Least Fav Gamepads/Joy sticks

[mnbren05]

Well I just saw the best now lets have your worst. Please elaborate on your noms if possible! Now lets make this the "bomb-diggity"

(warning sarcasm ahead for potential fan boys)

Atari Jaguar- Seriously wtf am I looking at (is what I think when I first saw the controller). An ugly, uncomfortable, bulky controller with way too many buttons. But wait you can add on overlays to enhance your experience! Even if you wrap a dead bird with pop corn, its still a dead bird.

PS1- Got by with it at the time but the future Playstation gamepads make this one look archaic. Always hated the D-pad on this one myself, for this reason I enjoyed the N64 controller which had stick option.

Sega Genesis 3 button- I always hated how cheap this controller felt. Light weight, mine always had something rumbling around inside, short cord, and the connector never fit snugly in the controller port.

[Matt-El]

Sounds like a defective Genesis controller. I on the other hand have had great experiences with the official 3 button controller. Big grip, firm buttons, and great control pad.

Now my personal least favorite controller may irk some, but I gotta say the Atari 2600 joystick. It always felt weird and just never got used to it. Maybe i'm a bit spoiled on NES and SNES controllers, but I felt like i was always holding it wrong, never felt right.

[CelticJobber]

I agree on the Atari 2600 joystick, it gave me alot of hand cramps and I could never really get used to it, even in the days before I ever played NES games.

I also didn't like the Dreamcast controller.

[Clownzilla]

I have to say the Atari Jaguar controller. So many useless buttons! If those buttons were actually utilized in games then it might of been fine.

[otoko]

1 - Atari 7800 standard controller

I don't know if mine are just bad or what. It seems to fit in your hand wrong no matter how I hold it. the buttons often get stuck and because of that they don't register.. the stick is stiff and does not move around well and makes the games with the best controls hard to manage sometimes.

2 - Atari 2600 standard controller

I like playing with the controller.. don't get me wrong there... but it does feel strange in my hands.

3 - Intellivision/colecovision controller

Just WTF man...

4. Original xbox controller

I know people with big hands appreciate this but although mine are big I still have trouble wrapping around this monstrosity.

5. NES controller

I Love NES I love the controller... but it's boxy design often makes my hand ache.

6. Gamecube controller

Like the feel of it.. don't like the button layout

7. DS

Once again I love my DS but I keep mixing up where the A button and the B button is.

[sebastiankirchoff]

My least favorites are:

Atari 2600: For its time it may have been good, but I always thought the stick was too stiff and it just feels weird.

Intellivision 2: God, these are awful. The pad feels cheap and I never grasp the controller too hard in fear it will break.

Xbox Original: Even though my hands are big, these are really bulky and I always found it hard to push the white and black buttons.

NES 2: These feel cheap and I hated the stupid dog bone style.

[Sonicwolf]

PlayStation - ALL! I loath the d-pads. Some of the worst designed.

[Mobius]

PlayStation - ALL! I loath the d-pads. Some of the worst designed.

Same... Can't stand the d-pad. On top of that, why has Sony still not swapped the d-pad and left analog stick? It's a recipe for hand cramps.

[Sonicwolf]

Same... Can't stand the d-pad. On top of that, why has Sony still not swapped the d-pad and left analog stick? It's a recipe for hand cramps.

Try and figure this out - They have tried to distance themselves from the old PlayStation consoles yet they are still stuck with a controller designed in 1994...

[Pantechnicon]

No particular order here:

1. Atari 7800 standard controller - This thing is just brutal. I actually earned my official Twin Galaxies Missile Command ranking (http://www.twingalaxies.com/index.aspx?c=22&p=44623) using one of these at CGE2K7 because a 2600 with one of these attached was the only machine available at the time I went for the score. If I had a standard CX40 joystick at the time that score could have been doubled.

2. Atari 7800 gamepad* - The * means "it only sucks when used on a 2600". The d-pad/fire button orientation is backward to the CX40 joystick, so if that's what you cut your teeth on originally (as I did) this pad is impossible to use. Otherwise, for a game that I've never played, it's very nice.

3. Playstation D-pad - I like the dual shock, but this one just never felt right to me.

4. Atari Jaguar - Feels good to hold, but the d-pad can be kind of unforgiving, particularly with games like Kasumi Ninja, which rely on certain precise movements.

5. X-Box "Duke" Controller - Terrible button shapes, and the positioning of the white and black buttons seems almost like an afterthought. I read something once about this controller where the writer mused that the reason the Xbox did so poorly in in Asia was because this controller took up half the space in an average Japanese living room.

[The 1 2 P]

Gamecube controller: This just doesn't work for me and is very uncomfortable. If they moved some things around it might be playable then.

N64 controller: Um...it had promise but that promise was a lie. And since this existed during the PS1 dual shock and Saturn pad days, this was just an unexcusable wreck.

2600 paddle/joy stick: I'm not exactly sure what kind of joy I was suppose to get from this unless I was one of those sadomasachistic pain lovers. Fail.

[duo_r]

I was excited to get this Alps controller back in the day. Was supposed to be super comfortable, great for RPG's. When I used it I could not believe how horrible the D-pad was, and it had a very annoying angle to it.

http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/1/15509/829098-alpspad_super.jpg



The funny thing is people complaing about Sony's old design, but we almost got the boomerang controller with the PS3, complete with the same annoying angled D-pad:

http://www.frederiksamuel.com/blog/images/ps3con.jpg

[Sonicwolf]

Another of my least favorite controllers is the Intellivision controller. I liked the circular disk idea but the rest of the controller was just a mess. So many freaking buttons. If you dont have the overlays, the game is useless too.

[Diosoth]

Saturn analog controller- it's big and in an odd shape. It was made for use with only 1 game.

Dreamcast- it's a Saturn analog controller. Same cramped shape to hold. When I owned a Dreamcast I had to find a decent 3rd party controller.

The first model Logitech PS2 wireless- it's bigger than the original Xbox controller. Too big for the button layout and too big to hold. It was so bad they had to redesign a much smaller version.

Ascii SNES controller- I use this for the Retro Duo. My problem is all the turbo knobs, which are uncomfortable to touch or even try to move. I had to gut out the slider knob for the start button because my thumb kept bumping it during play.

[dr101z]

Least favorite: N64 by far. I remember all the hype for this controller before it was revealed and about how it was going to be a revolution in controller design and how it would change the face of gaming. As everyone saw it was the most elaborately designed piece of crap ever dropped onto the market. Three hand grips and buttons you couldn't reach unless you let go and repositioned one of your hands. WTF were they thinking!?!?

Say what you will about the Jaguar and Intellivision controllers but at least they were more practical in design. At least Nintendo redeemed themselves with the GameCube controller and again with the Wii controller.

[Game Freak]

My least favorite controller would just have to be the Genesis controller. I never know if the button actually "registers" cause theres very little of springiness to it. Also the D-Pad is awkward and it gives me cramps.

The NES pad also had the tendency to jab into my hands though....

[CosmicMonkey]

All Sony Dual Shock pads. It's bad enough trying to play WipEout HD with one, god knows how people are managing Street Fighter.

[mnbren05]

Say what you will about the Jaguar and Intellivision controllers but at least they were more practical in design.

I doubt any human being could find the Jaguar controller to be practical. It is sheer madness. Hell in Russia it was mistaken for a deformed potato with buttons. :wink 2:

[c0ldb33r]

I've always had problems with the nintendo 64 and Dreamcast controllers. I find a lot of second hand ones have very loose analog sticks. They just flop around and when you try to use them, you have to press a lot further than I'd like.

When they're pristine, they work fine, but they're I find they're screwed a lot of the time.

[Flippy8490]

I really am not a fan of the Atari Jaguar either, but Playstation Controllers annoy me no no end. Not ergonomic at all.

[boatofcar]

The 2600 stick was too stiff--I always prefered 3rd party sticks.

The NES Max was terrible.

The 7800 joystick had zero positive things going for it.

[Ed Oscuro]

7. DS

Once again I love my DS but I keep mixing up where the A button and the B button is.
It's not the buttons that bother me so much as the d-pad. Diagonals, please!

[makaar]

Really the only controller I never liked was the original duke xbox controller...just the worst design ever. I actually loved the N64, Dreamcast, and many others that most don't seem to like...just the huge xbox controller was horrible for fighting games and the like...

[k8track]

I've said it several times before and I'll say it again: my personal worst controllers are the TI-99 4/A joysticks. Fun games, horrible joysticks. Stiff and uncomfortable. If you can score an Atari 2600 joystick adapter, you'll be OK.


Atari Jaguar- Seriously wtf am I looking at (is what I think when I first saw the controller). An ugly, uncomfortable, bulky controller with way too many buttons. But wait you can add on overlays to enhance your experience! Even if you wrap a dead bird with pop corn, its still a dead bird.

I could not disagree more; I don't even know where to begin. (I've defended this controller in past threads.) It is comfortable and very pleasant to hold. And you have a beef with the numerical keypad and overlays? Seriously? Colecovision, Atari 5200, Intellivision, and even the Arcadia 2001 all had controllers with a numerical keypad, as well as making use of overlays (Intellivision really made use of them). So there was certainly historical precedent for that. It's one of the few gamepads I do like (the others being the Barracuda 2 third-party controller for the Playstation and the smaller "Mark 2" official Microsoft Xbox controller).

Having been raised on the classic systems, I was used to using my right hand for the joystick and the left for the fire buttons. When the NES came out and radically shifted that paradigm (i.e. using the left thumb for the control and the right thumb for the buttons), it took me YEARS to adjust. I still loathe and can't properly use the original NES gamepad; I've always had to use it "Jeff Healey-style" and put it flat on a tray on my lap, using my fingers, not thumbs, for the control and buttons. As usual, I am in the tiny minority, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

[bangtango]

I could not disagree more; I don't even know where to begin. (I've defended this controller in past threads.) It is comfortable and very pleasant to hold. And you have a beef with the numerical keypad and overlays? Seriously? Colecovision, Atari 5200, Intellivision, and even the Arcadia 2001 all had controllers with a numerical keypad, as well as making use of overlays (Intellivision really made use of them). So there was certainly historical precedent for that. It's one of the few gamepads I do like (the others being the Barracuda 2 third-party controller for the Playstation and the smaller "Mark 2" official Microsoft Xbox controller).

I agree with everything you said. I owned a Jaguar for 7 or 8 years. The Jaguar pad is one of the better ones I have used in my lifetime. Comfortable and pleasant to hold? Definitely. You didn't mention one of the other benefits but I am sure you've noticed that the A/B/C buttons on the Jaguar are fairly large which makes using them a cinch. Very nice controller.

The N64 controller is a piece of crap for a lot of reasons. Stupid yellow buttons. Flimsy ass controller stick. The N64 pad is a frigging joke, that's all it is.

The other controller I hate is that version of the 3-button Genesis controller (first party) which has a cord that is only about a foot long. Idiotic. I have no clue as to why 80% of the Genesis 3-button jobs had a regular length cord and a small number of them had that really short cord and unfortunately I've owned three of those bastards with a foot long cord. They are always the first to make it into my trade box. I broke a perfectly good Genesis when it crashed to the floor after an old dog of mine tripped over that short foot long cord and pulled the system off a counter.

[iycon]

i didn't like these,

Odessy2- dust and grime build up would make the stick flop to the side and not realign itself.

Colecovision- just cramped my hands.

Atari 5200- floppy stick AND cramped my hands, ugh.

These are just from systems ive actually have and experienced

[walrusmonger]

I hate the gamecube controller- it's comfortable to hold, but the giant green button, small red button, and odd x/y buttons blow.

I also hated the master system controller.

The PS/PS2/PS3 controllers are probably my favorites :) I loved the dreamcast controller too, but the dpad cut into my thumb.

[Zap!]

Try and figure this out - They have tried to distance themselves from the old PlayStation consoles yet they are still stuck with a controller designed in 1994...

I wish they would have stuck with their original winged design for the PS3.

[Ze_ro]

My least favorite controllers:
Atari 5200
The whole Dual Shock line
Intellivision
--Zero

[VACRMH]

N64. The only controller that made me buy a 3rd party controller (Hori)

Horrible, the controller was designed for one game, and trying to play most games was a chore. Doom 64 was terrible because of it.

[Nirvana]

Hmm. I love the Dual Shock pads.

I absolutely hate N64 and Gamecube controllers though. Never felt right to me.

[A Black Falcon]

The Nintendo 64 controller is the best controller ever (with the Saturn 3D Controller probably in second), and the Playstation controller/Dual Shock is the worst I have used myself. :)

... Okay, maybe not the worst, but the worst major one that I have used (NES or beyond first-party console controller, that is), for sure... I've always hated the Playstation controller. But first, I've never used any first or second generation systems myself, so I'm just talking NES and newer stuff, not anything from before that. And while I have played most systems from the NES on at least a bit, I haven't played ALL of them -- I've never used the controllers for the CD-i, Jaguar, Sega Master System (though you can just use the much better Genesis controllers with the thing), Atari 7800, or any Japan-only systems.

Anyway, as I said, I can't stand the Playstation controller, whether it's the Dual Shock 1, 2, or 3... they're all essentially the same. Even the original non-analog controller is mostly identical, aside from the analog and shoulder button size... and they're all bad. :). Why are they bad... hmm, let's make a list.

-The D-Pad. I HATE the missing-center design of this stupid thing! Awful...
-The button names. Triangle, Square, Circle, and X? Really? What? Why can't you just use normal button names like everyone else? It's really stupid and makes learning the controller a lot harder... it's intuitive that A and B will be next to eachother. Playstation shapes are, in comparison, definitely not intuitive, and are instead just annoying. I'll get to L1/L2/R1/R2 later...
-The analog stick/d-pad locations. It should have the GC/Saturn 3d/Xbox/etc design of putting the analog stick above and d-pad below, not the poor layout it has. It's more important to have the analog stick in a good position than the d-pad, as for me at least it's easier to use the d-pad in the lower position, while analog sticks suffer down there. Awful, awful design!
-Two shoulder buttons per side of the controller. Now this is something I've always hated. I just can't stand two-shoulder-buttons-per-side designs, and the Playstation was the first of the bunch. It's hard to use (what do I do, use my middle finger for the lower set? Switch between them), not a well thought out design, and just is somewhat confusing compared to single button per side shoulder designs.
-No triggers! I LOVED the triggers of the N64 controller and the Microsoft Sidewinder Gamepad (as well as the Saturn 3D Controller and the Xbox and Dreamcast pads). I think triggers are much superior to shoulder buttons, and are much easier to use. The DC, Saturn 3d, MS Sidewinder, and original Xbox controllers have essentially ideal designs on this, with two triggers and no shoulder buttons. Playstation is the model of what not to do.
-Face buttons -- only four, not six. I think six is a much better design that allows for a lot more options and makes some games, like fighting games, vastly superior. The Sega Genesis 6-button, N64, Saturn, original (non-S) Xbox, Microsoft Sidewinder, Saitek P880/990 families... all have six face buttons, and all are great controllers in part because of it. Sega and Nintendo both had six face buttons that gen... it's really too bad Sony didn'tget the memo too, the PSX controller would have been better with six face buttons, that's for sure! And now everyone is copying Sony's awful designs, instead of using better designs like the N64 or Saturn controllers... it's really sad. :( Six face button main controllers need to make a comeback, they're by far the best kind!

So yeah, the Playstation controller basically does everything wrong, compared to what I like about a gamepad, so I can't stand it. The only good thing I will say is that it is reasonably comfortable, unless you have to be using that awful d-pad for a long time... but other than that... ick (Oh, and built-in rumble is nice; the N64 rumble is great, but having to have batteries to power the rumble paks is a pain... I have one third-party batteryless N64 rumble pak, but it's not very strong. Oh well...).


I wish they would have stuck with their original winged design for the PS3.

I agree, it looked much more interesting than the bad old idea they went back to. It didn't fix any of the problems in my list here, though, so it wouldn't have been anything more than a repackaging of the same thing in a new form... but still, it'd have been nice. The boomerang looked pretty cool, quite unlike the PSX controller we have.

[jupitersj]

The other controller I hate is that version of the 3-button Genesis controller (first party) which has a cord that is only about a foot long. Idiotic. I have no clue as to why 80% of the Genesis 3-button jobs had a regular length cord and a small number of them had that really short cord and unfortunately I've owned three of those bastards with a foot long cord. They are always the first to make it into my trade box. I broke a perfectly good Genesis when it crashed to the floor after an old dog of mine tripped over that short foot long cord and pulled the system off a counter.

Probably Japanese controllers; most have extremely short cords due to living space is smaller.

[Astrosmash]

For me, this topic begins and ends with the Atari 5200. Sure, in terms of layout other controllers of the general era like the Colecovision's and my beloved Intellivision's weren't much better, but they still had one distinct advantage - they actually worked reliably, without major repair work.

I was also never too keen on the N64 controller's layout. And of course there are monstrosities like the 5200 Trackball or the Jaguar controller.

[PentiumMMX]

By long and far, the original Saturn controller. The people who complain about the N64 controller obviously never used the original version of the Saturn controller. It's big and bulky while also being impossible to hold comfortably. Also, don't get me started on the shoulder buttons...

Now, the Japanese-style Saturn controller was great; it was just the right size, comfortable to use, and the shoulder buttons worked better. Why didn't they just bring this over here at launch instead of giving US gamers that monstrosity of a controller? Did Sega really hate us that much after we refused to buy the 32X?

[lkermel]

The worse for me has to be the Intellivision controller -that gold disk was hell.

[punkrockdave]

I hated the N64 controller, it seems the only person who would be able to play it correctly would be Zaphod Beeblebrox. Also the NES controller never felt right to me,it was just too square.

[PresidentLeever]

N64 - Way too many buttons and just awkward to use properly.

Master system - Uncomfortable like the nes one but with a crappier d-pad.

Amiga joystick (black base, red stick) - The stick is too firm and both it and the buttons make this annoying click sound when used. Also, when positioned on a table like an arcade stick, the base is too small so you keep pushing it over when moving left/right unless you hold it down.

[duo_r]

Did you ever try the Alps controller for PS1? It had the same boomerang design. Trust me, you would not like the wing PS3 controller, it is plain goofy and retarded concept.


I wish they would have stuck with their original winged design for the PS3.

[Draven]

The 2600 stick was too stiff--I always prefered 3rd party sticks.

The NES Max was terrible.

The 7800 joystick had zero positive things going for it.

I LOVED the Max, probably my favorite controller of all time. Sure the circular d-pad left callouses that would make a cowboy jealous and it was terribly difficult to make precise movements at times, but the turbo feature enabled me to beat alot of games I would otherwise have no chance at. I had the Advantage and didn't enjoy it near as much.

But to the point, I would have to vote for the Atari joystick. Hard to move, hard to hold, poor button placement (and this was back when controllers were still called "paddles", and the NES hadn't been released yet). Followed closely by the N64 controller. Handles too close together, horrible faulty analog stick, and too many buttons crammed too close together.

[Steve W]

The Nintendo 64 controller was a bizarre design that took too much effort to get used to. A few people here seem to like it - they are, of course, completely wrong in every way and their irrational love of the N64 joypad brings their sanity into question. Monkeys playing with a CAD modeling program (only stopping briefly to shove bananas up each other's butts) must have designed it.

The Atari 5200 controller was a great example of why the video game crash happened. Atari just didn't care by this point, they assumed that anything they did would be an instant success, so they released crap games, bulky consoles, and controllers pretty much guaranteed to break long before they reach the end of their 90 day warranty. They had no respect for the consumers of their products and it brought the whole industry down.

The Colecovision's controller was amazingly bad. It seems like they wanted a joystick like Atari's, but a numeric pad and a large disc controller like the Intellivision. So they put the large disc on the top of the joystick and made the whole thing as un-ergonomic as possible. Ugh.

[Baloo]

What are you picks for the worst video game controllers? If there's already a topic on this, forgive me.

These are my least favorite:

Master System Control Stick

http://emu5ever.emuunlim.com/SMS_Maze/Sms-03060.jpg

The most awkward controller I've ever played with, the stick is raised too high and is on the wrong side. Did they make this so that it should be set on a table or something? It just feels really uncomfortable.

Sega Saturn Model 1

http://www.syntaxerror.nu/joy049.jpg

The buttons are overall terrible on this controller. The L and R can barely be pressed, the regular buttons are oddly shaped and too small, and the controller doesn't really fit your hand.

Nintendo 64

http://www.syntaxerror.nu/joy018.jpg

Designed with aliens in mind, very fragile, and topped off with really rough edges in the top of the analog stick, which destroyed your palm when playing Mario Party 1.

[Mobius]

The worst part of the Saturn model 1 controller is that they already had an absolutely brillianly perfect controller, then they redesigned it to that for the US. Why??

I'll defend the N64 controller to the death, though.

[GarrettCRW]

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=128639&highlight=controllers

[PapaStu]

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=128639&highlight=controllers

Threads merged...

The N64 controller was fine. I never had a single problem with it and I played ALOT of N64.

[Agressivadue]

OEM: "The Duke"

Aftermarket: Agetec arcade stick (DC)/ Hori arcade stick (Wii) and any other JAMMA style arcade sticks. I hate the "square" swing of the stick, and the weight of the buttons. They're more comfortable to sit in your lap than a 1p X-Arcade though, so I'm not above using them.

Now that I think of it, X-Arcade because they don't sit in your lap too good, and gimmick type crap like Power Glove.

[betamax001]

The N64 wasn't terrible. It's a bit cramped but not to the point of being cramped like the Saturn Model 1 controllers. I would probably play more Saturn if I had the good controllers. Oh well. The only reason I hate the Genesis 3 button controller is the amazingly short cord. I love the Dual Shock 2 becuase i can have my PS2 pretty far away and still have it reach my couch. The Genesis? I have to have it 2 feet away from the couch and it still dosent reach the couch well. WTF Sega? Every controller I have is of decent length except Sega systems. The Saturn and the Dreamcast it affects too. Sheesh.

[vivaeljason]

I like the N64 controller; always have. It's comfortable and the three grips allow for multiple ways to hold it depending on the game.

That said, I disliked just about every Atari controller --

The 2600 was awkward to hold and always felt weird in my hands, like I might snap it off.

The 5200 controller broke WAAAAAAAAAAAY too easily.

And the Jaguar controller, while comfortable to hold, looked ridiculous -- some may defend the numeric pad, but it was unnecessary and pretty stupid.

I also echo the sentiments about the Saturn controller; also, the Dreamcast controller was way too big, but quite comfortable.

[betamax001]

I actually broke an Atari 2600 joystick before...i fell on it and the stick just broke...

[Kiddo]

Aftermarket: Agetec arcade stick (DC)/ Hori arcade stick (Wii) and any other JAMMA style arcade sticks. I hate the "square" swing of the stick, and the weight of the buttons. They're more comfortable to sit in your lap than a 1p X-Arcade though, so I'm not above using them.


This one seems kinda strange in an era where every other Fighter fan seems to prefer the "square" swing. I myself tend to like HAPP-style sticks mostly due to sheer nostalgia, but don't see any inherent problem with emulating the Japanese-style arcade sticks more.
(Of course, said fighter buffs would instead say these stink because they're not Sanwa/Seimitsu/other major brand-stock parts)

[kedawa]

I could just compile a list of terrible PC gamepads and third-party controllers, but I imagine everyone else hates those things, too.

I hate the sixaxis/DS3 for a couple of reasons. First of all, those goofy backwards triggers are just loose and annoying. Secondly, they use those stupid convex rubber-coated analog sticks. I'll never understand why Sony abandoned the concave plastic sticks that were used in the PS1 Dual Analog Controller. Those were great.

The Wiimote is bad for a number of reasons, but the thing that drives me nuts is the tiny dpad and buttons. If they were just a bit bigger, it would actually make a good controller in the horizontal position. It also could have used a SNES style 4-button layout instead of all those goofy little buttons scattered around the pad. It also gets no love for being half-assed and requiring an upgrade to work the way it was supposed to to begin with.

The original XBOX controller does three things right, namely the cord, the triggers and analog sticks. Every thing else about it sucks. The buttons are misshapen and poorly placed, the dpad is just awful, and the overall shape and size are just an ergonomic disaster.

The N64 controller is pretty horrible as well. It has six face buttons, but the placement and size is all wrong. The outer prongs serve no purpose whatsoever. The analog stick isn't all that bad until it gets worked in, but then it's practically useless.

Sega of America's Saturn pad is just a disaster. It's the same basic concept as the japanese pad, but everything is ruined. The dpad is weird and unresponsive. The buttons feel terrible, and the shoulder buttons are just don't even seem like actual buttons. I can live with the bulkiness, but I still prefer the size and shape of the japanese pad. The really bizarre thing is that one of the best USB pads I've ever owned is a clone of the american Saturn pad. It's a cheaply-made chinese knock-off with transparent blue and clear shell and buttons, like it's designed to match the original iMac, and by some miracle the manufacturer fixed damn near every flaw with the original design. I would actually rate it higher than the real USB Saturn pads if it weren't for the poor durability.

As for anything older, I never had too much trouble with any of the older pads. I prefer the 6-button genesis pad to the 3-button one, and I like the NES pad more than the SMS pad, but I don't really hate any of the older stuff.

[Kitsune Sniper]

This piece of trash.

http://img357.imageshack.us/img357/2144/img0012bq9.jpg

This is the absolute WORST Dreamcast controller EVER MADE. The buttons are HORRIBLE, they're just too damn tight - I had to push the buttons with a lot of force, and I hurt my hand with them! And the stick was stiff and wouldn't respond to any input properly. Just fucking horrible.

[BetaWolf47]

To everyone complaining about certain controllers: none of the ones you're complaining about are truly bad. I've read through and none are as bad as the monstrosity I blew my allowance on a decade ago. It's a 3rd-party N64 controller gone horribly, horribly wrong.

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/7771/dscf0140hr1.jpg

All of the controllers discussed thus far have something in common: They actually work! Even if they work poorly, they work. Not this POS. This controller did react to my input, but its reaction cannot be considered "function" in any way.

I did a review here (http://s9.zetaboards.com/Nintendo_64_Forever/single/?p=5958&t=7155127) a few years back.
tl;dr version of the review:
-The analog stick doesn't work at all. It just stays left the whole time, no matter how you press it.
-The way it is cut, it slices into your fingers worse than the old NES controller.
-One of the shoulder buttons didn't work.
-After trying it again after all this time, it doesn't do anything other than make my games freeze.

I paid at least $19.99 for it back in the day, and it didn't even work out of the box. You're better off with an Atari 2600 controller with only one action button hooked up to your N64 than this POS.


The Wiimote is bad for a number of reasons, It also gets no love for being half-assed and requiring an upgrade to work the way it was supposed to to begin with.
I've done a fair amount of research into this. The specific sensor it uses wasn't made until 2007. There was no viable solution in 2006.

[Kiddo]

This piece of trash.

http://img357.imageshack.us/img357/2144/img0012bq9.jpg

This is the absolute WORST Dreamcast controller EVER MADE. The buttons are HORRIBLE, they're just too damn tight - I had to push the buttons with a lot of force, and I hurt my hand with them! And the stick was stiff and wouldn't respond to any input properly. Just fucking horrible.

Oh dangit, you just had to remind me of that -THING'S - existence. I couldn't figure out the heck that was even remotely arcade-stick life, except maybe the microswitched stick, but... what the hell's with the SHAPES? egh.

(Also, are we like 3 pages in without a soul mentioning the Power Glove?)

[XYXZYZ]

http://img.epinions.com/images/opti/25/5f/gameHardwareAccessoriesPlaystation2InterAct_Shadow Blade_Arcade_Stick-resized200.jpg
The Interact Shadowblade.

I have used some cheap, shitty joysticks in my time (It seems most of them were made during the PS2 era) but this one is the worst. It's sleek and very durable, but you CANNOT play video games with it. The buttons are way too big and too far apart, and you have to press them with the force of your whole arm to get the switch to contact. The joystick looks cool with one of those sportscar shifter boot things, but the throw is wider than a Walmart customer in a motorized shopping chair and diagonals are impossible. Don't do it!

[vivaeljason]

(Also, are we like 3 pages in without a soul mentioning the Power Glove?)

But...I love the Power Glove. It's so bad.

I never had a Power Glove, so I can't comment. I *did* have a U-Force, though, and that thing was a piece. of. garbage.

[123►Genei-Jin]

Atari 2600 really ackward design and low quality/durability.

Intellivision/Collecovision/5200, never been a fan of calculator/phone controllers, don't want to hate on them due to age.

NES, hate the sharp edges, but still too old too criticize together with recent stuff.

Master system, not a fan of the D-pad neither, I don't really hate it though.

N64 is the absolute worst, I think everything's been said already so I'm not gonna list all it's flaws again.

DC controller and Saturn analog, never liked the shape of these, at least the Saturn one has a decent D-pad, the D-pad on the DC controller is way too small.

As for my favs, Neo-Geo old strick, Neo-Geo CD pad, Saturn pad, Genesis 6 buttons pad and the entire Playstation line (incliding the original digital-only controller)

[Rogue]

The Nintendo 64 controller is the best controller ever (with the Saturn 3D Controller probably in second), and the Playstation controller/Dual Shock is the worst I have used myself. :)
Anyway, as I said, I can't stand the Playstation controller, whether it's the Dual Shock 1, 2, or 3... they're all essentially the same. Even the original non-analog controller is mostly identical, aside from the analog and shoulder button size... and they're all bad. :). Why are they bad... hmm, let's make a list.

I agree 99% with you. The worst is the Playstation controllers (all of them).

The only thing wrong, imo, is: everyone copied the SNES pad, not the Playstation.
It's what the PS controller is, a copy of which one sony thought of being the best. Just with two shoulders added.
I never liked the SNES controller too.

The sad thing is that even nintendo rereleased their worst controller for the wii (and ds)... They made fantastic controllers for the N64 and Gamecube and changed everything back due to the playstation sucess.

[BetaWolf47]

I forgot to mention, the Wii Classic Controller is my least favorite current-gen controller, and perhaps my least favorite first party Nintendo controller of all time. I could tell when I first held it that I was going to have trouble with the little *****.

ZR and ZL are in awkward positions. It's basically Nintendo screaming, "We don't want to get sued by Sony, and we're too lazy to try something else!" To make matters worse, the analog sticks are too close together. And to top that off, the rear shell is convex for no freaking reason. That makes the thing extremely awkward to hold. For some reason, the dpad doesn't agree with my thumb either. I've been hunting for a 3rd-party solution for a while.

[c0ldb33r]

I forgot to mention, the Wii Classic Controller is my least favorite current-gen controller...
I agree 100%. I was also surprised with how crappy the build quality is. The d-pad on my broke. I can't press left on it. I've never had that happy on a Nintendo product :(

[AMG]

I have to go with the Gamecube controller. While very comfortable in the hands, I absolutely hate the extremely small D-Pad. I like using a D-Pad instead of an analog stick for some games, but I find this one to be completely unusable.

[Game Freak]

I have to complain about the GameCube's D-Pad as well. I love the SSX games, Tricky and 3 that is, but when I go to playa it, my left thumb gets SOOOO sore from trying to do flips and 360s and mistys and whatnot its ridiculous. It pinches your fingers and hurts afterwards for quite some time.

I also dont like the original Genesis controller. I would much rather prefer the tiny LaserActive one I have.