If there's one thing that I've noticed throughout my days of owning games consoles it's that the controllers seem to get more and more comfortable and ergonomic every time a new platform is released. The Xbox 360 is no exception. After long sessions with the new controllers it's hard to go back and even the great 'S' Xbox controller has managed to feel a bit clunky and un-shapely. The chances are that sooner or later, you're going to need a second, third or fourth controller and luckily there are plenty of third party companies out there that offer some cheaper alternatives to the official gear.

The 3RD Earth Xbox 360 controller features all the standard offerings you would expect. It's roughly the same shape, size and only feels slightly heavier than the original Microsoft controller. It has a 3 metre cable so you can sit right back while you game, it has vibration and the cool Xbox Guide button but also has a couple of small differences. On the left and right sides of the controller are small rubber panels to help your grip and while subtle, they actually do help and are a worthwhile addition. Another difference is that the 'Back' and 'Start' buttons are placed in the middle of the controller under the Guide button instead of either side and this made the Start button slightly more comfortable as it felt more natural for me to drop my left thumb down to it rather than using raising my right thumb up to it.

Being an after market controller, and cheaper, one has to expect a few differences in the build quality and quite frankly, there really aren't any. In terms of overall build it's a great controller but there are a couple of concessions to be made and with third party controllers there usually are. The Xbox Guide button doesn't light up from within as per the original controllers, but of course still features the 'Ring of Light' to let you know which number controller you have. You would have to be pretty fussy to condemn a controller based on this alone but there were just 3 more issues that we encountered while playing a couple of games.

The first thing I noticed is that the Left and Right analogue sticks are just a fraction longer than on the Microsoft controller and while this doesn't sound like much, it does give the controller an undeserved feel of not being as accurate because it feels like you have to move the stick just that tiny bit more to get the same response you would normally expect. The difference is barely visible when you compare it side by side with an official controller but it is there, and you do feel it. Ok, more so in some games more than others but it would be remiss of me not to mention it.

The second issue is the Left and Right buttons on top of the triggers. They don't have that positive 'click' when you press them but they do respond on screen just fine, and an upside of that could be that it's just a quieter controller to use and therefore not a negative at all. The last thing to mention is the D-Pad. As far as third party controllers go, it's not bad, but it's definitely looser than the official controller and even wiggled a bit from side to side. Time will tell how it performs when D-Pad mash fests such as Street Fighter II hit the Live Arcade but for navigating menus which will generally account for %95 of its usage it's more than up to the task.