Xbox controller feels hefty, not bad, but big. I'm sure I would get used to it. The joysticks have good feel and play but the d-pad is wierd. It's slick and has no edges, just little waves making it easy for your fingers to slip right off.
The buttons on the xbox do not have a flat top to them like buttons from every other console. Instead they are rounded-half-disolved jolly ranchers covered in laquer. They have no tactile feel like the little bumps on the DC controller buttons. Their placement is nice though. It looks like the buttons are over-designed as if the controller was re-vamped by the marketing team.
The center piece on the XBox controller isn't that cool green gem like they show in all of the adverts. It is a clear piece of plastic covering a circular printout of the xbox logo. Drop the controller and it looks like it will pop out. CHEAP!
I like the MadCatz Dreampad for the sega Dreamcast. it is a little big for some but the buttons and joystick are the best. The analog stick has a rubber coating and the buttons (on the translucent models, not the white models) feel great. The D-Pad sucks rocks. Don't try Space Chanel 5 or a 2D fighting game with it. Instead, swap it out for a Saturn D pad and be in controller nirvana.
(Edited by Kamalot at 2:45 pm on Oct. 23, 2001)