My dog Voltaire chewed my white Xbox 360 controller up a bit. It wasn’t unbearable, and you could still use the controller just fine, but I stumbled upon a good price for a replacement casing at Deal Extreme. I always wanted a black controller (I think they look better) but I didn’t want to shell out $40 for something I didn’t need. $6 is much more reasonable. So I ordered it, and waited 20 days (it ships from china). The quality seems really good, not perfect though. Some of the triggers wobble a bit, but not enough that it really bothers me. Here is how the replacement process went:

First I noticed that I didn’t have the right size of tor x tip screwdriver. After trial and error, a torx security T9 bit fits perfectly. Some websites say use a T8, but that leaves too much wiggle room, and you will eventually strip the screw after repeated use. Also, you will need a long stemmed driver, as some of the screws are set deep within the plastic. All said, you will only need two tools: The T9 security torx, and a small philips screwdriver. What I used is pictured to the right.

I also recommend following a guide. Sure, it’s super fun figuring it out on your own, but it’s not worth the risk of breaking something so expensive. I found a very handy video tutorial in 3 parts on youtube that saved me time and broken parts.

Without further ado, here is the process and results:

Before and after

Old and new casing:

Circuit board front and back without casing:

Finally, a working controller with comparison to my other white working controller.

All said and done, it was worth it. It took me roughly an hour to an hour and a half after I had all the tools bought. The only problem I have with the new black case is that the B button is compressed a little too much (it’s too easy to press). I can fix this by taking it apart again and messing with it a bit. I did have a couple problems in the process. The first thing was taking the case off. I though I had removed all of the screws (the 6 viewable ones on the back) but it turns out that there is one more under the battery casing, and under the warranty sticker. This can be avoided by using that youtube video guide linked above. The triggers were a little difficult to replace, but if you follow the guide you should be fine. Lastly, I had a really difficult time getting the screws into the new casing because I was being idiotic. I didn’t realize that the new case didn’t have the holes tapped (pre-threaded) for the screws to go in, so when I tightened them down, they just pushed the case apart. This is easy to get around by force threading the screws into the holes of the new case before you try to reassemble the whole thing.

I’m pleased with this purchase. I was kind of worried about getting it from china at first, but the parts appear to be a genuine Microsoft mold. I also had the added benefit of finding out how worn out the previous joysticks were. There’s nothing like the fresh grip of a new joystick under thumb! Haha.