First off - I had recorded an installation video and taken some pictures of the kit, but my friend can't find the flash drive that he put them on -_- as soon as I find them I'll upload them, for now enjoy the stock photo from the sellers website.
Wireless Controller Full Housing Shell Case for Xbox 360 Black
Contents:
-Front Plate
-Back Plate
-A/B/X/Y/Start/Back/Guide
-Guide LED diffuser
-L/R Trigger
-L/R trigger brackets
-L/R trigger pressure arms
-DPAD front and back pieces
-2x joystick caps
-Charging port frame
-Sync button
-Bottom bezel
-Standard two slot "AA" battery holder
The disassembly is fairly straightforward - Seven T8S screws (screwdriver/bit not included) on the back of the controller, one hiding behind the sticker in the battery compartment. Pull the back plate off, dislodge the rumble motors, then either grab the pcb and try to gently yet firmly pull it out OR turn it over and push it out by the joysticks (prepare for the buttons to scatter over your table). The Dpad is held in by two screws, small philips size. The joystick caps simply pull off, and you can push the new ones back on. The triggers, however, are a little more of a challenge, they require some twisting and coercion with a flathead screwdriver occasionally; just be careful not to break them while removing the old ones or inserting the new ones, as they ARE just plastic.
Some things to note during installation:
-The Sync button is a pain to keep in place. I usually superglue it on to the little post it sits on, and it makes my life a lot easier.
-After doing so, however, during reassembly, you will need to take a tiny flathead screwdriver and keep the top part of the button pushed out of the way, or else the shell will not go back together.
-To this day I do not understand why the trigger brackets and pressure arms are included. Replacing those requires desoldering the pots that the triggers are attached to, replacing the items, then resoldering the pots. Most controllers have black frames and arms or opaque uncolored plastic ones, and neither will be seen on the opaque controller housings. I suppose it is useful if you break the trigger bracket during disassembly, but be prepared for a project. It is highly unlikely you will break the pressure arms.
-The light diffuser seems to not do as good of a job as keeping all 4 LEDs separated, however the OEM one does not fit properly.
-The included guide button is translucent green plastic. The official ones are either translucent green plastic with the guide design inked on, or translucent green plastic with a brushed metal cap that has the guide design in it, depending on how old the controller is. Both do fit in the light diffuser, however the one with the metal cap will need the edge of the cap filed down to fit properly. I much prefer having the guide design there, but to each his own.
-There seem to be some rough spots in the plastic in the top half of the controller housing near the L/R bumpers which make them very rough when pressed. You can grind these spots down with a knife or something and it goes away.
-The L bumper is quite squishy, yet still fully functional (no click to it now). I have yet to figure out what causes this, but I am still looking. (semi-related - L bumper is my clutch button in Forza 4/Forza Horizon, and having it squishy is actually REALLY nice for that, it's very sensitive. I can't say the same for all other games though)
Overall, I like this. I've since ordered a few more and put them on my other controllers, and they're all pretty nice. The bottom bezel doesn't always sit as flush as the OEM one but it's not enough to bother me. My biggest annoyances are the rough spots catching on the bumpers and the L bumper being squishy. Otherwise, very solid. The joystick caps feel OEM quality, everything else is just plastic, and there's not too much room for error there. Buttons are good, triggers, are good, housing is good.
Edit - Also note, screws are not included, for the housing or the dpad. You will need your original screws.
Edit 2 - This just in, a friend tells me that he has never had to desolder the pots to replace the brackets and pressure arms, and that I am, in fact, just an idiot. While that may in fact be true, I still do not see the need for them, but it's always good to have in case you break them during installation.
Edit 3 - I can't believe I forgot this, it's perhaps the biggest flaw with the item, yet I am going to keep the score the same because that did take it into account, I just forgot to write it. The screw posts for the top half of the controller housing are drilled, but they are not drilled wide enough. I take a dremel and drill them out a little. The screws do still do in if you don't drill them out, but they stress the plastic and I am always afraid of it cracking. However, from drilling it out yourself, you run the risk of drilling it off center and screwing up the post.
Overall, I'd give it an 8.5/10 after taking into account those three small flaws.
Wireless Controller Full Housing Shell Case for Xbox 360 Black at Tmart.com - $7.80 USD
Wireless Controller Full Housing Shell Case for Xbox 360 Black
Contents:
-Front Plate
-Back Plate
-A/B/X/Y/Start/Back/Guide
-Guide LED diffuser
-L/R Trigger
-L/R trigger brackets
-L/R trigger pressure arms
-DPAD front and back pieces
-2x joystick caps
-Charging port frame
-Sync button
-Bottom bezel
-Standard two slot "AA" battery holder
The disassembly is fairly straightforward - Seven T8S screws (screwdriver/bit not included) on the back of the controller, one hiding behind the sticker in the battery compartment. Pull the back plate off, dislodge the rumble motors, then either grab the pcb and try to gently yet firmly pull it out OR turn it over and push it out by the joysticks (prepare for the buttons to scatter over your table). The Dpad is held in by two screws, small philips size. The joystick caps simply pull off, and you can push the new ones back on. The triggers, however, are a little more of a challenge, they require some twisting and coercion with a flathead screwdriver occasionally; just be careful not to break them while removing the old ones or inserting the new ones, as they ARE just plastic.
Some things to note during installation:
-The Sync button is a pain to keep in place. I usually superglue it on to the little post it sits on, and it makes my life a lot easier.
-After doing so, however, during reassembly, you will need to take a tiny flathead screwdriver and keep the top part of the button pushed out of the way, or else the shell will not go back together.
-To this day I do not understand why the trigger brackets and pressure arms are included. Replacing those requires desoldering the pots that the triggers are attached to, replacing the items, then resoldering the pots. Most controllers have black frames and arms or opaque uncolored plastic ones, and neither will be seen on the opaque controller housings. I suppose it is useful if you break the trigger bracket during disassembly, but be prepared for a project. It is highly unlikely you will break the pressure arms.
-The light diffuser seems to not do as good of a job as keeping all 4 LEDs separated, however the OEM one does not fit properly.
-The included guide button is translucent green plastic. The official ones are either translucent green plastic with the guide design inked on, or translucent green plastic with a brushed metal cap that has the guide design in it, depending on how old the controller is. Both do fit in the light diffuser, however the one with the metal cap will need the edge of the cap filed down to fit properly. I much prefer having the guide design there, but to each his own.
-There seem to be some rough spots in the plastic in the top half of the controller housing near the L/R bumpers which make them very rough when pressed. You can grind these spots down with a knife or something and it goes away.
-The L bumper is quite squishy, yet still fully functional (no click to it now). I have yet to figure out what causes this, but I am still looking. (semi-related - L bumper is my clutch button in Forza 4/Forza Horizon, and having it squishy is actually REALLY nice for that, it's very sensitive. I can't say the same for all other games though)
Overall, I like this. I've since ordered a few more and put them on my other controllers, and they're all pretty nice. The bottom bezel doesn't always sit as flush as the OEM one but it's not enough to bother me. My biggest annoyances are the rough spots catching on the bumpers and the L bumper being squishy. Otherwise, very solid. The joystick caps feel OEM quality, everything else is just plastic, and there's not too much room for error there. Buttons are good, triggers, are good, housing is good.
Edit - Also note, screws are not included, for the housing or the dpad. You will need your original screws.
Edit 2 - This just in, a friend tells me that he has never had to desolder the pots to replace the brackets and pressure arms, and that I am, in fact, just an idiot. While that may in fact be true, I still do not see the need for them, but it's always good to have in case you break them during installation.
Edit 3 - I can't believe I forgot this, it's perhaps the biggest flaw with the item, yet I am going to keep the score the same because that did take it into account, I just forgot to write it. The screw posts for the top half of the controller housing are drilled, but they are not drilled wide enough. I take a dremel and drill them out a little. The screws do still do in if you don't drill them out, but they stress the plastic and I am always afraid of it cracking. However, from drilling it out yourself, you run the risk of drilling it off center and screwing up the post.
Overall, I'd give it an 8.5/10 after taking into account those three small flaws.
Wireless Controller Full Housing Shell Case for Xbox 360 Black at Tmart.com - $7.80 USD
