September 11^th, 2002 (12:00am) - Microsoft will not be releasing Controller S, the new, smaller and arguably improved Xbox pad, in Europe at any point in the near future, according to a spokesman for the company who confirmed that there are no plans for a European release.

The company quoted a lack of interest on the part of European consumers as the reason for the decision not to launch the pad in this territory. "Our research has found that people like the standard Xbox controller in Europe, so at this time we are not planning to offer an alternative", UK Xbox PR manager Nick Grange told EuroGamer.net.

Despite the company’s market research, however, Microsoft has not entirely ruled out a release for the controller in Europe. "If it becomes clear that the same preferences for a smaller controller as in the US are seen in Europe, then we will look to meet that need", according to Grange. Why exactly the company is not prepared to simply offer consumers the choice, as it did in the USA, is somewhat unclear.

Controller S has been highly successful in the US, where it was released in response to criticism of the original bulky design. It is based on the smaller Japanese pad, which many reviewers felt was a better design than the North American and European pad in the first place, and features a new button layout and a vastly improved D-Pad design.