New Xbox 360 controller (with a twist) coming November 9th

The Xbox 360 controller is getting a slight tweak – emphasis on the “tweak”. The new wireless controller, pictured above, may look quite similar to the current version, but it comes with a couple of noteworthy, not-immediately-obvious improvements.

For starters, it’s now matte silver (rather than white) with gray-toned face buttons, a more suitable color scheme for the Xbox 360 S. It also has a more concave shape and will only be available with the Play & Charge Kit when it debuts.

Perhaps the most significant change, however, concerns the D-pad. For too long the D-pad on the 360 pad has been a squishy and inaccurate nightmare, but this new “transforming” D-pad can change from a cushiony disc to a more “clicky” plus sign that’s ideal for, say, fighting games; best of all, it can be altered with a simple clockwise twist.

Or, as Microsoft states in its press release:

“Select the traditional plus for distinct cardinal direction movement in games like Halo: Reach to change weapons and perform complicated combinations and deadly finishing moves in Street Fighter games, or rotate the D-pad to the disc format for sweeping motions in games such as Pro Evolution Soccer 2011.”

The controller (with Play & Charge kit, remember) will launch on November 9th for $64.99. Here’s a video of Xbox.com’s Larry Hyrb repeating everything I just wrote:

[Via press release]