xbox 360 new wireless controller pic 1

One of the biggest problems any intense Xbox 360 gamer could tell you is that the D-Pad (aka the directional pad, or the pad below the left analog stick and directly to the left of the right analog stick), was pretty bad– as in hard to press and really annoying to use in intense games like Call of Duty or Halo. Don’t worry hard-core gamers– Microsoft has heard your cries and have today announced a revamped controller with a pretty cool new D-Pad just in time for you to pick up Call of Duty: Black Ops.

xbox 360 new dpad

The new D-Pad

What’s so cool you ask? Well, this new D-Pad has a “trick” where you can literally turn the D-Pad from the traditional flat self (pic above on left) to a more tactile, raised, easier to use keypad with just a simple turn of the pad (as seen in the pic above on the right). This new controller will be available November 9th (the same day as Black Ops coincidentally) as part of a revamped $64.99 Play and Charge kit (which comes with the traditional rechargeable battery and USB cable to charge the controller while you play).

It definitely looks cool, but as a heavy 360 gamer myself, I have no plans to spend the $65 and haven’t really found the current controller’s D-Pad to be so bad that I’d need to get this. But that’s just me, anyone out there real excited for this or are you fine with the current controller and gonna put that money on something else like, say, Kinect?

Full intro video by Xbox’s Major Nelson after the break.