Gamepad for fighting/action games: PS2 vs X360

[TooNice]

Well, I've been happily using my Sidewinder for a while. It's a very good gamepad, one that I've praised. But while trying some fighting games, I find the D-Pad to not work as well as I want. Maybe it is because the whole thing is circular, or maybe because you don't have to press very hard, but I sometime find myself pressing down back instead of back for instance. And the lack of analogue input makes it unsuitable for Devil May Cry 3 SE it seems (D-Pad changes the camera angle, but I have no way to move without using the keyboard).

The XBox360 seems to be getting a fair share of praises where I've looked. I have small hands and original XBox gamepad was definitely not for me. How does the XBox360 controller compare to the 'S' version of the XBox controller? And how well the D-Pad works for fighting games? I do like the fact that it is PC compatible out of the box.

The PS2 controller is pretty tried and tested. Though it means that I would need to get some kind of adapter. Are they reliable (never tried them), and can anyone recommend a specific one?

I think that the XBox360 controller cost about the same as the PS2 controller + adapter, so it pretty much comes down to functionality.

Thanks.

[SmileyUK]

the dpad on the 360 pad isnt too great for fighting games, the little circle round the outside is a bit tight. You can take it apart and with some fine sandpaper you can take a small part of the ring away leaving it as a very good dpad. But thats a bit much work eh