What is the Best Console Controller of All Time?

News Reader · Post by **News Reader** » May 24th, 2007, 16:00

What is the Best Console Controller of All Time?
Mateo Slovinsky asks: "Is the XBox 360's controller the best controller of all time? CNet seems to think so in its line up of the top five gamepads of all time. If you expected the Wii's controller, you will be dissapointed. It's a brilliant piece of innovation, but there simply aren't enough games to judge it against the best controllers ever." Which controller would you pick? What controllers have not left your hands cramped after a marathon session of gaming?

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Author: Cliff
Category: games
Read more...

Source: Slashdot: Games
Description: News for nerds, stuff that matters

Lateralus · Post by **Lateralus** » May 24th, 2007, 16:08

Got to say, I've always been a big fan of the Playstation ones. The PS2 ones just feel very comfortable to me and I much prefer them to anything else I've used.

Post by **Dr. kitteny berk** » May 24th, 2007, 16:27

Always hated the playstation controllers, *way* too small for my paws, handcramp bad.

eion · Post by **eion** » May 24th, 2007, 16:32

The xbox 360 pad is nice, but my favourite controller of all time has to be the proper one for the original xbox. None of that 'Controller S' nonsense - I suspect my hands are even larger than Berk's misshapen paws.

edit: and the gaycube controller must be the worst of all time. Where they found that many twisted dwarves to playtest them, I'll never know

Post by **Dog Pants** » May 24th, 2007, 16:40

Wiimote! It gives you an excuse to beat up your friends!

Post by **FatherJack** » May 24th, 2007, 16:40

eion wrote:my favourite controller of all time has to be the proper one for the original xbox

I never liked those, they were heavy and it actually hurt to reach the black and white buttons.

My favoured design would be the s-type Xbox but with the thumbsticks in the postion they are on the PS2 controller.

I'd like to have said the Wii controller, but actually apart from the waving about cleverness, the A & B buttons are very easy to press by mistake.

Stoat · Post by **Stoat** » May 24th, 2007, 16:58

I like the original Xbox one too, although I've never tried the small version or the 360 one so I can't compare it. I've never got on with PlayStation ones. I seem to have to reach for everything on it- up for the buttons, down for the analogues... there's nothing in a natural, comfortable place.
I quite liked the Dreamcast one... And yes, Gamecube controllers are horrible. The first-party ones always felt like they were about the break, to me.

eion · Post by **eion** » May 24th, 2007, 17:17

Stoat wrote:I quite liked the Dreamcast one...

The Dreamcast one was nice, although the cord would tangle if you so much as looked at it sideways which always gave me the rage.

And the Dreamcast arcade stick was simply sublime.

Post by **FatherJack** » May 24th, 2007, 17:48

I liked the Dreamcast one, although it was rather perilous holding a cigarette at the same time.

spoodie · Post by **spoodie** » May 24th, 2007, 18:30

eion wrote:edit: and the gaycube controller must be the worst of all time. Where they found that many twisted dwarves to playtest them, I'll never know

Shirley the N64 one was worse.

The PS2 dualshock is probably my personal favourite but it's not perfect. Analogue sticks are used more these days and having the left one so low down is bad. The 360 one is nice and has the left analogue stick in the "right" place but the d-pad is spongy and inaccurate.

Post by **Roman Totale** » May 24th, 2007, 20:04

Never used a Wii-mote so I can't comment on that, but I've always liked the original Xbox controller as well.

I think it's nonsense when people say they're too big - I don't have huge hands, and I can't even straighten my fingers out properly, yet I find it very comfortable to use. Probably because you don't have to crook your fingers to use it.

Post by **deject** » May 24th, 2007, 20:31

I think the people who complained about the original xbox controller were people who's hands were crippled from using other controllers.

Lateralus · Post by **Lateralus** » May 24th, 2007, 20:35

I find the analogue sticks on the PS2 pads to be fine, but I'm having a real issue with the one on the PSP. My thumb just doesn't naturally go there at all.

mrbobbins · Post by **mrbobbins** » May 24th, 2007, 21:18

I know it's not console but...

I can't count how many of these I got through

Post by **Dog Pants** » May 24th, 2007, 21:22

Heh, I had three of those. A black one, a green one and a transparent one that was so stiff it was virtually unusable. I got the transparent one at the same time I got Thunderblade for the Speccy and thought it was the nuts.

Post by **FatherJack** » May 24th, 2007, 22:50

I bought one of these

but in green and yellow when I purchased a Sega Megadrive as I thought these joy-pads a quite ridiculous new fad. You can imagine how well it worked with Sonic.

buzzmong · Post by **buzzmong** » May 24th, 2007, 22:53

Fave controller evar:

Quickshot Python 1M

Failing that, Xbox controllers are alright.

Post by **Dr. kitteny berk** » May 24th, 2007, 22:57

buzzmong wrote:Quickshot Python 1M

I had one of them, was quite good, but the build quality wasn't up to much.

cheeseandham · Post by **cheeseandham** » May 24th, 2007, 23:15

Yeah, more evolution

.. all these have been the best controller of all time, representing the big jumps in control, but everything along the way usually added something .
(btw i've not RTFA)

Atari 2600 joystick - the granddaddy.
Quickshot 2 - every kid of my generation had one.
Competition Pro - the seminal joystick + 1 fire button.
SNES - the best of that gen of consoles. shoulder pads plus 4 fire buttons in a dpad arrangement
PS2 - although the same form factor as the PS1 analog. this one was pressure sensitive.
Xbox 360 - again the Xbox 1 S was almost this, and the PS2 controller is very close. but ms refined it nicely.

And while the Wii is to different to compare, it is a great controller.

cheeseandham · Post by **cheeseandham** » May 24th, 2007, 23:17

damn, while i was slowly tapping away a conversation on the Quickshot series went by!