Xbox 360 Wireless Controller with Play and Charge Kit - Silver (Xbox 360)

This is a top controller, would definitely recommend.

The D-Pad works well and does give more confidence when in frantic situations when you need to rely on pushing the right direction. The thumb sticks slightly new top feels really comfortable but does take a bit of getting used to.

I really like the A,X,Y,B buttons' new colours, but that could cause issue for new starters getting used to which button is which.

The only niggles I have with it are that the battery pack which is included is black, and against the silver shell, it does look slightly odd (even with the black details on the actual controller). It would've also been nice if the start and back buttons were silver/black too, and not a plasticy light grey.

Overall I'd give this controller 9.5/10, purely because of the 2 cosmetic issues I mentioned.

Well, as close as it can be. This controller is a huge improvement over the old controllers which were already great. Everything that Microsoft has changed has improved the feel, look and ease of use of this controller with one exception (ABXY for new players) compared to my old red & black controller. I think that is excellent value as you get the Play & Charge kit with it and it doesn't cost a penny more than a new black controller.

The 'real' changes:
The biggest change is obviously the new D-Pad and I think that this is an excellent additional feature to an already great controller. I have played on games that I use the D-Pad to play an I honestly think that I have improved slightly at the game due to being able more easily press the directions and not accidentally press the wrong direction as easily. Even when playing CoD I use the new feature because it is just all round better when selecting kill streaks etc. if you don't need to select a mid-point between the directions like on a game such as Marvel vs. Capcom 3. I find the D-Pad easy to change from one setting to another and could easily be done during a hectic game of CoD.
Another improvement in my opinion is the new thumbsticks. I think that the new design allow you to grip them better and have a better contact with the controller. I also believe that the new thumbsticks are easier to move around which gives them a better feel. Although I have heard complaints about the new thumbsticks so they might not be for you.
A final slight improvement that you will notice if you have an old controller in one hand and this in you other is the texture of the controller. i think that this controller feels smoother and also doesn't feel cold when I first pick it up which may not be much of a problem for most people but I don't really play well when the controller is cold for some reason.

Good changes to appearance:
I think that the new Silver, grey and black look of the controller has been very well done and looks pretty damn good.
I am in two mind about the XBXY buttons as I am not sure about them being different shades of grey. I cannot decide whether they would look better and easier to use for new players in the original colours. I think that I am going to take my bust controller apart and put the ABXY buttons for that on this controller. I will leave a comment stating which I prefer.
The battery pack looks good being black in my opinion as it stops the controller looking plain although I think that some people would have preferred a silver one (which I'm not sure they could have done due to the slight heat that is generated from the battery pack). The shinny black top, bottom, bumpers and triggers looks amazing and suits the controller very well just as it does on my old red & black controller as it stops the controller for looking plain like a normal black or white one.
The Xbox button now has a chrome finish which only adds to how good this controller looks (NEW black controllers also have this).
The whole cable for the Play & Charge kit is black which makes it suit the controller better and is of very good quality just like most of Microsoft's Xbox 360 accessories are.

Bad changes:
I can only think of one extremely insignificant aspect of this controller which is that the back and start buttons are a shade of grey that doesn't really fit in with the rest as I think they were meant to fit in with the sliver but they are too dark. I would defiantly prefer these to be black or chrome. I will probably replace these with some others to satisfy my obsession of everything looking perfect. For some people this might not even be a bad feature so if it's not then there is absolutely nothing wrong with this controller.

I would highly recommended this controller to anyone that is used to the layout of the buttons and doesn't have to look of the ABXY buttons on the controller and would still recommend it to a new player as they can always look at the letters on the buttons to learn which button is which. I would not tell people to buy this if they have a perfectly working controller if they don't have much money to spare but for anyone else I would say BUY IT!!!

Sorry for the lengthy review but I just wanted tell you all of the new features and what I think of them.

...and i DO love to nitpick, there would be a couple of things to say about this piece of kit. let's begin with stating the obvious - it's great. it's an evolution of a controller i find as close to perfection, as it gets right now. but i does not mean i like every single thing about it.
-included battery pack is useless if you're into serious gaming. i've been using sanyo eneloops for years in almost every battery powered gadget i own, and it's fortunately an option. i wish i could buy the standalone controller without battery pack and cables. i won't be using them anyway
-i'm not sure how durable will the silver coating be. the red, limited edition controllers had the tendency to lose pait with use. only time will tell
-glossy elements. i HATE glossy on my gaming peripherals. i could live with shiny mirror-like guide button and d-pad, but the bottom/back part of the controller is made from completely different kind of plastic than the rest of. it feels different, it gives different friction, it doesn't feel very good. not to mention the "i've just finished a 3 hour long marathon of " look
-lack of colours on the ABXY buttons looks pretty nice, it gives the desaturated, almost noire like feel to the controller, but it might alienate newcomers. many games use color coding during in-game tutorials or/and quick time events. if you're not familiar with xbox360 button layout it might cause you some trouble

otherwise i love it. but in a couple of hours i'm gonna compare it to razer's tournament edition of onza. we will see how it holds up

ps. english is my second language, so please, be tolerant ;)