The best Video Games Controller from your personal experience

magick · 30-07-2008 8:38pm #1

Now im not including the mouse and keyboard for this one, because im talking about 80s/90s/00s consoles here.

I started out on the atari 2600 classic joystick and one button,great for the games at the time.

Though its hard to compare but my favs will go to the Super Nintendo controller because it had the right amount of buttons, great grip, very responsive and generally great build quality.

Same goes for the playstation gen1 Controller (the one without the analog sticks) great control and felt just right in your hands.

Most surprising , the GameCube Controller, it looked like buttons got puked all over it but when actually using it , it worked quiet well !

Jack Sheehan · 30-07-2008 9:24pm

I think the award for both best and worst controller goes to microsoft. The 360 controller has been perfected by copying the best bits of ll the others. On the other hand the 'Duke' controller on the original xbox has to be the absolute worst controller ever concieved

R0ot · 30-07-2008 10:09pm

N64 controller, loved it so much. Although now I have nothing against the 360 controller its a nice design and button placement is perfect.

mcgovern · 30-07-2008 10:39pm

The 360s controller easily wins, fits nicely in the hand and has a good weight about it, with everything easily accessible.

o1s1n · 30-07-2008 10:39pm

R0ot wrote: »

N64 controller

I will refrain from my usual 'the n64 controller was a piece of shít' rant

I loved the NES advantage joystick. Always regret selling that thing.

The one thing I never liked about the snes was the dpad. It always felt a bit off. Preferred the ones on the megadrive 6 button pad.

Jack Sheehan · 30-07-2008 10:43pm

R0ot wrote: »

N64 controller, loved it so much. Although now I have nothing against the 360 controller its a nice design and button placement is perfect.

I have a bit of a soft spot for the N64 controller. Aside from the fact that it pioneered the analoge stick, I spent so long playing Goldeneye, MK64 and Zelda that I grew to love it.

the great thing about the 360 controller is that you almost forget that you're holding a controller after a while.

mayordenis · 30-07-2008 11:24pm

n64 for me ****ing loved it can't really fault the 360 official either. needs a phalic part in the centre though

Rhyme · 30-07-2008 11:37pm

magick wrote: »

Most surprising , the GameCube Controller, it looked like buttons got puked all over it but when actually using it , it worked quiet well !

Loved the Gamecube controller. Comfortable to hold and easy to use. The only way i can conceivably think of improving the controller is making the X and Y buttons easier to push quickly.

SNES controller too, love it.

Mossy Monk · 30-07-2008 11:40pm

Dualshock 2

magick · 30-07-2008 11:49pm

Jack Sheehan wrote: »

I think the award for both best and worst controller goes to microsoft. The 360 controller has been perfected by copying the best bits of ll the others. On the other hand the 'Duke' controller on the original xbox has to be the absolute worst controller ever concieved

ah yes, if ur talking about the 360 controller, if so its still a rip off from the ps2

Retr0gamer · 30-07-2008 11:53pm

Anyone mentioning the Sony controllers should have their heads examined, they are absolute ****e. D-pad is god awful, only 4 face buttons when 6 was the norm and far better (and now thanks to sony 4 buttons are now the norm) and dreadfully place analogue sticks. They are also way too small. They also managed to screw up the button placement by making the bottom button the primary button in the diamond button config instead of the left most button which is far more intuitive and gives access to all other buttons at the same time. At least Konami are still using square as the primary button and x as cancel.

For me the best controller is the japanese Sega Saturn controller, an evolution of the equally brilliant mega drive 6 button controller. It had the best D-pad to ever grace a controller and the full 6 face buttons and 2 shoulder buttons making it possibe to play Capcom fighters.

For 3D games it's a toss up between the GC gamepad and the 360 one. The GC one is probably the most comfortable joypad I've ever used. Button placement is excellent as is the analogue stick. It's only really let down by the short c-stick and a small d-pad.

The 360 controller is probably the best dual analogue controller ever made. It would be perfect if only the d-pad wasn't a useless wobbly load of manure. 6 face buttons would be nice as well. I'll have to buy a new controller for SF2 HD

ah yes, if ur talking about the 360 controller, if so its still a rip off from the ps2

Yes just like PS pad except ****.

Sony pads have always been reactionary copies as well. The PS pad was a miserable attempt at mimicking the SNES controller layout. The dual shock was a joke were they just bolted on two analogue sticks to the old pad because nintendo had completely revolutionised 3D control with their analogue stick and added rumble since Nintendo had come out with the rumble pack. The Dualshock 2 had pressure sensitive buttons that were a reaction to the pressure sensitive triggers in the DC pad. The PS3 was a step backwards removing the 'last gen' feature of rumble and adding dreadful motion sensing to bandwagon hop on the Wiimotes idea.

brennaldo · 30-07-2008 11:56pm

the 360 controller, i dont know if its just me but the 360's controller just seems to fit perfect in my hand

Jim · 30-07-2008 11:58pm

Apart from the original PS1 pad I ****ing hate PS pads, don't know how people tolerate, let alone like them.

1.SNES
2.GC
3.360 (apart from the dpad. how hard is it to get a dpad right?)

Fnz · 30-07-2008 11:58pm

I don't like the layout of the face buttons on the Game Cube controller but damn if it isn't the most comfortable one around.

The 360/Game Cube/Dreamcast controllers are let down by their unbelievably bad D-pad. Also, I think the 360's triggers are giving me RSI so I'm kinda biased against that.

PS2 controller is the one I'm most used to. I'm not saying it's the best ever but as this question is about personal experience...

I guess the amount of time spent with one controller will effect your judgement of it. One thing I don't like about the Dual Shock 2 is it's massive analogue stick deadzone (and, of course, its "last gen" rumble feature).

What the hell was the thinking behind the Atari Jaguar controller?

L31mr0d · 30-07-2008 11:59pm

the wiimote... :rolleyes:

currently its the 360 controller. I have a PS3 but whenever a game gets released on PC and PS3 i'll play it on my PC so I can use the 360 controller. It just fits better in my hands, feels solid and I really like that the left analogue is higher than the D-Pad.

Cravez · 31-07-2008 12:15am

Retr0gamer wrote: »

For me the best controller is the japanese Sega Saturn controller, an evolution of the equally brilliant mega drive 6 button controller. It had the best D-pad to ever grace a controller and the full 6 face buttons and 2 shoulder buttons making it possibe to play Capcom fighters.

YYYEESSS + 1

Was gonna post knowing probably no one would agree but i found the Saturn pad best for overall gameplay. Proably a bit hard to play with FPS's but for fighting games mostly it was like poetry in motion playing with the pad

. All the pads now are too slow, unresponsive or just plain arkward to use with fighting games.

magick · 31-07-2008 12:15am

Fnz wrote: »

What the hell was the thinking behind the Atari Jaguar controller?

ahhh yes, i still have my Jaguar controller, its like athrow back to the 80s controllers with the crazy size

monkeyfudge · 31-07-2008 12:21am

The Bug joystick for the Amiga.

Perfect for Sensible Soccer.

Phototoxin · 31-07-2008 12:36am

n64..comfortable.. advanced for its time and v versatile

Bubs101 · 31-07-2008 12:42am

The N64 by a mile.So revoulutionary for it's time .The Z button was one of the best ideas in gaming history. It's still better than the PS3 contoller and the Wiimote

R0ot · 31-07-2008 1:47am

Jimeatsmenu wrote: »

3.360 (apart from the dpad. how hard is it to get a dpad right?)

What's wrong with the d-pad on the 360 controller? :pac:

Retr0gamer · 31-07-2008 2:01am

It doesn't work. It's wobbly and very inaccurate and totally unusuable in any game that requires the tiniest amount of precision.

R0ot · 31-07-2008 2:04am

Retr0gamer wrote: »

It doesn't work. It's wobbly and very inaccurate and totally unusuable in any game that requires the tiniest amount of precision.

I'm sorry your using your d-pad for precision? :rolleyes:

Creamy Goodness · 31-07-2008 3:45am

n64 would be my top one.
then the gamecube.

nintendo seem to be the only one out of the top three that know how to make controllers anymore.

Holsten · 31-07-2008 3:46am

The playstation controller, best by miles.

Cunny-Funt · 31-07-2008 5:28am

The ps1 controller by far, mainly for the D-pad. I'm surprised to hear people disliking the playstation controller and even more so due to the d-pad, which is the best thing about it imo.

After playing street fighter with a ps1 d-pad it just feels wrong using other pads, they are not good enough.

the 360 fails the streetfighter test along with the gamecube controller.

I've little experience with the original xbox controller however, but my guess is it was ****e.

The Satern controller seemed decent, but I can hardly remember it. The original mega drive controller was a joke, but the 6 button one was great. As with the nes controller.

But the ps1 pad is king,(hence why there is so many clones) and even better when they added the duel shock and sticks. It took a step backwards though imo when they added triggers for the back buttons on the ps3 pad.

Naturally fan boys will disagree, but the older ps pads do better in the 'streetfighter' test (:p) then the ps3 pad due to the back trigger being suckage as buttons.

Nailz · 31-07-2008 8:25am

DualShock2 (like Mossy Monk said). But I never liked the Xbox controllers, including the 360's one. Fat, Heavy, don't like the switch of the analog and d-pad on them, don't like the d-pad at all and, in the 360's case, you have the by new batteries every 2 weeks, or buy a play and charge kit (which has two parts, sold seprately, which is very very stupid)! And that still costs in the region of €30!