360 controllers are fragile

[C-Kwik]

I now have 4 of 5 that have some problem or other.

Two have a bad right shoulder button (It can work, but requires a lot of pressure and/or manipulation of the button), one has a mic connection that doesn't work, and the last has a left thumbstick that won't register the full forward position completely (Master Chief walks slower than normal). This problem with controllers pissed me off last night when I had to try and play with a busted shoulder button (couldn't pick up weapons quickly). To be fair, this problem occurred after I dropped the controller on accident, but none of my old xbox controllers ever had any problems (short of some poor quality wireless controllers that I tried) even after dropping those many times.

In any case, I just had to vent. I'll be opening these puppies up and seeing if they are repairable. I suppose I should be able to at least put together a couple of working controllers using the others. My hope is that I'll be able to repair all 4. Not that I need that many, but always nice to have extras and spares.

[LongBeachCoupe]

on live i hear people complaining about the halo controllers response...find me on live.. tag: homicide

[Nismo ZJ]

Really, do you beat the hell out of your controllers? The only thing wrong with mine is that UP on the D-pad requires a little extra force.

[C-Kwik]

Actually, aside from the one dropped controller, no. I generally take great care of my stuff. I did end up taking apart the controllers last night. The one I dropped had a damaged shoulder button. The actual button you press presses on a smaller button on the circuit board. This little button was looser than the other side. It must have broek it inside a bit. It still works, but requires that it is pressed in further than normal. I shaved some of the outer button to allow more movement and it works, but since it requires a longer pull, it feels like it responds slightly slower. It's also a bit vague in feel as I don't always feel the click of the button.

I pulled apart the other controller with the busted shoulder button, and the one with the bad left thumbstick. Nothing apparent that seems to be causing either problem. I switched the shoulder button bezel between the 2 and now the shoulder buttons on both work fine. So I got one completely good controller out of it and one with a bad left thumbstick.

The one with the bad mic connection suddenly appears to be working now. It actually worked on my 360, so I had my GF try it on hers again, and it made a funny buzzing noise. I disconnected the mic jack and reconnected it and it worked fine. Hopefully it stays that way. in any case, it appears I have at least 3 working controllers and 2 with minor flaws.