A major selling-point to me was the decreased size of the controller; I found it to be a bit more comfortable to hold and play with for extended periods of time. My hands aren't tiny, mind you; nor are they fatigued by long hours of gaming, but the difference was noted. Ergonomics-wise, the Mini Pro is shaped nicely; it doesn't feel alien in the slightest and I didn't spend much time having to get used to the thing. Comparing it to Microsoft's default game pad, the EX is much slimmer and thus isn't as taxing to grip. In terms of length they're nearly identical, and the same goes for weight -the device has a pleasantly solid feel to it.
Getting to the important bits: the analogue sticks are excellent. They're tight, responsive and produce a satisfying click when pushed in. The same can't be said for the digital pad, unfortunately; while precise enough for switching between items or various other simple functions like menu navigation, I can't recommend it for fighting games.
Moving onward: the face buttons work well but lack tactility; they sink in without either resounding audio cues or physical ones. They're not bad, but they're not particularly good either. The left and right bumpers are the exact opposite, having a nice give to them and responding with a little click. The triggers are a bit weird for me, however: the left is perfectly fine and sinks-in without issue; but, the right has a bit of the before mentioned mushiness to it. It in isn't a fluid motion, and the difference between its counterpart can be distracting. Despite this the trigger still functions, but at the cost of sometimes breaking immersion for me.
Lastly, there's a button on the back of the controller that makes the face-buttons and bumpers glow, for whatever that's worth. There's also a slot for the 360's headset, and the 10-foot cord has a break-away portion to it in case its tripped over.
If anything takes a turn for the worse, I'll be sure to update the review. As it stands, the Power A Mini Pro EX is a less chunky alternative to Microsoft's own wired controller and a less expensive one to the wireless variety. Is it better than those two? No, but Power A has closed the gap between first-party and third-party controllers, at least a little, and that's much more than what I had anticipated.
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I don't really have much to write but I like this controller enough to write a review on it. I have Cerebral Palsy and have found that the normal Xbox360 is just too big for me to manage. The PS3 is just about right. After looking online for a long time for an adapter I happened to be browsing Best Buy when I saw this stick. I noticed it was a bit smaller than a regular controller so I picked it up and after an hour of use easily decided I had no intention of returning it even for the smaller price difference between amazon and bestbuy(it's maybe $2). Literally it's like you're getting the best of both world. Better ergonomics of the PS3 with the button layout of the xbox360. I know I probably should have known but I was amazed to find this stick works seamlessly with windows 7. I bounce back and forth between my Xbox and my PC so this works great for that. Nearly every game I've tried on Pc already knows the controller and has the button layout the way it should I don't have to remap anything. I would give it a 5 star but it's corded. While the cord is nice and lengthy it's still a cord which is kinda outdated. I have seem reviews saying this gamepad is flimsy I have not experienced this myself but I'm not a button masher.I've had it about 2 months now. Still use it for everything.
Update:It's the end of April 2013. Still chugging along no issues yet over the last year. Ended up buying a $1 extender to give me a 30ft range. Game in bed? yes. Using it to play Duke nukem forever on steam using Big picture mode. Why am I playing this terrible game??? nvm scratch that I'm playing Alan Wake.
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I bought this controller because it's smaller, easier to use, and my hands would not get tired with this controller. However, within a few days the LB button became a bit difficult to use, sometimes it would not work while pressed, sometimes it got "sticky" after I pressed on it. It's not a big deal but after a few months one of the left directional button/axis (not sure which) would get stuck almost all the time, rendering the controller useless.I understand that all controllers break, and 3rd party controllers never last as long as an official Microsoft controller, but I only put on an average of 1 or 2 hours per week playing games on my Xbox 360 using this controller, and most of the time I use my Xbox 360 to watch movies/shows etc. A few months of light usage was not really what I had in mind when I made the purchase. With that said, this controller was really much easier on my hands. I liked it while it lasted.
Honest reviews on Xbox 360 Mini Pro EX Controller (Wired) - Smoke
I made this purchase for my 5 year old son. The OEM controllers are a little big for his hands, which puts him at a disadvantage when playing against his brother and sisters. This controller is smaller in size and provides a great fit for his smaller hands. The controller has internal lights and thats plus for my 5 year old.UPDATE: (First review was 4 stars) Controller is DEAD. The right trigger button stopped working and would fire itself when not pressed. The next day all buttons ceased to operate. My guess is there is a short in the cord. Controller lasted 3 months with weekend play only.
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Without question one of the most comfortable controllers I've had, sadly, if you're a pretty advanced FPS gamer like COD or Halo, it has serious fine control issues with the analog sticks.The range of control, even at sensitivity 1, pretty much goes from nothing, to 75%, to Full. There is almost no control for slight analog movements while aiming.
Other than that, it's great.
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