There have been plenty of different controller designs, from the Dualshock to the Wiimote, and nowadays it seems like the controller is just as important as the console itself.
Out of all the console controllers in gaming history, which one is your favourite? Which controller was your least favourite to play with and why?
I was always a sucker for my old 6-button genesis controller. Sweet simplicity.
If we're talking current generation, It's really tough to choose between the 360 and PS3. I love that the PS3 is light, and I've been using PS controllers since 1998, so there's not much changed. I also like the larger grips on the 360 controller, and how the left stick is raised more intuitively for me at least.
Worst. Controller. Ever. N64. Hands down.
Maybe it's because I never had one, but it drove me nuts that I'd have to place my hands awkwardly to hold and use the sticks the right way. We used to play Goldeneye in college and I would get smoked every single time. Then we'd play Halo or Timesplitters (SO UNDERRATED) and I would wreck everyone.
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I've only ever had PS controllers from the PS1 to 3 so there's not too much difference between them. I like how the PS3 one is light enough and doesn't have a cable that (morons) people can trip over and rip the console from wherever it's mounted or the controller from your hands.
I understand the the triggers on the 360 controller are better for racing games? I've never really liked how it's all or nothing with using X to accelerate and O to brake on PS games.
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My favourite would have to be between the Xbox360 controller (fits in my hand nicely n I love the weight of it) and the Playstation (Dualshock) controllers. They haven't deviated much from the original design so holding that controller is almost second nature to me now, bt if i had to narrow it down -Dualshock 3. Another personal favourite of mine will always be the SNES controller. EASY, clear, simple layout - Directional pad, Start, Select n blue, red, yellow n green buttons n LEFT n RIGHT shoulder buttons. None of these L1, L2, R1, R2, R3, Analog stick etc afterthoughts. If I were to use that controller these days I would literally snap it in half.
Worst: Take your pic from the Nintendo controllers. For me, its always been the Gamecube controller. It had only one analog stick(bt the best, better than PS's), the C-stick was fiddly, small n imprecise n annoying to use, I could never remember the difference between the X and Y buttons n I kept forgetting where the fk the Z button was.
They had something perfect going with the ergonomics (fit like a glove) bt fml with that dreadful button placement. I loved the mold of those shoulder buttons tho.
Wii(mote)...its a motion control which as a rule I hate anyway. When I turn n use it sideways its quite comfy xcept the back of my index finger keeps accidentally hitting the B button. I sometimes use the Wii Classic controller when I go back n play SNES games (eg Super Metroid because there's more cntrols) bt it feels jus like the SNES controller (still stiff bt more robust) only with more buttons.
N64 controller ... while its "wtf" design holds great nostalgia for me Im not sure how I was able to work it looking back at it now. Id never saw two N64 controllers together without at least one messed up analog stick. I found the weird shape quite comfortable bt it had the worst analog stick ever. Not only did I easily blister my thumb on the top of it bt the calibration was in constant need of attention (I remember having to flick it a few times so itd center) n i feel like it was always guna break while playing Mario Kart. There were pretty good odds that after a half hr of play my left thumb wud become awkwardly stiff. When I see pics of it now it jus reminds me of a sex toy.
I've always had a fondness for the PS DualShock controllers. The PS3 is probably my favorite so far. PS4 would have made the cut if it wasn't for the fact that I've noticed if I hold it a certain way and a blanket/body part is in the way of the front of the controller then the button to game response is slower or jerky/doesn't work.
The wii controller was literally a horrible experience. I'm sure I look pretty funny trying to make it work by literally waving my arms around and screaming at the the air, hoping whatever the hell I'm mashing and the movements I'm making will do something good. Yeah, did not enjoy the wii.
im so used to playstation control pads now, i think they should all be the same lol. ps3 one is abit light for my liking and the length of the wire to charge it is just absurd. wire length has improved with the ps4, but i still had to drag a chair over to the tv when it was charging before.
never liked the x box ones, i dont like how the wiggly sticks are at different heights.
I'm a SNES controller guy myself, I enjoy using other controllers but the SNES controller always does it for me. I like the grip, I like the feel of the buttons it all feels natural mainly because I grew up playing Super Nintendo games.
The best controller hands down is the original PSX controller, its just so comfortable and each button easy to reach. Then naturally the analogues were added which in my opinion drastically reduced its comfort. And i HATE when games make me use analogue over D-pad, and the cheek! to not even offer a swap alternative!
But the best controller with the analogues is the Gamecube controller, its just so well put together and the analogues aren't too big and are very responsive.
My least favourite controllers are the wii-motes, i hate them, i hate that i cant just revert to just pressing buttons instead of wagging a controller about, its exhausting.. its like HELLO! ive just finished masturbating, last thing i wanna do is flail my wrists around more...Just kidding, never game and masturbate kids you may bludgeon your genitals..
ANYWAY, without getting weird, i hate the wii motes, so much that i cant get stuck into zelda TP and SS, why didnt they make them controller optional, im sure it would have been very easy
I think everyone can agree the PS controller is the best of them all.
The Wii has the history for the worst controls ive personally ever used. Stupid design, very uncomfortable not to mention bulky and ugly.
Nintendo controls SUCKED, N64 looked like i was holding a mini space ship. Having to contort your hands to play smash bros, so great.
I actually liked the Gamecube and N64 controllers. The wiimote never felt right to me. I always end up angling my hands like I'm holding a normal controller, so my stick is off by 1/8 of a turn. Kinda annoying.
The playstation 2 controller was my favorite. I'm not a fan of the triggers on the PS3's. Triggers I like the xbox controllers better for. But the xbox controllers have some issues. I don't like that they're narrower and my fingers end up fighing for space around the back of it. Convex rounded buttons are a TERRIBLE idea from an ergonomic standpoint, and after long sessions make my thumbs hurt like hell. Flat or concave buttons are vastly superior. Sony and Nintendo have both consistently gotten that right, while Microsoft has consistently failed. Which is odd considering microsoft is the only one who figured that out on analog sticks and went with concave.
The Xbox 1 controller pisses me off to no end. In addition to once again adressing exactly none of the ergonomic problems with its predacessor, they introduced new ones with the stupid pointed shape leaving a high pressure point on the bumpers.
The perfect controller would be the PS2 shape, with either playstation or gamecube/n64 buttons, Xbox 360 bumpers and trigers, and Xb1 analog sticks.
The best that actually exists I'd have to say is the PS2.
The worst, I've actually got to give to XB1. In spite of the functional problems with nintendo's latest toys, to date the Xbox controllers have been the only ones that actually caused me pain, and the XB1 is the worst in that regard.
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The other night I had the chance to try a Ps4 and the controller was so much better than the DS3, the DS3 has a few minor problems like the triggers and the uncomfortable analogue sticks which have been fixed so now the only thing that bothers me is the pointless touch screen. I didn't care much for it but it seems to be the popular gimmick now so I guess it'll be around for at least another generation.
After the SNES controller they haven't made decent Nintendo controls in a long time, I got a 3DS XL because I thought the buttons would be better but they're still designed for small hands. Holding it for too long gets uncomfortable, the circlepad sucks and the shoulder buttons feel real stiff. I haven't played a Nintendo home console since the N64 but though they don't look that bad they still look cheaply made like the rest of the console.
I'd say the PS controllers were the best. Of course the PS2 were basically the same but with dual-shock, but I could live without that.
I didn't like the Xbox 360 controllers, as they were made for larger hands than mine. The absolute worst controller I've used would be a MadCats for the N64. The design of the N64 controller was chunky, uncomfortable, and the analog stick was inherently prone to breaking, esp after a few good rounds of 'Star Wars episode 1: battle for naboo', or 'Mario Kart 64'.
As far as I'm concerned, Microsoft showed the world how to make a better controller way back in 2003 w/ the Xbox-S controller.
Ignoring third party knockoff bullshit...
The Dual Shock is bloody awful, but I have large hands and carpal tunnel.
I didn't notice as a kid, it didn't really hit me how bad of a controller it was until I bought a PS3 a few years ago, but the thing is a hand cramp factory and is ridiculously uncomfortable to use. R1/L1 for shooting? No proper triggers? Ugh.
Which is a shame because the analog sticks feel great, when my thumb isn't cramping or slipping off, and the d-pad is superb, but the layout and size left a lot to be desired.
The DS4 was a welcome improvement that should've happened back w/ the PS3 IMO.
Honorable baddies: The wii gamepad.
The N64 controller was a bit spastic, with the d-pad unhittable when holding by the center with your thumb on the analog.
The gamecube controller made hitting some face button combinations impossible iirc, though it could've just been my controller and the R/L buttons felt gross.
The original DS using the touchscreen for an analog stick on games like Mario 64 was ****ing atrocious too.
Anyways, as far as best, I absolutely love the Xbox One controller. The triggers are great, the thumbsticks feel good, and the layout is excellent. Natural evolution from the 360 pad, which was good but not great, but before this generation was my favorite controller at the time. Though being fair, the DS4 is vastly superior to the 360 pad.
The Playstation controllers are undoubtably some of the most comfortable and natural-feeling controllers out there, but there are two that I prefer over that. The first is the Gamecube controller. It's a weird controller, but it fits well in the hands, and when the game controls are properly integrated into the controller, it works better than anything. I also like the first Sega Saturn controller. It's a lot like the Genesis controllers, but fit much better in the hand. I'm also kind of a fan of the Wii Motion Plus. It picks up the signal way better than the standard remote. It hasn't failed me yet.
There are a few controller designs that I dislike. The Nintendo 64 controller doesn't make any sense. The Sega Saturn 3D controllers were too round and didn't fit in the hand, which was also a problem with the Dreamcast controllers and the first X-Box controllers. I never understood the point of a round controller. And then there's the Atari Jaguar controller. That thing was a total mess. The buttons were up way too high, and then there was a redundant numerical pad which did absolutely nothing for 99% of the games.
A GameCube controller with a proper second analog stick and the responsiveness of the XBOne controllers would be bloody ****ing perfect.
Ergonomically, the GameCube controller is way up on the list. I also really love the button layout for fighting games. Everything is in a circle, making it really easy to combo two buttons for attacks. The drawback is that I'm a huge fan of the D-pad for any technical 2D fighter (see: SF, MK, GG, etc), but the analog is great for Smash, or 3D fighters like Soul Calibur.
Best controller as it is though?
Xbox One. I don't even think it's a contest. When it comes to purity and functionality, it's a damn good controller. It's almost exclusively what I use on my PC now (although I did get my GameCube controller adapter to work, so I use that for some things), unless I'm playing an FPS and need my keyboard/mouse fix.
The Dualshock 4 has a ton of wonderful, underutilized features, and it's very comfortable, but the Bone controller is honestly a better piece of hardware.
Honorable mentions to the SNES controller. Companies have been copying it for decades.
Worst?
Probably N64. I think that's mostly unanimous. Or Jaguar, like Clint mentioned. What a nightmare.
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