I've configured a pad under DirectInput. You know what I like about 360 pad support? I don't have to configure a god damned thing. If I get a console game ported to my PC, which is the time I am most likely to ever use a pad, I can turn on my 360 controller and it will feel EXACTLY the same.
What are we talking about here, button mapping? That's not really anything to do with whether the device is implementing DirectInput or Xinput.
This is a better end user experience.
I'll grant that "good end user experience", as it is typically used, DOES encompass "breaks all your shit and makes you buy new shit." Personally I believe the experience of continuing to use the perfectly good shit I've already bought is superior.
This may seem hypocritical coming from someone who routinely rails against luser logic like "I'm not going to upgrade my IE6, it works fine for me", but the difference is that the IE6 example is a case of an ignorant user who simply doesn't know the myriad of things wrong with his product, while the Cordless Rumblepad 2 situation is one where there really IS absolutely not a thing wrong with my controller and hell no I'm not going to spend $40 on a new one just because Microsoft decided to break standards.
I guess we're down to our usual bottom line: you like it when game companies limit your options, and I know
a simple workaround, so at the end of the day everybody gets what they want.