Controller compatibility between XBox360 and Windows XP

I had previously seen some announcement saying MS was going to make the XBox360 controllers compatible with Windows XP via USB.

You can now download the XInput driver Microsoft created to enable this feature.

The Microsoft Common Controller Driver is a new game input standard that is used for both the Xbox360 console and for Windows XP SP1 and above. The Xbox360 controller or any controllers that utilize this standard will enable the device to be used on Windows also. This Redistributable Package includes the driver for hardware vendors to redistribute with their hardware. For the most current APIs of the Microsoft Common Controller, please download the latest DX SDK. These APIs are called Xinput APIs.