While console gamers are synonymous with very strong opinions in regards to their console of choice, one sentiment remains unanimous among the majority - the XBox 360 controller is the superior controller on all of the systems. Many a gamer have wished they could use their 360 controller on their PS3. Introducing the XCM Cross Battle Adapter, an accessory that lets you do just that. The good news is, it works, and it works extremely well.
The XCM Cross Battle Adapter is Plug-N-Play. Literally take it out of the box, plug it into your PS3, plug your wired 360 controller into the adapter, and that is all you need to do. Once I started up my PS3, it recognized the Cross Battle adapter right away. I immediately was navigating the XMB with no issues at all. You can take the time to read the instruction manual the adapter comes with if you like, but no need, it says exactly what I just said above, and takes even longer to do so.
Once I saw I could navigate the XMB, it was onto the games. Minus one issue I will outline below, I had success with every game I tried out.
Games Tested
- Wipeout HD - Sure enough, the very first game I tried is the one and only game I had issue with. I chose to try Wipeout first as it is an extremely precise game. I wanted to see if the analog sticks had any issues with responsiveness, as if there is one thing I feel the PS3 controller does right, that is the sensitivity and handling of the analog sticks. I am happy to say the analog sticks felt responsive and downright good. I even switched to the D-Pad just to check it out, and that also felt fine, although again, if using a D-Pad, I have no issues with and actually prefer the D-Pad of the PS3 controller itself.
The one and only issue I had was out of nowhere the controller stopped working completely. I was actually in the options menu just seeing if I could customize the buttons themselves (which I indeed could do). I thought perhaps the entire system had frozen, but I fired up my official PS3 wireless as controller two, and I could once again navigate the game. I exited the game, went to the XMB, and the Cross Battle still was not working. I had to restart the system itself. Once I did that, the controller worked again. I thought I was in for a very long night of issues, but I was never able to replicate the controller not working again, even when I went straight back into the customize controller settings in Wipeout. As such, I am writing the issue off as a small fluke, as I never did see it again.
- Pixel Junk Eden - Another game that requires a good amount of precision, the controller worked, and it worked great. No issues at all. Felt natural, and not awkward at all. Then again, Eden hardly uses any buttons on the controller, so it makes complete sense it would feel fine.
- Little Big Planet - Although LBP"s gameplay is simple at heart, anyone who has played it knows that timing is everything in the game itself. One false move, one missed jump, and it is back to the check point. I was really expecting to perhaps feel some sort of unresponsiveness, but I am extremely happy to report there was none at all. Again, the controller responded great, and felt amazing. Naturally it took a bit of getting used to using the R1 button on the 360 controller in order to grab onto items as I had grown accustom to using the PS3 controller to do so, however considering I use the 360 controller so much, it was only a minute tops of getting used to doing so.
- Resistance 2: Fall Of Man - Finally, the real reason why many people even want to use the 360 controller on the PS3, a First Person Shooter. Needless to say, this one example exemplifies why the XCM Cross Battle exists.
I cannot stress how great it felt to play a shooter using the 360 controller. As many who have already used the 360 controller for FPS"s already know, it just feels oh so right. I happen to map my controls for Resistance 2 on the PS3 to mimic the controls found in the Call of Duty series on the 360, even with the regular PS3 controller. Finally being able to use those same controls on Resistance 2 with the 360 controller truly was a perfect match.
The thing is, Resistance 2 lets you customize the controller to your hearts content. Not all shooters do this on the PS3 unfortunately, as many developers know the shortcomings of the PS3 controller for FPS"s and choose to map the buttons accordingly to make up for them.
Cons
- Only works with wired 360 controllers. If they could somehow get it working on the wireless 360 controller, they would truly have a massive hit on their hands.
- Does not support rumble.
- Does not support Six-Axis, however considering the games that incorporate it as a gameplay mechanic, this may not be such a bad thing.
- The ring on the 360 controller never stops blinking and spinning, but that is only a minor annoyance.
- You are at the mercy of the developer, meaning if a game does not let you customize it"s control scheme, you may be stuck using the trigger as the alternate functionality instead of the primary one.
- Contains the option to make individual buttons have a Turbo functionality. Last time I checked, it was not the 90"s. The adapter has an extra bulk that I personally feel is unnecessary as I cannot find a single positive use for "Turbo" when it comes to playing games made in the past 10 years. Perhaps it is useful addition for remakes of classics, and possibly one or two very choice new games, but Turbo is indeed so old school it should have never made the cut in my humble opinion.
Pros
- It works, and it works extremely well.
- Truly Plug-N-Play
- Finally play FPS"s on the PS3 with the superior controller layout for the genre
Overall, I am extremely pleased with the XCM Cross Battle adapter, and I believe anyone who plans on purchasing one will be as well, especially if you have longed for the day to play the PS3 with a 360 controller.
I have found them going for anywhere from $39.99 to $49.99 on a few various websites, which is indeed a bit pricey, but to some, the option to use the 360 controller on a PS3 has no price. I definitely recommend to anyone interested to shop around before buying one, and if you are still on the fence about doing so, waiting for the price to drop to $29.99, which I believe is indeed the suggested retail price.