Ask any gamer what the most botched up game-related event of 2001 was, and we think the majority will agree that Microsoft's 12-ounce-hamburger-of-a-controller hogged most of the unwanted spotlight. MS stated on many occasions that they had conducted extensive research, with the help of game-testers (or controller-testers in this case), to insure a grade-A controller would be developed. Well, when this so-called grade-A controller was revealed to the public, the gaming community wanted to know whom these "testers" were, and where they lived. In short, the Xbox pad was less then stellar.

If you're one of the countless Xbox owners who suffer from severe cramps or accidental button pushing while enjoying long hours of play with Halo or Dead or Alive 3 - don't worry, there's a cure for you. Released last month to the Japanese public, and slowly making its way into finer game store everywhere, the import Xbox controller is everything the domestic version should have been. Almost everything anyway.

The most immediate difference between the two pads is noticeable in seconds. Upon gripping the handles you'll be pleasantly surprised to find your hands wrap around the controller quite comfortably, much like the Gamecube pad. Unlike the domestic version, which had our fingers spread out in an unconventional manner, this new mold will greatly reduce finger cramps during lengthy game sessions. This downsizing has also pushed the analog sticks closer together, which gives them a much more fluid and nimble feeling, say, while taking your marine through a viscous killing spree.

Buttons are important too, and the import version almost got everything right in this critical department. The face buttons, (respectively X, Y, A, and B) have all been spaced apart just enough to deter players from consistently hitting the wrong buttons. Not only have the buttons been moved, they've also been flattened, which is a minor adjustment that becomes more appreciable in time. We found playing Dead or Alive 3 to be a much more delightful experience when not fumbling around with the oval buttons of the domestic controller.

The only hitch we found that baffled us was the alterations to the black and white buttons. As most know these two buttons are smaller, located on the top-right portion of the pad, and due to the roundness of the controller, make for a tough out-of-reach area. This is still a dilemma concerning the import pad, only now the two bastardized buttons have been shifted towards the bottom right of the controller. This makes them just as inaccessible, if not more so then the domestic version. Example: In Dead or Alive 3 the white button acts as a combination for kick and punch resulting in a powerful attack. Thanks to the odd positioning of this button, it becomes almost impossible to get used to reaching down so low on the pad to press it. As if this wasn't bad enough, both buttons have been flattened to the point of being embedded into the controller. However, it should be noted that the smoothness of the X,Y,A, and B buttons allow for two buttons to be hit simultaneously with an ease that eludes the domestic version.

Last, but certainly not least (especially for fighting fans), we have the directional pad. The D-pad on the domestic controller wasn't by any means poor, in fact it worked well with Dead or Alive 3, yet still had some minor issues. Most significantly the lack of straightforward cross, a problem that is well in hand concerning the import controller. Busting out moves in Dead or Alive 3 is dramatically easier compared to the domestic version, which, on too many occasions, faltered during long combos.

If you haven't got the message by now, we're thrilled with the import Xbox controller, and we know you will be too. It's a shame Microsoft screwed up on what is arguably the single most important aspect of a videogame system. We propose the idea that you all send your Xbox controllers to Microsoft demanding a trade-in for the sleeker, sexier, and more comfortable Japanese counterpart. You'll thank us.

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··· Bebo Plover