Introduction:

I would be that most of us play games on a fairly regular basis. For us, gaming is a regular part of life, (though hopefully not the defining aspect of life), and a fun pastime; a way to escape from the things in life that are boring or unpleasant. Having said that, most of us probably do most of our gaming on the PC; I know I do. For the most part, the PC is an able-bodied gaming machine, and serves its purpose well in many different game types, from FPS to RTS to Simulations; the list goes on.

However, despite this, game consoles cannot be ignored; though the PC may have much more "power" and versatility, it is the console that has the benefit of simplicity and easiness. Additionally, under most circumstances it's more fun to play a multiplayer game with people that are right beside you on a console in front of the TV in the living room, than it would be to play such a game on a PC. The console also brings certain standards to the mix, allowing everyone to use pretty much the same controller. These reasons, among others, are why consoles such as the Xbox have enjoyed such popularity.

But with consoles one is usually sitting further away when playing a game than with a PC; as such, the console and controller makers have usually made the controller cords quite long, somewhere in the 3m-long range. However, this may be inadequate for larger living rooms or larger TVs, and certainly contributes to living room clutter, making the area look much more messy and possibly unsafe. In response to this, many 3rd-party hardware vendors have made cordless controllers for the Xbox; one of them is Logitech, no stranger to the peripheral market, and today I'll be looking at one of their newest controllers, the Cordless Precision Controller for Xbox. Is the controller able to live up to the performance of a corded one, and most importantly, is it comfortable to use?

Specifications

There usually aren't too many pertinent specifications relating to controllers that one would be interested in; from a basic viewpoint this cordless controller has all the features of a regular Xbox controller, meaning that all the proper control sticks, D-pad, triggers and buttons are present in their correct form. The layout of the buttons is pretty much the same as on a regular Xbox controller, which is expected since you do not want to have to waste time adapting to a new physical configuration. Despite being cordless and relying on 2 AA batteries, the controllers still offers vibration feedback, and on top of that, claims a battery life of 50+ hours with vibration on! (Without vibration, the battery life improves to an astounding 300 hours!)

• Smaller, lighter, more comfortable, and more familiar

• 2.4 GHz radio frequency wireless technology with a lag-free range of 30 feet (10 meters)

• Requires only 2 AA batteries (included) to achieve 50+ hours of battery life with vibration on

• Mini receiver plugs directly into console

• Official Xbox compatibility approved by Microsoft

Relating to the cordless technology, you'll note that the controller uses the 2.4 GHz frequency range, which is also shared with many other devices, such as cordless phones and 802.11b/g wireless networks. Some of you will realize that this opens up the possibility of interference from other devices, which may decrease performance/operation of either or both of the devices. However, like some other cordless/wireless technologies, this controller utilizes frequency hopping in order to reduce the effects of interference. We'll see in testing how this relates to the real world; it should be noted that Logitech claims their technology is designed to interoperate with 802.11b and presumably 802.11g networks.

Also worthy of note is the range claimed; 10m is quite a range and if this is true the controller should have no problems working in even the largest of living rooms with the biggest TVs. As an aside, it should also be noted that this is Logitech's second attempt at a cordless controller for the Xbox; the original used 4 AA batteries and had a slightly different layout, two factors which, in my opinion, make this second-generation controller better than its predecessor.

The controller comes packaged in the packaging I love to hate, that being the hard plastic type that you need to cut to get into. Included with the controller are the Receiver, 2 AA batteries, an Install Guide, and an Information (Injury) Guide. It's a fairly sparse package but you have to remember that you don't need drivers or anything like that for this product. Upon first looking at the controller you'll note that despite having the same button layout as a regular Xbox controller, the shape is slightly different, with somewhat longer grips on each side and an inward-curved top. You'll also note that there are no expansion ports on the controller itself; because of its cordless nature there wasn't a feasible way to have the setup like that. Instead, the expansion ports reside on the receiver itself. This probably isn't too big of a problem with memory cards, but if you're using the Xbox Live headset, this may present a problem as the receiver's cord is only about 2ft long and so will be placed near the console itself; unless you sit quite close to the console, the Live headset probably will not reach to where you are.

Batteries are included, so you can get this controller working right out of the box. By default, the vibration is turned on for the controller, though you can toggle this (if you want to save battery life) by way of a button located just to the right of the left thumbstick. (It's out of the way so you won't accidentally press it.) When you turn off the vibration the controller will vibrate for a short period of time to let you know; when vibration is turned on the controller vibrates for a longer period of time to indicate this.

In terms of functionality, the controller is identical to a regular Xbox controller; there are no "rapid-fire" features that allow a button hold to simulate rapid button presses, though the usefulness of such features is debatable nowadays. All the buttons are laid out in pretty much the same fashion as a regular Xbox controller, though the feel of some of the inputs is a bit different. In terms of shape, it's quite clear that this controller has a different shape and hence feel than a standard Xbox controller. It's best described as feeling a little less bulky than the standard controller, with slightly longer handles/grips. In particular, the area where you rest your middle fingers on the underside is quite a bit thinner than on a regular controller. Though the feel of this controller was distinctly different than a regular Xbox controller, I felt both to be comfortable.

Size Comparison

Left Side Shot

Back Profile View

Front-Top View

 In terms of size, it's pretty much the same as a regular controller so you won't have to worry about not being able to reach any buttons. However, one distinct difference was weight; this controller was definitely heavier than a standard controller though perhaps not by a great amount, and this was due to the 2 AA batteries that power the controller. The weight is not so much as to fatigue you while playing, as I've gone through many multi-hour play sessions with this controller without experiencing any discomfort.

From the pictures below you'll see the two analog triggers at the front; in my opinion, they don't have as much play as those of a regular controller. They work just as well, though. You'll also see the battery bay and the 2 AA batteries in use. Though the batteries do add bulk, they are such a position so that you don't feel the bulk while using the controller, making it more comfortable.

Bottom

Side Profile of handles

2 AA Batteries Supplied

In a general sense, the buttons and controls feel pretty much the same as a regular controller; there are some exceptions that I'll detail in my testing report. But it's good to know that for the most part Logitech stuck to a familiar feel and design so as not to throw off people who are switching from a regular controller to this one.

The receiver is quite small, and doesn't take up much space at all. It connects directly to the controller port on the Xbox, and besides having the 2 expansion ports, it also has a "Connect" button and a LED to indicate activity on the connected controller. Despite what you think the connect button would be used for, you'll rarely have to use it as almost all the time the controller will automatically connect to the receiver almost instantly after you push a button on it. The connect button can be pressed to initiate a connection when this automatic method won't work.

The Receiver

2 Expansion Ports

The receiver also has two rubber feet to keep it in position on a surface. Having said all of this, let's go on to the real part of the review, the actual usage.