What's your favorite console controller?

The XBox "Controller S" is still the only one that doesn't make my hand cramp up after hours of play. Apparently, I'm solidly in the minority in my intense dislike for the PS2 Dual Shock. One hour, and I'm ready to lay the thing down. With great force.

And I concur with the Dreamcast arcade stick. I had two, and my friends and I worked those things like a mofo for hours at a time on Soul Blade. Just great, precise, quality, durable pieces of hardware.

I'm partial to the wavebird b/c of the freedom it gives me and the overall design of the controler isn't that bad (it's not great by any means, but it's better then most give it credit for).

The joystick. I prefer joystick (with force feedback) over stupid mouse/keyboard or game pads.*

But, as far as gamepads go, I love my little logitech Xbox wireless.


*Yes, yes, I know all the jokes about vibrating joysticks and gamer chicks, thank you.....

I share the hatred for the PS controllers. However, I do wish the XBox controllers had secondary trigger buttons like the PS controllers do (particularly for games that were ported over from PS). GTA: San Andreas is annoying as hell to play without the secondary triggers.

The XBox controller is probably the most comfortable. Dreamcast had a good controller except that it was pretty heavy (like the first generation XBox controllers). I've not held a 360 controller yet.

The Dreamcast controller, then the new Xbox 360 controller, then the Xbox "S" Controller

I've always been fond of the Dreamcast controller. It might be my favorite. The PS/PS2 controller is great but it doesn't actually "do" anything for me, if that makes sense. I also dig Nintendo's last few controllers. The N64 was pretty cool, and I like the Gamecube controllers even more (especially the Wavebird). For Xbox I prefer the original big controller (the duke?). FPS heaven. It's like a tank. The S controller has some questionable button layout, but I don't mind it.

The 360 controller has dethroned the GC controller in my books.

Just as an aside, anybody held a Nintendo controller recently? I remember them as being fairly average sized...but I found my old system (with final fantasy still sitting inside) and picked up the contoller and was shocked to discovery how tiny it was. Wow.

The DreamCast and the smaller (S version??) Xbox contollers were my favorites, but I did only use the DC controller two or three times so it's possible it causes leprosy during longer play sessions. The PSOne and PSTwo are below average, as both cramped my hands after long play periods. Half the buttons were also unreachable with a normal grip.

I think we could have more fun discussing the worst controllers of all time. Here's my ranking of the top three:

1)Colecovision: the worst of the worst. What was up with the stupid numeral keypad, the weird layout of the buttons that made it impossible to operate them while moving at the same time, or the crazy knob device? I still play a few of the games using emulation, and I am convinced that having to use the original controller made the games at least five times harder.

2)Every single Nintendo freak accessory: I'm talking to you Power-glove, U-Force (IIRC), and the other similar entities. None of them worked properly, but they looked so damn cool in that movie/commercial!

3)I originally had the Genesis, with it's absurd three button layout, but that is only because I forgot about the original atari "joystick". I bought the retro, all in one package t.v. plugin system and was reminded how inaccurate and straining it is to use this for long periods. Ug.

My favorite controller was the Sega Genesis 6 button game pad. I used to womp major Mortal Kombat 2 ass with that thing. I must have gone through 3 of them! Loved it.

Same here. I think it's just because Nintendo was aiming more directly for the pre-adolescent crowd. It makes sense that the controllers wouldn't be so large.

If we want to go into "worst controllers" as well: The NES controller with the weird scroll pad thingy instead of a D-pad. I don't know how else to describe it; It was like a low-rent attempt at early analog. Completely useless for an 8-bit system. What the hell did they call that?

My pick for one of the best: The Saturn analog stick that came with Nights. It was like the Dreamcast controller only a bit larger/clunkier. I don't know why, but I was very comfortable with it.

I never knew anybody that owned the Saturn.

I know exactly what you're talking about with the NES. It was horrible, although not as horrible as the two I mentioned above. I always got stuck playing with it when I visited a friend of mine...there's no good way to describe it, it's like a floating scroll thingy that you can sort of move around. Really, really lame. It didn't even work well with top gun, the one semi-decent NES flight game that might have actually benefited from it.

I found it after scouring Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NES_Max

Good God, did that thing ever suck. The kicker is that it looks like it'd be comfortable. Deceitful bastards.

Come to think of it, I really like the N64 controller. It proved that the D-pad is now mostly useless. (Except for 2D games, which I played on the Saturn anyway. Capcom, FUCK YEAH!) Few games used the D-pad for movement outside of menus. I remember Turok was the first game I played in which the D-pad was relegated to inventory. So Revolutionary. On that note: I hope that Nintendo proves me wrong on that goofy ass remote. Come to think of it, isn't that thing just the U-Force with a remote? I don't really remember what the U-Force was supposed to do. I just know it had something to do with your physical movements.

RE: Sega Saturn - the 32-bit era was a lonely time for me. If I didn't have friends that owned Playstations, I would have never been able to partake in any conversations about (then) recent games. That would've sucked for a fourth grader. Regardless, I was still an unabashed Sega fanboy. Of course, once we all played Goldeneye a year or two later, my friends and I digressed in our Saturn/Playstation battles. N64+Goldeneye exclusivity = best console. Though we still dug FF games, nothing beat Goldeneye's multiplayer. NOTHING! Well, except maybe Perfect Dark, but that was like 3 years later. By that time though, we noticed that all consoles had good games and laid the idea of a console war to rest. MGS and FF did it for me, I don't know about everyone else.

As another aside from our controller discussion: Goldeneye kicked ass. So many fond memories of that game, my friends and I all bought N64s, or had our parents do so, and competed outside of multiplayer. Who could get the best time and the most cheat codes, etc. I remember getting invincibility by beating the second level in under two minutes. Sure, it took me a month of non-stop playing and ignoring much of my homework but it was worth it, damnit! I still have that second level memorized. I've probably let Sean Bean "die" about 500 times. Stupid jerk, hiding in his confusing Soviet statue graveyard. Thank God Lurtz killed that ring-coveting bastard for me (I kid, I kid, I love the film version of Boromir). Anyone else find it strange that I'm getting so nostalgic over video games?

You found it! That sliding circle thingy sucked. I didn't know the terms at the time, but now that I understand that it wasn't analog (which defeats the purpose, doesn't it?) I realize why it performed worse on any game in which analog might have served a purpose (i.e., a flight sim).

Goldeneye was amazing. You probably would have liked this other thread where we debated "perfect games". Mario 64 and Ocarina were discussed as being "perfect", and I argued that they weren't even nearly as good as Goldeneye, by far the greatest multiplayer game I had seen up to that point.

To my deep sadness, I have never played Metal Gear Solid.

Nostalgia over video games is great.

For nostalgia, the NES Advantage was a real good controller I used back in the day. Arcade Joystick layout, oversized A and B buttons with two small knobs above the individual 'Turbo' toggles for variable adjustment of speed, with a primitive slow motion button. Also had a 'Y' forked cable with two controller sockets to plug in for both 1 and 2 player controls via a 'slider toggle'.

Now I use the stock Xbox Type S, and for the PS2 the Preadator Wireless from Pelican (?).

Worst Controller Ever: R.O.B. for the NES. Fucker repeatedly picks up and drops a spinning top onto a real controller to crush you while playing Gyromite. With unnerving accuracy, I might add.

Overlord>To my deep sadness, I have never played Metal Gear Solid.

Guffaw.

I remember buying that and it never worked... What a piece of shit it was...

I always wondered what that thing did. Thank you.

I'm pretty sure the Intellivision and the Atari 5200 had similar controllers -- joystick at the top, keypad at the bottom, and buttons on the sides.

Yup:
Intellivision


Atari 5200


Colecovision


And all three were pretty damn painful after a while.

They were all before my time, so I have to ask: How the hell would you even use those?

We managed.

My brothers and I had a SNES turbo controller we'd always fight over. Though, contrary to our belief, switching the Y button to AUTO TURBO and having Chun-Li kick in the same spot over and over wasn't the best way to win fights.

I only played one Intellevision game (Utopia...which was great by the way) and didn't have control problems. However, I can tell you that the 5200 was far superior to the Colecovision. The joystick, while bad, was more accurate. Even worse, as you tired while playing colecovision, you couldn't help but angle the pad as your muscles either spasmed or gave way in exhaustion.

Colecovision also had the wacky idea of placing the buttons on both sides of the controller and having them BELOW!! the pad. When you gripped the pad so you could use the buttons, you actually had to flex your wrist to keep the pad from dipping down. It was simply absurd.

All of this serves to remind me that as people are bitching about Nintendo abandoning the tried-and-true two-handed horizontal game controller for the Revolution, we should remember that they're the ones who invented it in the first place.

I can't speak for the Atari and Colecovision controllers but Intellivision games usually came with an inlay-type card that slid over the number pad to map out the controls for each game.

Has there been that much bitching? Most people I've spoken/typed to have thought it would be great for many types of games. I'm sure there will be various other controllers you can use if you don't like it.

I'd say what I've heard has been over 50% positive. But anytime somebody tries to make a large change in an established paradigm, there are going to be people who automatically fight it. There seem to be a large number of gamers who think this is the dumbest thing they've ever seen. Professionals all seem pretty giddy over the concept, though.

Wow. I remember thinking that it had a lot of promise. In fact, if it worked properly, I thought it would be incredible for any type of first person perspective game (flying, shooters, Morrowind-style RPGs...etc). I did not see it working whatsoever for a third person platform or action game.

I mean, if people really can't stand it, I'm sure there will be other options. Wireless should have been done a long time ago, IMHO.

IIRC, they will have a "shell" controller that you plug the remote into. Not sure what it looks like. I just saw a concept of one that was essentially the Gamecube controller, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

I've never been able to stand the PS controllers. I have a lot of love for the SNES controller, especially for its time. After that I guess it goes to the xbox S-controller, then the dreamcast. I really didn't like the feel of the 64 controller either.

I loved that thing. I dont think Id like a full sized joystick on my PS2 now but on my NES it was a blast with bionic commando. But yea, the whole slow motion thing...bullet time it wasnt. If I remember correctly hitting slow mo basically meant it would pause and unpause the game repeatedly making it impossible to actually do anything.

I remember it working ok on Megaman.

I cast my vote to the Dual Shock type design. I think It'll be a long time before we get away from many of the concepts popularized by it, and my el cheapo Logitec version for the PC adapts surprisingly well to all kinds of old setups, be it Genesis, NES, N64, etc.

The love for the PS controllers just makes me feel sorry for you guys with tiny, tiny hands.

There was a lot of initial skepticism expressed when Nintendo revealed the design for its new controller. I remember seeing lots of negative reactions (many from folks here). I'm not sure it's entirely unjustified. I like the idea of the controller, and I'm happy to see companies try to be innovative, but I also remember some of the innovative flops Nintendo has pushed in the past. Whenever they mess with controllers I get a bit skeptical.

The 360 controller is hands down the best console controller out there.

Why is wireless such a big deal? Is it worth having to plunk down the cash to be forever replacing batteries to be able to sit ten feet away from the screen as opposed to six?

I think this might be correct. I stood in Target playing Call of Duty for 20 minutes last night and the controller was so comfortable and all the important buttons were so easy to reach. I loved it.

Who said anything about wireless? Wireless is just a bonus. And I never have to replace batteries, I just plug in the charge cord and use it as a wired controller while I play and it charges up. And for me wireless isn't about distance from the set, it's about people not tripping over cords, or cords not sliding over the coffee table knocking over stuff, etc., etc..

I just find the new 360 controller to be the most ergonomically comfortable to use, with no hard to get at buttons or hand-cramping angles.

Edited to add in Richard's quote.

Yeah, I always use the wireless controller when friends are over.

The XBOX controller S rules all, if PS2's controller was like that, I'd still have my PS2.

The Intellivision had a really nice joystick type controller that had a base similar to a revolver's handle. It had a trigger like a gun and a small joystick at the top, like a flightstick. It was much better than the default controller.

Xbox controller size is great. In fact, I really like it because after all the gel inserts and bullcrap, its actually the nicest dual shock clone/takeoff on the market, imo.