Messenger on Xbox 360. The device is named the Xbox 360 Chatpad.This 47-key keyboard connects to the expansion port on the bottom of the standard controller. Additionally, a headset is included, as normal 360 headsets do not plug into the Chatpad (though cellphone headsets can be plugged into the Chatpad). The Chatpad also sports backlit keys and a dedicated messenger button (that flashes when a message arrives).Released on September 4, 2007, the Xbox 360 Messenger Kit sells for a retail price of $29.99 USD and £24.99 GBP and includes a wired headset. (It should be noted that standard Xbox 360 wired headsets cannot connect to the chatpad due to the lack of the side pins). Microsoft does not currently provide drivers to make the Chatpad work with a PC.USB HID-compliant keyboards can be plugged directly into the console and will work in the same way.

At E3 2006, Microsoft announced the Wireless Gaming Receiver (sold as Crossfire Wireless Gaming Receiver in the UK), which allows all wireless Xbox 360 accessories to be used on a Windows-based PC.This allows PC and Xbox 360 owners to use their wireless gamepads, racing wheels, and headset on their computer. The device acts similar to an Xbox 360 as it allows up to 4 controllers and 4 headsets at a time to be connected to the receiver. The device has a 30 foot range and a six foot USB cable.It is specifically designed to work with games bearing the “Games for Windows” logo, but will function with most games that permit a standard PC gamepad. The wireless device retails for US/CDN $19.95, GBP £14.99 or AU $29.95, and was released on February 16, 2007. It is notable that the official Xbox website says that the adapter will work with ‘all future wireless devices’.

* Rechargeable battery pack: This nickel metal hydride battery pack provides up to 25 hours of continuous gaming for the wireless controller. It is recommended in place of disposable AA batteries (which differ slightly in voltage). It also ships as part of the Play & Charge Kit and as part of the Quick Charge Kit. Third party rechargeable battery pack kits are also available.
* NiMH Rechargeable AAs: Simple rechargeable NiMH AA batteries are the exact same voltage as the battery pack available from Microsoft. In fact, all that is in the battery pack are two 1800mAh AA cells giving up to 1800 mAh at 2.4v.[citation needed] On the other hand, two 2500mAh rechargeable AAs in the standard battery holder will give up to 2500mAh @ 2.4v, lasting approximately 50% longer.[citation needed] A charger with 4 x 2500mAh AAs can be purchased for $20, which gives the ability to power two controllers, or one controller while another set is always charged, for the same price as a Microsoft “Play and Charge” kit.
* Play and Charge Kit: Allows the controller to be recharged while playing a game by plugging the wireless controller into one of the USB ports. The kit also includes the rechargeable battery pack. It should also be noted that the Play and Charge kit allows use of a wireless controller with the battery pack removed (however this will damage the pad as the circuit is incomplete[citation needed] ). Microsoft currently does not support it to be used as a wired controller, however it does transmit data letting the host know that it is a wireless controller via a Play and Charge kit.[6]; wireless is still used for data communication and the Play and Charge kit therefore needs not to be plugged into the console itself to function, any USB port may be used for the players’ convenience.
* Quick Charge Kit: Charges up to two rechargeable battery packs and does so in less time than the Play and Charge Kit. Comes with one new battery pack.

As a first for console controllers, the wired version can be used as a PC gamepad out of the box without the use of any converters. Regardless of the green Xbox 360 packaging or the red PC packaging, it is the same controller - the only difference being that the PC package comes with a driver disc included, while the standard package requires users to download the PC drivers. The wireless version of the Xbox 360 controller can also be used with the PC, however the wireless gaming receiver is needed in order to use it. In this case the Xbox Guide button shows the power left in the controller’s batteries, whereas with the wired controllers, the button is inactive. Unofficially, third party drivers have also been able to use the controller on other platforms, such as Mac OS X and Linux.Many Xbox 360 accessories are compatible with any Windows based PC. Some examples are; the wired/wireless controller, the wired headset (via a controller), the wireless headset and the live vision camera.

Up to four controllers are supported by the Xbox 360, including wired and wireless gamepads. The wired gamepads may be connected to any of the three (one at the rear, two at the front) USB ports located on the console, or to a USB hub. USB keyboards are also supported, but only for inputting text and navigating the dashboard; additionally, the number pad and hotkeys are non-functional. The original first-generation Xbox controllers are not compatible with the Xbox 360. The controller is also compatible with PCs with the Games for Windows program and used in the United States and British militaries.The Xbox 360 controller has vibration feedback.

Xbox 360 System Software (sometimes referred to incorrectly as firmware), is updateable software and operating system for the Xbox 360. It resides on a 16 MB file system and has access to a maximum of 32 MB of the system’s memory.While the System Software updates may sometimes provide updates to the system’s firmware, it is unlikely that this occurs with many, or any updates. The updates can be downloaded from the Xbox Live service directly to the Xbox 360 and subsequently installed. Microsoft has also provided the ability to download system software updates from their respective official Xbox website to their PCs and then storage media, from which the update can be installed to the system. Updates can also be installed from game discs that require the updates to be able to play the game. All updates are mandatory if the user signs into Xbox Live. The latest version of the software is version 2.0.6683, released on 2007-12-04, however, the console is not yet (upto the end of December 2007 at least) being shipped with this version pre-installed, meaning an update is required.

It should be noted that the warranty that Microsoft currently extended to three years only covers the “Red Ring of Death” problem. No other problems are covered under the three-year warranty extension. For $99, the company will fix any problem outside of this, with work warrantied for three months. After that, customers will continue to have to pay $99 each time they have a problem, or purchase an entirely new system. Coverage is offered for those who bought and live in countries where the Xbox 360 was officially released; depending on the country, the customers will either have their consoles repaired or replaced. This policy will be transferred to a new console if one is exchanged through the Microsoft Service Center. All repairs come with a 90-day warranty starting at the date the repair is finished, or the original warranty, whichever is longer. Once past this date, the customers can pay around $140 (£80) to receive a repair or replacement. This charge covers shipping and handling, as well as a one year warranty on the repaired or refurbished console. There is also a service contract available through Microsoft (in select countries) to extend this warranty by up to 2 years at a time. The cost is $29.95 US per year and can be extended up to two additional years.The estimated time to fix the Xbox 360 is 21 days. According to a GameStop memo, GameStop will no longer be selling product replacement plans for new, used, and refurbished 360s.