Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows Reviews

• Good if you do the work

  
  By A3DN2TUV57A911 on 2007-02-09
  First off, the receiver and controller/accessories connect very easily and work great. No issues with lag or bad connections.
  
  The downfall here is that unless your game can specifically be setup to map controls to a gamepad/joystick, you're out of luck (kinda). Microsoft doesn't include any mapping software at all, which really doesn't make a lot of sense, since so few PC games would be naturally compatible with the remote.
  
  Luckily, there is a great piece of software called Pinnacle game profiler. It allows you to specifically map each button to a movement/function in any game (customizable by game). You get a free 30 day trial ($20 after that), but it's worth the money. After spending about 15 minutes setting this up, it works great. I have tested it out on Half-Life 2, F.E.A.R. and Call of Duty 2 with no issues.
  
  

• Great device whose value is yet to be unleashed

  
  By A37JT4A2V1R5IY on 2007-02-12
  As of this writing, the best value for this device is yet to come. Xbox 360 owners will enjoy being able to reuse all types of Xbox 360 wireless controllers on their PC games, but there are two major hangups that will have to be corrected with time.
  
  1) It has been reported this item does not work with Vista yet. I can't comment on this.
  2) The "Games for Windows" brand is just getting off the ground. As this brand evolves, each game with this logo on the box will support this controller natively. There won't be any need for mapping software. That means, for old games... you'll have to find something to map the controller.
  
  If you are interested in XNA, get this. XNA (nutshell) is MSFT's platform for future game development, and it includes tools hobbyists can use to make games at home and play them on Windows or their Xbox 360. That makes this item a must-have if you plan to join XNA Creators Club and deploy your games onto your Xbox 360.
  
  Still, the potential of this is really yet to be realized. XNA is in its fledgling state, even though to this point it has to be considered a success. "Games for Windows" has just a couple of titles on the shelf as of this writing, but is intended to explode by the end of the year. It might be that if you're willing to pony up for the Xbox 360 Wireless Headset and Racing Wheel, you may get more value out of this and you can use those items on your PC.
  
  When I compared buying a wired controller versus buying this (I already had two wireless controllers), this is obviously the better value. Just consider the facts above, and look at how things have changed since this writing, and decide for yourself.
  
  

• Not Plug-N-Play for everyone...

  
  By A2VNIN97SMYV1N on 2007-02-22
  After spending 4 hours trying to get this puppy working w/ Windows XP, and numerous time sorting through forums, I've come to the following realization: This product was released too early! My first clue was the lack of support from Microsoft (when I called, they didn't even know what it was!) Check the forums (or just google this thing) - you'll see what I'm talking about! And forget it, if you have a wireless mouse that runs on 2.4Ghz...
  
  

• Works well, and without a headache if you're lucky. Solutions below.

  
  By A1J3FT69Y93TJO on 2007-08-28
  As you can see from the other reviews, this device works very well for some, and not so well for others. Putting aside the interference problem with other 2.4ghz devices such as mice (2.4ghz wireless routers will NOT give you problems), I believe there is a single solution to almost everyone's problem, which I will outline below.
  
  After installing the device & software, I couldn't get my black wireless xbox360 elite controller to sync with the receiver. The ring light on the controller would rotate while trying to connect to the receiver. The light on the receiver would blink attempting to locate the controller. After a few seconds, the ring on the controller would stop rotating, and start blinking. A connection could not be made.
  
  After some research, I found the solution. The issue is with USB power. The receiver needs A LOT of it. If you have other devices on your USB, especially high powered USB keyboards or mice, the receiver might not work. Try removing all USB devices and rebooting your PC with only a PS/2 mouse and keyboard connected. The receiver and controller should sync up immediately, even before you finish booting into windows. This fixed my problem.
  
  If this is your problem, there are two solutions. 1) a USB PCI interface card, or 2) an externally powered USB hub (NOT BUS POWERED). I believe the receiver needs a lot of power because its capable of syncing to four separate devices. The USB on most motherboards simply isn't strong enough. Hope this helps.
  
  

• Doesn't Work With Vista

  
  By A1N4ZAMBAES9S8 on 2007-02-07
  Leave it to Microsoft to release a product that doesn't work with their new operating system. I'm sure they will eventually release a vista driver and software, but when?
  
  
• It DOES work with Vista
  By A3NLO9QOYDC1BG on 2007-02-15
  Works great with N64 and SNES emulators... I played 3 player Goldeneye last night with proper FPS controls (using both sticks). Had my laptop hooked up to my HDTV and rendered the game in 720p. It was amazing.
  
  Just an FYI... it DOES work with Windows Vista, contrary to what some reviewers here have written. I was initially dismayed by the fact that the included driver CD refuses to install, giving an error message saying that it's not compatible with Vista. But there are downloadable drivers for it for both the 32- and 64-bit versions[...]. I installed it on 32-bit Vista Enterprise without any problems.
  
  Highly recommended if you have wireless 360 controllers and a need for a PC gamepad.
  
  
• Works great with Windows Vista Ultimate (x64) and XNA
  By A2X3NE2W4XIZZB on 2007-02-16
  I purchased this device to connect my Xbox 360 wireless controllers and headset to Windows for the purpose of developing and testing games using the XNA framework.
  
  Even though the included installation manual said that Windows Vista drivers were not available, I went ahead and plugged the device into the USB port. Windows Vista recognized the device and proceeded to download the drivers from the Windows Update site.
  
  I've tested both the Xbox 360 wireless controller and the wireless headset with this receiver, and both have worked flawlessly. The left and right triggers, however, report as the same secondary Z-axis. However, this doesn't seem to cause a problem with recognizing the triggers independently under the XNA framework.
  
  
• Does not work!! There is no tech support either.
  By A32EJ4MO4UQ5GY on 2008-03-01
  Tried 3 of these with VISTA OS and they will not work. They do not even show up in the control panel gamepad section. Tried to find info at Microsoft Support - forget it they did not even know they made them. So until the techs at Microsoft get off their high hats and actually perform support, don't waste your time or money.
  The Logitech wireless works great and is half the price. I use this with Oblivion and a 2nd party Pinnacle program to set up the controls and whoh it works...
  
  
• An excellent value
  By A2BUX6FI77L4KF on 2007-02-12
  It's a nice product considering it less than 20 bucks. I've had no problems using it and am very pleased at how well it's working. The battery monitoring feature is nice. And it's actually quite small, the picture is kinda deceiving. It does not have a mapper, but there are many free good ones on the internet, so that's not that big of a complaint. All in all, it's well worth it, especially since it's cheap and works quite well.
  
  
• Product rushed to market - no suport!
  By AL4ZBWRW694MK on 2007-06-11
  I bought the gaming receiver and wireless controller (and a wired controller) to play Shadowrun. The wired controller works beautifully. I have, after hours of trying, been unable to get the controller to work with the receiver. So I try to find the support number.
  
  Microsoft has bascially released this product without telling the support groups, xbox AND microsoft hardware, how to support it. I spent 45 minutes on the phone with xbox yesterday that finally told me they couldn't help because I don't have a console. Call Microsoft. I'm on my second call with Microsoft support now. The first call was 40 minutes across two departments before the central person screwed up and lost the call. I'm now on hold, and heading to the 4th department while the technicians try to figure out which queue to send me to next. And of course these guys are trying to pass the buck saying that I should all the xbox number.
  
  Makes me want to throw the whole thing out. But, I see that it works for some people so it must work.. if only Microsoft and ANY support options available for it. IT's like everyone warns - NEVER buy a version 1.0 of Microsoft anything. Wait until they get it working in the second release!
  
  Update:
  After HOURS of phone calls to Xbox support and Microsoft support plus buying TWO receivers and THREE controllers to test them (bc they thought the hardware was bad) - we finally discover that it's the MS driver!! I wa able to install on XP and Vista 32bit. This product is really intended for Shadowrun - which will only run on Vista and a powerful one at that (like my 64 bit machine). Don't ever buy the first version of a Microsoft product! I made over 5 calls just trying to find someone that would support it within MS/Xbox - it's so new they have no procedures or knowledge. Looks cool - but wait for version 2 before buying.
  
  
• Works great with no problems :)
  By A26CL6JATWMU53 on 2007-07-16
  First off the install was super simple and the disc contains everything you need to use your xbox 360 controller with supported gamepad games.
  
  Second it works with both windows xp and windows vista
  
  Third (why it only got 4 stars) It just doesnt have that many games that support it yet for other people. I use it for pc emulators and it works AMAZING with those and you can even use all four controllers with almost all of them.
  
  Its a great product/alternative to buying a wired controller to use on your PC and is great for vista gaming as well as XP games that support a gamepad.
  
  
• mouse woes
  By A2NG8A9SF4WZKG on 2007-07-26
  i picked this thing up specifically for headset use, and haven't even gotten to the connection part of setting this thing up, as my Logitech G5 Laser Mouse goes completely DEAD when i plug the wireless reciever in...seems like a good idea, but microsoft needs to update the drivers so they're more compatable with other USB items
  
  
• Really, a good idea.
  By A2OWWOOCKWDCTR on 2007-08-09
  I think this little gem is what pushes the Xbox 360 past the PS3 for me, beyond everything else. Allowing me to use my wireless headset and controller with my PC as well as my 360 doubles how useful they are, especially since I don't subscribe to Xbox Live (and, as such, have no use for the headset which came with my console otherwise).
  
  The technology isn't fully implemented yet, and has a few problems. First, Microsoft hasn't (yet?) included mapping software with the controller's drivers, so you are on your own if a game doesn't natively support gamepads (though, if a game does work better with a gamepad, it usually does).
  
  Also, Microsoft seems to have made the odd decision of not having the 360 controller conform to standard gamepad parameters. Most games read the triggers backwards, which means that if you are using trigger sensitivity to throttle a vehicle, pulling the trigger will make the vehicle stop, while letting it go will make the controller go full speed. However, the easy solution to this problem is to not use your triggers for throttle.
  
  Microsoft's "Games For Windows" campaign seems to be the long-term solution to this problem. Each game with that logo emblazoned on the top of its box will, apparently, natively support the xbox 360 controller. I like the IDEA of it, but I'm so much into forcing game developers to pay to have that certification stamped on their box. Part of me hopes it becomes standard, but the other half of me is adamantly against it.
  
  Another slight problem is that, unlike with the xbox 360's wireless functionality, the PC's software doesn't allow you to shut off your controller. On the 360, you simply hold down the green "X" button in the center of your controller, and a menu will pop up asking if you'd like to shut your controller down. On the PC, a menu does pop up if you press it, but it simply exists to show you your battery life on the controller (which is useful in its own way), but the only two ways to turn the controller off, that I've found, is to wait for it to time out and turn off on its own after not being used, or simply remove the batteries. I have no idea if the latter option hurts the product in any way, but it's not caused any problems that I can see.
  
  Anyway, this system has almost fully realized its potential. It just needs a software upgrade to allow you to shut the controller off.
  
  I'm having a lot of fun using my controller for all my games that work better with one (space sims in particular). As an earlier reviewer said, Pinnacle Game Profiler is a fantastic program that will easily map controls to your Xbox 360 controller for any game that it recognizes (and that list of games is long), but really, usually you should be using mouse and keyboard for those games anyway. Your gamepad won't be winning you any MVP medals (or respect) in Quake 4.
  
  Now, let's just see if the Guitar Hero 2 controller will work with PC! Now, there's an idea.
  
  
• Awful black-hole of a device.
  By ACTMZJ4EUOC65 on 2008-03-13
  This was a very disappointing purchase.
  
  Pros:
  The device is small, and coordinates with the white XBox 360 accessories.
  One of the few devices on the market which seems to have Windows Vista 64bit drivers. Not released on the driver CD that came with the device of course - you had to download them from the xbox site.
  
  Cons:
  Would not connect to 2 different XBox 360 controllers.
  Eventually forces other USB peripherals offline.
  
  
  I used two different wireless XBox 360 controllers and neither one was connecting. After making several attempts to make a connection with one or the other, I called XBox 360 accessory support. The first person i spoke to had no idea what I was talking about. I explained it at some length, and then was put on hold.
  
  Some 15 minutes later, he returned after consulting with another person and proceeded to give me wrong information about where to go to determine if it was connected. When I corrected him, I was put on hold again. He returned and told me that (contrary to the documentation) the controller device would not show that it was connected in the same way it did on the console. When pointed out that the documentation disagreed with him, he told me that the item was defective and I should just return it to the store and get a different one.
  
  When I noted that he didn't seem to know enough about it to determine if it were working or not, he passed me on to a supervisor. She seemed to know a little more, but not much. She finally gave up and indicated that she would need to look it up and call me back. As you can imagine, Microsoft never called back.
  
  I left the receiver plugged in and the next morning my usb Bluetooth keyboard and mouse were not working. I unplugged them, and after rebooting, I was able to reconnect them. The following evening, they were disconnected again. I removed the XBOX wireless receiver, and then had to reboot again before the Bluetooth devices would reconnect.
  
  Not only does this thing NOT work, it causes other perfectly good devices to stop working as well. I am unwilling to go out and buy an external powered USB hub when I built my PC with several on-board USB ports so I wouldn't have to go buy an external hub. This thing is crazy.
  
  Avoid, avoid, avoid.
  
  
• Not Vista Compatible
  By A3PTK3JJCWD7N6 on 2007-02-14
  I got this thing to work one time...that is it...This product does not work with Vista...even after downloading the required driver from the Microsoft web site. And I can't even get the receiver to recognize an Xbox 360 wireless controller. Vista doesn't even list it as a controller when everything is hooked up.
  
  
• Great Accessory, limited use
  By AHNQ2XDI4I0VI on 2007-02-15
  Pros: I'm using this on Windows XP and the installation was simple and easy. Works flawlessly in some games. It has great range and supports up to four controllers and headsets (maybe microsoft is hinting something). Lastly when you press the Xbox 360 "X" it shows the battery level of the controller
  
  Cons: First, this doesnt come with a profiler. Second, because it doesnt come with a profiler, you cant use the triggers because they are recognised as axises and not buttons. Most games out are not compatible with that
  
  Closing Comments: Though I've heard these don't work on vista as of yet, this controller will really be at its best in "Windows Certified" games which will all support it natively.
  
  
• Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows
  By ARFY39XK2B7YE on 2007-05-21
  Works great and is a wonderful tool for emulators!
  
  
• Useless...
  By A2LZ9C73W1S0NP on 2007-07-13
  ...its only too bad that many PC games don't support dual analog controls, and none have features specifically for the 360 style controller, not even Microsoft games like Halo 2. Not to mention the drivers included are absolutely useless, it isn't even configurable under the "Game Controllers" part of the control panel. And if you have Vista, as of now you are out of luck. Which is ironic as hell, seeing as this is a Microsoft product.
  
  
• Great piece of hardware
  By ACHU40SVZS7AX on 2007-08-25
  I have been using this device for several months now and have never experienced any of the problem people are complaining about. Also, in one of the reviews someone said it doesn't work with Vista... thats simply not true. Yes, the driver disc doesn not contain Vista drivers but then again it doesnt need to.. simply plug it in and Vista will go off and find the drivers for you.
  
  I've used this device on both XP and Vista and on 3 different PC's (including a laptop) and have not had any problems on any of them. This is a great product.
  
  
• Easy to use, hard to setup...
  By A39IMTV7M64ZNS on 2007-12-26
  The upside: this is the best controller on the market. Very comfortable, natural feel and very durable. If you have an XBOX 360, these are the only controllers you need as this works with both the PC and 360. A "must have" for gamers.
  
  The downside: the receiver is a power hog. This thing really should have come with its own AC adapter. When plugged into a system with a 450w power supply, it literally shut down my other USB devices and still didn't function properly. Once I moved it to a powered USB hub it worked quite well, but I can no longer plug anything else into the hub. Also, Microsoft web support for this product is non-existant.
  
  Summary: If you can find a cheap powered USB hub (you only need USB 1.1) then spend the extra money. This product is worth it if you're truly into gaming.
  
  
• Just as expected
  By A1KXJCXS6HFRQZ on 2008-01-19
  I'm very pleased with this device. I use my xbox 360 controller to play Crysis, and it works flawlessly. I think Crysis is actually made to support this device though, because in the settings for the controller, it shows the image of the 360 controller. I haven't used it with any other games yet, but it's microsoft, so you know it's going to integrate well with windows as it does.
  
  
• Horrible ripoff
  By ABXG064J6H8VZ on 2008-01-31
  This installs well for me in XP ...However. I almost cried when I fired up my fav PC racing game NFS Most Wanted. I kept on pulling to the left like I was drunk.
  You can not configure the deadzone on your 360 controller for the PC. Heck there is NO configuration at all. Even the cheapest of pc gamepads have some kind of control panel. Which I never use because every PC gamepad that I have purchased doesn't need it's deadzone to be fussed with. I have quite a few wired devices from the wonderfull saitek's (awesome all around) to the logitech (crummy dpad). They need no fussing with they just work. However the one expensive joystick I own needs some config but it doesn't exist!
  When playing on your Xbox I am assuming the machine compensates and does in fact increase the deadzone quite a bit. However there is nothing in the joystick configuration that allows you to do this XP. If the game does not allow you increase the deadzone this is an annoying paperweight.
  Oh but you are saying there is some third party control panel out there right. Wrong! There are two for the Wired 360 controller, they don't seem to be in any hurry to patch their programs to work with the wireless version.
  
  
• Poor driver support, Dead Zone issues with Controller
  By A1GZM015K1NQHY on 2008-02-09
  I bought this Wireless Receiver along with the Wireless XBOX360 controller for using in Windows Vista. It's horrible, and unusable in 80% of my games because of major sensitivity issues with the Dead Zone on the analog sticks. There is no Dead Zone calibration settings built into the Microsoft drivers, so unless the game has support for it, you will be randomly flying off to the left or the right and it's nearly impossible to maintain control. XBCD does not support the wireless controllers at this point, so now this thing is getting thrown into the closet with the rest of my junk. This controller shouldn't even be allowed to be sold as an alternative for a Gamepad for Windows because it simply doesn't work as intended.
  
  Also, the USB receiver pulls too much power from my mother board when it boots, so that all of my other peripherals plugged into USB are dead when the computer boots up. I have to start my computer with the receiver unplugged, so my mouse and keyboard will work, and then I have to plug the receiver in. I've heard this can be avoided by using a powered USB hub, but frankly I don't want to sink any more money into this debacle, nor should I have to in the first place. This entire concept is a good idea gone horribly wrong, unless Microshaft would get their act together and actually support what I paid for. How can they get away with this?
  
  Grade = F
  Repeat the 5th Grade.
  
  
  
  
• Great for the 360 controllers
  By AIB5KSXP9I7BN on 2008-03-08
  I'm using it for emulators. On my Vista laptop and on my XP pc. Works well with PS1, N64, NES, GBA, GBC, GB, SNES, Sega, Sega CD. I'm also using it to play the computer version of final fantasy 7. I Can't comment on weather it works well with the newer games since my computer won't run them. Still worth it in my opinion for emulation.
  
  
• Works, but you need a Profiler!!!
  By A2F3DS5WK6PQIA on 2007-02-27
  I got this device to work on WinXP with pinnaclegameprofiler. Go to www.pinnaclegameprofiler.com to download a 30 day free trial and try it out. You need a profiler that has a deadzone feature plus to configure your game to work with this device. Hope this reviews saves everyone time. It took me 5 Hours to figure this out.
  
  
• Beware!!
  By A2PLUNNWXJWI89 on 2007-03-01
  As some has said already Microsoft release this way too early and with no support, Gaming forums are alight with this product right now because its incompatible with any type of logitech wireless mouse or keyboard plugged into the same computer, there is no fix other than don't use it. When i installed the drivers for this on my windows XP machine my Logitech mouse stopped responding, only way to fix this is unplug the Xbox wireless receiver and reboot.. Thats said i am keeping mine because im sure that Ms will have a fix for this at some point soon. But beware all the same.
  
  
• Terrible documentation, support and setup
  By A3B6PGUI4O0B0P on 2007-03-12
  I couldn't figure out why my wireless logitech mouse wouldn't work and neither would my receiver on my newly installed Vista system. Turns out they were incompatible. Even when I did get it to work, the triggers were programmed as two directions on the same axis. When you pull both triggers, they cancel each other out. This could've been the perfect accessory but Microsoft really dropped the ball with the drivers and documentation.
  
  
• Doesn't like Logitech
  By A3GLCCJYW9Y1E9 on 2007-03-17
  As others have said, it has critical problems with Logitech wireless mice. For the life of me, I can't imagine how they allow such a product to hit the market without testing it with mice of one of the most popular brands in the world. Sucks.
  
  
• Awesomeness in your ear
  By A2LM12CQPQ7XGZ on 2007-03-23
  Setup is super easy. its a small attractive receiver, i was expecting it to be bigger. i can walk into another room and not get any loss or quality. (i was expecting choppy sounds like driving with a cell phone).
  
  I did not get this for the 360, i got it for my pc. so very pleased with device. very comfy.... almost makes love to your ear!!!!
  
  best part is its intuitive to use... u can LOOK at the buttons once, and navigate while in your ear with any problems... unless your fingers are like cucumbers.
  
  dont hesitate!
  
  
• Works amazingly well
  By A3DCAAXUX98D7A on 2007-05-09
  Very easy to use and a very reasonable price make this a no brainer for anyone that already has an Xbox 360 Wireless Controller.
  
  

• PC Gamer (1-year)
• Games for Windows: The Official Magazine

• Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless Controller for Windows
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