I don’t have a lot of time to game. I want to make what time I do have as “productive” as possible. Part of that is using an interface that works for me.
I love my PS3, but I’m not crazy about the controller. I’m not saying the PS3 controller is horrible, it isn’t, but I prefer the Xbox 360 controller. It’s bigger so it feels better in my hand. I also prefer the button placement, especially for shooters. Again, I don’t think the PS3 controller is horrible, and I still use it now and then.
One day I was playing a game and the thought came to me “I wonder if somebody figured out how to use an Xbox 360 controller with a PS3.” After a visit to Google I found the XCM Cross Battle Adapter series. There are a couple of versions. The Cross Battle Adapter Plus supports rumble and rapid fire (as if anybody uses this anymore). The newer Cross Battle Adapter 2.0 supports rumble, button remapping, and the sixaxis function.
Perfect, I thought, I’ll grab one and see how it works. Then I found the U.S. prices to be a little, uh, pricey. The plus averaged around $60, and the 2.0 $80. Factor in the price of a Xbox 360 wired controller (these devices only work with wired controllers), and suddenly I’m spending upwards of $100. I still had my doubts about how well it would work so I definitely wasn’t ready to spend 100 bucks on an experiment. Fortunately, there’s a Hong Kong Company, Renchi, that was selling the Plus for $20. The shipping was only $5, and it took about 10 days to get to my house.
The verdict? Awesome. No discernible lag and everything works as it should. Even the Xbox Guide button functions as the PS button, and lights up depending on which control you’re syncing. Every shooter I tried, including Modern Warfare, Modern Warfare 2, Battlefield: Bad Company, and Call of Duty World at War worked great. The bottom line is the XCM Cross Battle Adapter is a great product, and more then worth the $20 I found it for. If you’re a Playstation 3 owner, but prefer the Xbox 360 controller, it’s exactly what you’re looking for.
