Favourite Controller

Vyse

Thought it would be interesting to see what people's favourite controller is seeing as the Wii is just out. My first was the Knox Speedking (before that it was just the keyboard). Fit snuggly into your left hand and you controlled the joystick with your right hand ( it was only one of about 3 joysticks you could get for the Commodore 16).

In saying that I think the Cubes controller is the best I have ever used. Was playing on the GC last night and couldn't help but think how much nicer it was to the 360's. I hated the PS1 controller. Felt rubbish.

johnny_ultimate

I have a soft spot for the Gamecube controller, although I think the DualShock is a wonderful design.
Worst controller has to be the N64. Never owned one and was using it the other day - shudder.

steviec

Last Gen:

Original xbox controller s(never had to use the massive one, fortunately) was too big, hurt my hands, the face buttons had an annoying rounded shape that stuck into your thumb, and the triggers started to hurt when holding them for racing games too long. The vibrating motor was also damn loud but that may have been a specific dodgy pad (I only had an xbox for a couple of weeks, it was enough to decide I didn't wanna own one)

The gamecube controller has a nice shape, but the analog stick is too slippy and plasticky, the triggers take too much travel for my liking, and the buttons, particularly Z and B, have an awful feel to them.

So that leaves the Dual Shock 2, comfortable to hold, nice buttons, comfortable rubbery analog stick, the only usable d-pad of any modern machine too I find. Easily the best.

But then came the 360 and fixed everything wrong with the original xbox. No wires is great for obvious reasons. In addition, the shape and feel is just about perfect(I know it's only small changes from the previous pad but they make all the difference) and it has easily the best Analog sticks I've ever used. Still has problems of face buttons that slightly stick out into your thumb when you're pressing them, and a useless d-pad. Overall though I think it just edges the PS2.

As for the Wii, I really haven't spent enough time with it to judge. The analog nunchuck is surprisingly nice though, it feels really good to use, much better than Nintendo's previous efforts. The wiimote is a nice size and feels good to hold, the trigger is good too although I'm not too fond of the A button and dpad. Will have to play more games before I can judge it really, you can't really compare something that serves so many different functions.

Of older consoles, none of them are very ergonomic by today's standards so I doubt they'd stand up too well. I do miss Sega's version of the d-pad though, so much better than anything nowadays, but d-pads aren't too important in 90% of games anymore anyway.

DonkeyStyle \o/

For me it depends on the game... a good mouse and keyboard is my preference for most games (speed/accuracy/plenty of keys), but for things like racing games or beat'em-ups I'd use a controller.
Where racing games have an option for an analog accelerator, I'll use my modded xbox controller with the analog shoulder buttons... for anything else that I'd use a game pad on, I'll use my PS2 controller.
I bought a steering wheel and pedals a few years ago, but found it was only good for making racing games more difficult

Creamy Goodness

simplicity sakes it has to be the snes controller, simple but very effective.

next up would be the n64 controller, never has a controller beaten it for sheer comfort and accuracy. the first main stream console to have a trigger button if i'm correct. served me so well in goldeneye

flogen

Just to go through what I've used in recent years:

Well I'm most familiar with the xbox 's' controller, so it feels most natural at this stage... generally speaking it's suited me fine size-wise and I This the d-pad, sticks and buttons all feel and react well... that said the whole thing is completely ruined by the terrible placement of the black/white buttons, which are a pain in the thumb to reach without moving your whole right hand.

While I've hardly played a 360 yet I was delighted to see them get a more logical placement, and my brief impressions of the controller was good... would need more time to see how well it fits.

The GC took me a while to get to grips with, and it still can... I do like it though and once you get the hang of it it fits very nicely in my hands; the way the shoulder buttons are shaped is nice too; your fingers fit really well into them. After using the xbox for so long it was hard to get around the fact that the analogue's aren't buttons too, and the little 'z' button on the top shoulder is so easy to forget about... that said the hexagon (or octagon, whatever it is) in the analogue casing is a very simple and handy little finish...

PS1/2 controllers were always underwhelming for me; the extension of the L/R2 buttons on the DS2 was a nice idea, but other than that the lack of progression was a bit annoying... I just find the stick placement a bit less logical than on the xb/gc and it's a bit more effort to get both your thumbs into the near centre of the pad... and it's harder to get a good placement on the shoulders while getting a good grip on the sticks too... also the 4 buttons seemed to be further away from the right analogue than on the xbox or even gc... but maybe that's just me (can't really see now, no ps2 in the house anymore!). That said gripping the thumbsticks was pretty easy to do... about the only plus I can find.

N64 is a bit of a beast; it really depends on the games you play (goldeneye being the perfect example of a brilliantly utilised controller). The Trigger was a nice idea, putting it on a third prong to make it like a gun was even nicer, but once you're holding the controller by the two "outer" prongs, the thumbstick becomes really hard to reach. In fact, I think the controller was really just 2 ideas sewn together... as using the middle prong makes the shoulder buttons quite redundant too... that said the effect it had on controller design easily makes up for it's flaws, but it's not my favourite (but it is one of the best console FPS controllers, although I say that having not tried the Wii yet!)

NES controller... it cuts my fingers with its sharp corners! I do love it for its simplicity though! Same applies to my 1 button amiga joysticks... memories.

Overall I'd have to say the xbox controller s, mainly because I know it so well... I'm sure if I had a 360 I'd be saying that one instead, but as I'm not that familiar with it, I won't. Same applies for the Wii, still reserving judgement on that one too.

o1s1n

Cremo wrote:

next up would be the n64 controller, never has a controller beaten it for sheer comfort and accuracy.

are you serious? I've never had a controller cause me so much pain. the side you hold with your right hand isnt aligned with the center part, its slightly higher. bloody uncomfortable. And dont get me started on the analog stick. too small. no grip. my thumb kept slipping off if i used it frantically.

I'll always love the nes, Snes and Megadrive (6 button, not three:P) control pads for their simplicity. Why do we all of a sudden need almost the equivalent of a keyboard at our fingertips? :O

Creamy Goodness

yeh i loved the n64 controller, it has the best analogue stick - bar the gamecube one - the ps and ps2 analogue sticks suck so much balls i fail to see how anyone use them.

playing an fps with an analogue stick is hard enough without having a dire little stump of an analogue stick.

o1s1n

I prefer them stumpy. The n64 one was too thin and high. too easy to lose control and slip off. PS dual analog stick for FPS can actually be really quite good when you adjust to it. well, thats a bit of a blanket statement. most controllers are quite good once you adjust to them

actually, i recent purchased a ps2 style controller for my pc. its absolutely GREAT playing all my old nintendo 64 games again in rom form with a proper analog stick.

lylat wars is like a new game

DonkeyStyle \o/

o1s1n wrote:

And dont get me started on the analog stick. too small. no grip. my thumb kept slipping off if i used it frantically.

Oh God yeah, that brings back memories :eek:
That crappy plastic finish on the N64 analog stick really started to hurt after a while... I think the xbox controller has it just right... lovely rubber tops... you can get the grip you need with the lightest thumb pressure and it's in just the right spot.

rainbow kirby

GameCube controller is love. It fits my relatively small hands perfectly. Xbox - can't use the biggy at all, and if I play for too long using the S controller my left hand cramps up. So I had to buy a MicroCon for when I want to play anything for more than about an hour. PS2 - not bad, but the analogue stick placement is woeful for FPS. Sorely needs an update.

o1s1n

DonkeyStyle \o/ wrote:

Oh God yeah, that brings back memories :eek:
That crappy plastic finish on the N64 analog stick really started to hurt after a while..

I tried playing Ocarina of Time again recently and just couldnt due to the damn stick. Might give it a whirl on the PC.

steviec

Yea the analog on the N64 was bloody awful. The amount of pain those 'waggle the stick' games caused in Mario Party *shudder*

Vyse

flogen wrote:

NES controller... it cuts my fingers with its sharp corners! I do love it for its simplicity though! Same applies to my 1 button amiga joysticks... memories.

Yeah, it's funny to think back on how badly designed the 8-bit controllers were. The NES, Master System and PC engine had fairly similar controllers, rectangular, d-pad with A and B action buttons, start and select buttons (or run in the case of the PC Engine). The only one I have left is the PC Engine, after a while the controller just gets uncomfortable. I guess it was a case of basic functionality over style.

I think the Megadrives controller was the first one that was in anyway comfortable to use (in terms of consoles anyway). Even this could wear on you after an hour or two.

melekalikimaka

personally i think the n64 one was the best

koneko

I love the 360 controller, only problem is the wonky d-pads.

Was about to say the same as kirby, the thumbsticks placement on the PS2 pads is brutal for FPS games.

CiDeRmAn

The greatest controller on any console I have played was the Kempston Competition Pro on my rubber keyed Sinclair Spectrum 48k, a great joystick, it was constructed like an arcade stick, with microswitches and a steel shaft.
At the time the big joystick was the Quickshot, it looked good but sucked, it broke all the time, had to be poened and plastic glued back on, during Daley Thonpsons Decathlon it just fell apart, not so the Competition Pro, Oh No, this bad boy stayed together, even during the bugger 5000 metres!
These days the 360 is a pretty nice pad, combining the wireless with the rumble and its nicely weighted, triggers good to use and logical button layout, overall a top pad.
The Megadrive pad was great until the Snes came out, then the lack of shoulder buttons and the black finish just looked embarrasing.
As for the award for being ahead of the game the Nights controller for the Saturn was amazing, a good analogue pad, six buttons and triggers, nice, just a pity more games didn't use it, Burning Rangers was and is pretty cool on it though.

0ubliette

After buying SF2 hyper fighting on saturday i cana ttest to the uselessness of the 360's d pad. Hadoken? Nah, ill just jump vertically. Shoryuken? Naaaah, forward jump instead! It means that by the time you get to the 4th opponent its face crushingly frustrating. And dont even TRY a ****in flash kick.
I still think the dual shock controller was the most comfortable, the 360s is great too tho apart from the dpad. Anyone remember the joystick you got with an atari 2600? Now THAT, was pure pain.

sprinkles

Cremo wrote:

yeh i loved the n64 controller, it has the best analogue stick - bar the gamecube one - the ps and ps2 analogue sticks suck so much balls i fail to see how anyone use them.

playing an fps with an analogue stick is hard enough without having a dire little stump of an analogue stick.

Completely agree. The D pad is dead people. Get over it. The PS controllers haven't recognised this yet and still have it in the dominant position. MS and Ninty have realised that the analogue is the way of the future long ago...

Best controller would have to be the GC closely followed by the N64. GC controller feels like it was designed with comfort in mind. Nice curves fit the hand perfectly. N64's offering was a little different, a bit bulky but the layout was superb. That said the 360's controller is a joy to use, although I would have preferred a bit more travel in the shoulder buttons but that's just nit picking.

The worst controller of them all is the playstation, even worse than the original xbox. It's uncomfortable for extended periods and the analogue sticks are next to useless. I really can't believe they stuck with it again.

Retr0gamer

Nothing beats the Japanese Sega Saturn joypads for 2D gaming. It has the proper amount of face buttons (6 as opposed to 4) and two shoulder buttons, perfect for anything from shmups to Capcom fighting games. I also really like the saturn analog controller. It may be big but it's comfortable and the d-pad and analog stick are well within reach.

Had a proper go of the 360 last night and the joypad really is lovely especially compared the the s controller.

However the Gamecube controller is my favourite. It's just so comfortable. However there are problems. The z button is a bit out of the way and the c stick is a bit too small.

I really hate the Sony game pads. The original PS1 pad was a monstrosity especially compared to the saturn pad. The d-pad was useless and the face buttons, despite copying the snes layout, were horrible to use. The dual shock isn't much better. It's the same with two analog sticks grafted frankenstein style to the middle. They are really badly positioned. But worse of all is the d-pad that hasn't changed. It's unusable (and even worse on the PSP). It's only kind of comfortable because we have been using it for so long now.

Did anyone actually like the Atari Jaguars 'death by buttons' style?

Cuddlesworth

The N64 controller may have hurt after a while but it was still the best for ease of use and control.

sprinkles

Totally forgot the Dreamcast. I loved that controller. A bit bulky, top heavy if you had the memory card in it but it was sturdy and well finished. It would fall nicely in behind the N64 I think

GC
N64
Dreamcast
360

jaggeh

the gamecube will always be my favorite. the shape, size and design of the button layout was fantastic. the trigger buttons having dual-action analogue and digital was superb. although the z-button was awkward sometimes it was never bad enough to be useless. My only gripe was the D-pad being one from a gameboy, led to many blisters when playing bloody roar against hobbes.

Stephen

Keyboard + mouse 4 life. They stand head and shoulders above all the console controllers.

I like the PS2 controller, but the thumbsticks kill my thumbs after using them for a while.
Xbox controller-S is a bit better, I love the feel of the triggers on it, and the rubber surface of the analogue sticks.
The cube's analogue sticks rocked. Just felt right.
Haven't had any experience with the 360 or Wii ones.

I did love the Megadrive controller back in the day, it fit perfectly into my hands. Got a bit sore after 6 hours of Sonic though

jesus_thats_gre

Am gonna be shot here but I am a massive fan of the original Xbox controller. I found the size to absolutely perfect and the controller is by far the best for console FPS's. I also liked that the analogue sticks were not really loose like the S or PS2 analogue sticks. This is my only criticism of the 360 controller to be honest.

Really dislike the S controller. Also dislike the PS controllers alot.

jaggeh

jesus_thats_gre wrote:

Am gonna be shot here but I am a massive fan of the original Xbox controller. I found the size to absolutely perfect and the controller is by far the best for console FPS's. I also liked that the analogue sticks were not really loose like the S or PS2 analogue sticks. This is my only criticism of the 360 controller to be honest.

Really dislike the S controller. Also dislike the PS controllers alot.

is your real name gigantor? it is isnt it

Kinetic^

The official Sega Megadrive 6 button controller was my favourite off all time.

2nd is the official 360 pad.

chamlis

N64 Controller and the Original Xbox (big) one.

Worst would have to be any PS one and the Dreamcast one
*shudder*

DonkeyStyle \o/

Retr0gamer wrote:

It's unusable (and even worse on the PSP).

Amen to that... the first time I tried a PSP I was like "omg wtf @ this dpad?!"
What were they thinking?

Clank

jesus_thats_gre wrote:

Am gonna be shot here but I am a massive fan of the original Xbox controller. I found the size to absolutely perfect and the controller is by far the best for console FPS's. I also liked that the analogue sticks were not really loose like the S or PS2 analogue sticks. This is my only criticism of the 360 controller to be honest.

Really dislike the S controller. Also dislike the PS controllers alot.

Big fan of the Duke too!

1st for me is 360 pad
2nd N64
3rd Gamecube

K.O.Kiki

Ahh, debate time...
Yes, the GC pad rocked in a lot of ways -- it was comfortable to use for extended periods due to its size & shape, it had a design philosophy centered around "players will hit 'A' a lot, so let's make 'A' nice & big", and its stick was really really sweet -- grooves FTW.
Also loved the SNES pad back in its day; I can just hope that the Wii Classic controller, with its extra depth, can fit around my larger hands as comfortably.

The Xbox pads are a mixed bag for me -- I only really play Halo 2 (at mates) so I've tried them all. S-pad is horrible -- the buttons are fine, but the shape makes my trigger-fingers ache after only a few rounds. The 360 is better -- the shape is slightly easier on my hands. Not too different from S-pad, but just enough to make it better. Can't wait to see how it's utilised in Halo 3 now. The winner, then, is the Duke -- its large shape lets me hold the pad more flatly, and gives me greater comfort.

The PS1/2/3 pad... just no. A generic 4-button layout out front, badly placed shoulders (I have to tilt my hands at an abnormal angle to hit them all; though the 3 appears to be different, haven't tried it yet), and the WORST D-PAD I have ever had to put up with -- it was workable, but it hurt like goddamn hell when attempting to do multiple EWGFs with Heihachi... I'd hate to imagine what my thumbs'd look like after executing a couple of Akira combos...

This brings me to the greatest controller there is: the arcade stick! Can't really beat a good stick with big ol' 30mm buttons for executing the deftest of fighting moves -- I tell you, once you go stick, you do the trick!*

(*shoot me!)