Top Ten worst video game controllers

[CelticJobber]

Everyone complains about how easy the N64's joystick is to break, but I never see any complaints about the Dreamcast stick. Mine lost stability after about 6 months, but I never had any problems with the N64 controllers I had for years. And overall, the Dreamcast controller is much more awkward that the N64 one.

[Arkhan]

Everyone complains about how easy the N64's joystick is to break, but I never see any complaints about the Dreamcast stick. Mine lost stability after about 6 months, but I never had any problems with the N64 controllers I had for years. And overall, the Dreamcast controller is much more awkward that the N64 one.

See the Dreamcast is my favorite controller EVER. I think controller favoritism is somewhat biased at times, based off of the players hands! :)

Dreamcast joysticks overall were a nicer design. Sometimes they lose stability (alot like the old CoCo 3/ Vectrex joysticks that stop springing back to center), but the orb-like design of the entire stick keeps it operating smoothly..... this design is seen in dual shock, and xbox controllers now also, and even appeared on the Saturn.....

whereas the N64 one is that goony little stick and over time, depending how hard you are on it, it ends up getting really rough just to rotate the thing. All my friends with mario party trashed their controllers so bad that you felt noticeable resistance/grinding when you tried rotating the stick around to play games like star fox.

[Push Upstairs]

Everyone complains about how easy the N64's joystick is to break, but I never see any complaints about the Dreamcast stick. Mine lost stability after about 6 months, but I never had any problems with the N64 controllers I had for years. And overall, the Dreamcast controller is much more awkward that the N64 one.

I've personally observed more broke N64 sticks than I have Dreamcast ones.

[BetaWolf47]

Geesh, all of my N64 controllers are worn to the worst possible level. That's really the only undeniable flaw that one can't ignore. I can still use them fine, but it's not nearly as comfortable or natural as using a fresh controller.

[Baloo]

After over a decade of owning a Nintendo 64, I've only had one controller that got worn enough to notice. It seems the Analog stick is prone to breaking especially, and the rest of the controller isn't much better.

I went into a McDonalds that had some Nintendo 64 kiosks, only to see that nearly all the controllers were broken in one form or another. The 1-player controller one one kiosk wasn't plugged in, Mario Tennis kiosks the analog stick wasn't even there, Mario Party 3 the right handle of the controller had broken and was taped over with Duct Tape, and the Dr. Mario 64 one's right handle was also broken, but only the back half of the handle.

It seems the controllers just are too prone to breaking, and can't handle wear and tear.

[Arkhan]

I dont know if a Mcdonalds full of rampaging nimrods under the age of 5 is a good way to gauge its sturdiness.

bah, it probably is.

[backguard]

This might sound facetious...but it's not:

The Wii. God I hate those controllers.

[Compute]

I agree that the list should be all OEM or all third party. I used to collect odd controllers and I made it to waaaay more than 10 before I sold them off. Here are some of my least favorite third-party controllers:

Anything made by 'Quickshot'..I'm thinking specifically of one that looks like an intv controller without the numpad. There is also one that *LOOKS* like a trackball but you tilt the ball in a dpad fashion, blegh.

Beeshu Zoomer: an early 'flight yoke' type controller available for multiple platforms, this didn't really work for anything. Although it makes Ninja Gaiden quite interesting.

Rock n Roller: nuff said

Victormaxx Stuntmaster: Billed as a 'Virtual Reality' helmet, they at least tried. The only reason I call this a 'controller' is that there was a post you would stick to your shoulder which would allow the unit to 'track' whether you were pointed left or right and make the appropriate dpad movement. Plagued with low resolution and waaaaay too much weight, the Stuntmaster was defintely a sign of what we wanted to see at the time (sega vr plz), but it just fell short in every way. Maybe it would be better for POV pr0n haha.

[betamax001]

Rock n Roller: nuff said

I will always think of the AVGN saying "I'm drinking Rolling Rock on the Rock n Roller!" I'm not sure why that makes laugh as much as it does.

I really honestly do like the N64 controller. I really cant think of a game that really needs the d- pad anyway so i just hold the middle prong with my left hand and the right prong with my right hand. It's not too clumsy. It's not my favorite, but its not the worst.

I'm surprised no one mentioned the un-ergonomicness of the NES controller. Those can't be comfortable to hold after hours upon play. But it was alot better than those early 80s controllers. But these were when game systems were in their infancy so I can't really imagine controller makers really knowing what worked and what didn't. Once people knew what really was awesome (SNES primarily) they kept using that formula and improved it (Playstation) or completely ignored that (many Atari systems)

[Scott45]

No one has complained about the first (or one of the first) third party controllers, Le Stick?
with it's mercury switches and top mounted fire button that you turned, tilted and then threw through the wall in frustration?


Then the Wico sticks, the perfection of the batwing and the painful horror called the Boss.

(All of these were for the Atari 2600)

except for the 5200 controllers there weren't any pack in controllers that I couldn't get used to eventually. Those intellivision controllers were painful after 10 minutes but I could use the Colecovision controllers for hours playing Mr.Do

[T2KFreeker]

Why does everyone rag on the Jaguar pad? It really is not a bad controller. I have played with much worse. Anyone messed around with the Goldstar 3DO Pads?

[Wraith Storm]

Why does everyone rag on the Jaguar pad? It really is not a bad controller. I have played with much worse. Anyone messed around with the Goldstar 3DO Pads?

I have often wondered this myself. I think it's a little bit big and would have benefited from a more compact design, but in all honesty however, it's one of the most comfortable controllers I have ever used and it works well.

I think most people look at it and say "HOLY S#!T that controller is huge! Thats stupid and it sucks!" Most people can't get over the size and think its crap because of that.

For me the Jag controller is both comfortable and responsive and aren't those the two most important factors for a controller?

[j_factor]

I think it's mainly the fact that it included a numerical keypad. Considering when it came out, that was just a big WTF decision on their part.

[Gameguy]

I'm surprised no one mentioned the original Sega Master System controllers. They had the wires come out the side of the controller, right where you'd want to hold them. Plus, they don't seem to have a good D-pads. I played Rampage and had lots of trouble getting the monsters to climb up the buildings, the just kept walking left and right of them when I just wanted to press up. I had similar problems while playing other games, I can't remember exactly but I think it was Double Dragon as you had to press up to pull off one of the moves and it didn't always work for me.

[MarioMania]

Is the Duke better for FPS like Doom 3??

[betamax001]

After over a decade of owning a Nintendo 64, I've only had one controller that got worn enough to notice. It seems the Analog stick is prone to breaking especially, and the rest of the controller isn't much better.

I went into a McDonalds that had some Nintendo 64 kiosks, only to see that nearly all the controllers were broken in one form or another. The 1-player controller one one kiosk wasn't plugged in, Mario Tennis kiosks the analog stick wasn't even there, Mario Party 3 the right handle of the controller had broken and was taped over with Duct Tape, and the Dr. Mario 64 one's right handle was also broken, but only the back half of the handle.

It seems the controllers just are too prone to breaking, and can't handle wear and tear.


That might be more vandalism then anything : /


I think it's mainly the fact that it included a numerical keypad. Considering when it came out, that was just a big WTF decision on their part.

It STILL is a big WTF decision. We hadn't seen a keypad since the early 80s and havent seen one since. Because it's a stupid idea. If you're not a phone or a keyboard you dont need a number pad.

[Sonicwolf]

It STILL is a big WTF decision. We hadn't seen a keypad since the early 80s and havent seen one since. Because it's a stupid idea. If you're not a phone or a keyboard you dont need a number pad.

I agree wholeheartedly. Number pads were a failed experiment that ended up just being a gimmicky over-complication. There was no excuse for having a console as late as the Jaguar with a controller that had a numeric pad and overlays.

[j_factor]

I'm surprised no one mentioned the original Sega Master System controllers. They had the wires come out the side of the controller, right where you'd want to hold them. Plus, they don't seem to have a good D-pads. I played Rampage and had lots of trouble getting the monsters to climb up the buildings, the just kept walking left and right of them when I just wanted to press up. I had similar problems while playing other games, I can't remember exactly but I think it was Double Dragon as you had to press up to pull off one of the moves and it didn't always work for me.

The good thing about Master System controllers is you don't have to use them. A Genesis controller works nicely for all but a handful of games. I think a two-button Commodore/Atari joystick would also work (but not the 7800 controller).

[T2KFreeker]

I agree wholeheartedly. Number pads were a failed experiment that ended up just being a gimmicky over-complication. There was no excuse for having a console as late as the Jaguar with a controller that had a numeric pad and overlays.

Actually, for the games that utilized the keypad, it was awesome. Being able to push a button to go straight to a weapon on the fly instead of cycling through them was awesome. Games like DOOM, Wolfenstein and Iron Soldier benefited greatly from the controllers design. As for it being big, the funny thing about that argument is the fact that the XBOX, Dreamcast, and PS3 all have controllers just as big as the Jaguar Pad. However, I always was a bit perplexed as to why the key pad was not removable? If it could have slid in and out of the control pad in a convenient way, it might have been better received. Anyway, the pad may be considered horrid by some peoples standards, but the system has become a thing of ridicule that it doesn't deserve as the Jaguar is a much better system than you would think as it has some really brilliant games released for it. The fact that on some lists it ranks higher as a failure than the Virtual Boy is just insulting and stupid.

[diskoboy]

Wow... Most of the controllers on that list, I happen to like.

Namely: Duke, the Inty, and Jaguar controllers.

I, however, can't argue with the 5200, and Texas Instrument controllers. And as much as people complained about them, I'm surprised the Dreamcast controllers didn't make the list. I liked the Dreamcasts controllers, but with a VMU and jump pack installed, the thing was really damn heavy.

I would definitely add Colecovision's controllers to the list. My hands cramp up after about 15 minutes of play, on the CV controllers.

[Kiddo]

After over a decade of owning a Nintendo 64, I've only had one controller that got worn enough to notice. It seems the Analog stick is prone to breaking especially, and the rest of the controller isn't much better.

I went into a McDonalds that had some Nintendo 64 kiosks, only to see that nearly all the controllers were broken in one form or another. The 1-player controller one one kiosk wasn't plugged in, Mario Tennis kiosks the analog stick wasn't even there, Mario Party 3 the right handle of the controller had broken and was taped over with Duct Tape, and the Dr. Mario 64 one's right handle was also broken, but only the back half of the handle.

It seems the controllers just are too prone to breaking, and can't handle wear and tear.

You can't fairly gauge on a kiosk model because of how many kids may purposely try to break that stuff.

At a local K-mart I've gone to, nearly EVERY kiosk it had broke, with the sole exception being it's Gamecube kiosk. Currently they have a Guitar Hero Kiosk, and - guess what? The Drums are busted, the guitar's missing it's pedal, and the thing's generally nigh unplayable on it.

[arakias]

yeah I would agree the N64 official controller was the worst right out of the box.

[MetalFRO]

I think that the original Xbox controller gets a bad rap... honestly, it never gave me many issues, and I think that I have normal sized hands.

Agreed. Same folks that generally hate on the Dreamcast controller (nothing wrong with it), or the 3-D Saturn analog controller (awesome, really). I guess people just don't like large controllers. However, the Jaguar controller was rightfully disdained. It's just not very well made, and clunky to boot.

[BetaWolf47]

I will always think of the AVGN saying "I'm drinking Rolling Rock on the Rock n Roller!" I'm not sure why that makes laugh as much as it does.
It's still not as funny as "Wow! I killed a duck by saying 'Fuck!'"

I want to know how people hate the Dreamcast controller. It's really not that big.

[Push Upstairs]

The only thing I really don't like about the Dreamcast controller is the d-pad on it.

That thing is total ass.

Edit: I also think the analog triggers on the Saturn Analog stick are somewhat better.

[zektor]

Not to mean to bump an old thread, but something has to be said for some of the controllers on the list here.

First, the Duke controller (in my personal opinion) should not even be listed here. I admit that when I finally got around to getting an Xbox, it came with an S controller. It was not until recently (a few days ago actually) that I came upon a pre-owned Duke at a local Gamestop and purchased it for use with an Xbox to PC adapter I had laying around. Man, this controller just kicks ass. I don;t have huge hands, but nonetheless this controller just feels RIGHT. I played some Robotron in Mame using the analogs and scored higher than I ever have before. The D-Pad is the finest I think I have ever used. The size is great, as when I play my hands never get cramped....which was always an issue with PS2 controllers as well as some others I have used. Yep, this controller should be somewhere in a top 10 BEST list. Don't hate it just because it is big ;)

As for the Jaguar controller being on here as well.....what? I thought this was pretty darn comfortable. I played hours and hours of Tempest 2k using it back in the day, and once again never had to deal with a cramp. Again we are talking about another bug controller here that feels pretty darn good.

Not everyone thinks a controller is better because it is smaller yah know!

[SegaAges]

Having third party controllers on the list kinda short circuits the whole list.

I couldn't agree more.

Plus I know that I can find far worse 3rd party controllers for systems as well.

The Jaguar controller, from my little experience with it, was really not bad. Sure, an Ass load of buttons, but it was not that bad

[vivaeljason]

The Jaguar controller, from my little experience with it, was really not bad. Sure, an Ass load of buttons, but it was not that bad

The problem I had with the Jaguar controller (the original variant, anyway) was that it was just three "action" buttons. I think that the 3 button version was outdated for the time and was only going to cause third-party developers to shy away due to the difficulty in porting things like, for instance, fighting games.

Obviously, that wasn't the only problem with the Jaguar, but the controller didn't help matters.

[bacteria]

I have used a number of controllers on systems, indeed the intellivision one sucks, the button pad wasn't easy to press quickly, the side buttons meant changing your hand position and after a couple of hours your forefinger got a bit black from the dial!

The Jaguar one is too hard to hold to be sensible.

One not listed here - Atari 2600 - cramps your hands quickly and also you need to ram the stick side to side to register movements.

The N64 official controller "the Tri one" was hard to hold properly, if you could.

Third parties do get controllers right sometimes - the MadCatz DreamCast controller is miles better than the official one because the joystick uses regular methods not magnets; and the SuperPad 64 is an excellent N64 controller with its massive but easy to use joystick.

IMO.

[Joshie]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a3/Nesmax.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NES_Max

This. When I was younger I always was not in favor of this first party controller. For some reason my family thought these were the bee's knees and bought many of them, thus having to force small me to constantly switch controllers, a timesuck when I had limited time to play already before school or bed. Oh NES Max, I will exact my revenge someday.

[MetalFRO]

Not to mean to bump an old thread, but something has to be said for some of the controllers on the list here.

First, the Duke controller (in my personal opinion) should not even be listed here. I admit that when I finally got around to getting an Xbox, it came with an S controller. It was not until recently (a few days ago actually) that I came upon a pre-owned Duke at a local Gamestop and purchased it for use with an Xbox to PC adapter I had laying around. Man, this controller just kicks ass. I don;t have huge hands, but nonetheless this controller just feels RIGHT. I played some Robotron in Mame using the analogs and scored higher than I ever have before. The D-Pad is the finest I think I have ever used. The size is great, as when I play my hands never get cramped....which was always an issue with PS2 controllers as well as some others I have used. Yep, this controller should be somewhere in a top 10 BEST list. Don't hate it just because it is big ;)

As for the Jaguar controller being on here as well.....what? I thought this was pretty darn comfortable. I played hours and hours of Tempest 2k using it back in the day, and once again never had to deal with a cramp. Again we are talking about another bug controller here that feels pretty darn good.

Not everyone thinks a controller is better because it is smaller yah know!

Well said. I quite like the Saturn 3D controller, in part because of its size and shape. I like how it feels in my hands, which is why I get along fine w/ the Dreamcast controller. My favorite overall controller is probably the PSX/PS2 controller, though I admit the size is a bit small in some ways - the layout & usability is high, but for my somewhat large hands, it'd be nice to have a slightly larger version of the stock Sony controller to my hands don't get cramped up like they did after hours of holding on to the original Gameboy ROFL

Not sure if it's the "worst ever", but My least favorite controller I've ever owned was a Mad Catz original PSX controller. Not sure if it was just that one or what, but I bought it new and buttons stopped working on it after only 4 months. One of the "mushroom tops" on the analog sticks came off, and it just went downhill from there. After too many rounds of failing miserably at Ninja: Shadow of Darkness (MAN, I still get nightmares about that awful game), I had enough & threw that controller on the ground repeatedly. Thankfully, my wife had the good sense to pick it up & just throw it in the garbage can!

[Mimi Nakamura]

The PlayStation controller has be one of the worst ever. The design of the D-Pad is terrible! Definitely style over function - it simply doesn't work with games that require quick combination inputs e.g Street Fighter Zero 3.

[Richter Belmount]

The PlayStation controller has be one of the worst ever. The design of the D-Pad is terrible! Definitely style over function - it simply doesn't work with games that require quick combination inputs e.g Street Fighter Zero 3.

......psp's worse >_>

[Baloo]

The PlayStation controller has be one of the worst ever. The design of the D-Pad is terrible! Definitely style over function - it simply doesn't work with games that require quick combination inputs e.g Street Fighter Zero 3.

Yeah, that's one game that destroys my thumb when I play it on Playstation. The D-Pad is horrible for fighting games.

[TheCaptain]

I actually really kind of liked the Jaguar's controller, mainly because of the grip along the backside of the controller and the fact that the # and * buttons would reset the console for you if need be, it was kind of a nice touch back in those days. The number pad was a little much, but all In all it never got in my way when I was playing games so I didn't hate it too much, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't understand all the hatred towards the Jaguar's controller. I guess it's a preference thing.

Oh well.

[Emuaust]

Well I like the playstation controller and have never had an issue with 2d fighters, the controller I dislike is the wii remote, for a lot f games ive playd I find it too uncomfortable ie: NSMB Wii

[Zap!]

Although I disagree with the list, it is entertaining. Is there a similar best controllers list?

[BydoEmpire]

Pretty weak list, I don't think I'd have half of those controllers on my "worst 10." The 5200 and Inty controllers are fairly comfortable, and with the exception of a handful of poorly-programmed games on the 5200, completely usable. I don't know what peoples' problem is with the Inty disc. The only problem with that controller is the little side buttons, which make your thumbs sore after a while.

The 7800 Prolines would be my #1 by far - it's incredibly uncomfortable, and cramps my hands after just a few minutes. It's virtually unusable for me. I've tried many times, but it's just bad.

The stock Colecovision controllers are awful as well - it's uncomfortable, and that nubby stick is too stiff. If it weren't for the excellent Super Action joystick controller I'd never play a CV.

I would have the original Xbox controller on my worst list. Not because of the size, but because the action buttons are uncomfortable (too rounded) and the L/R triggers are too stiff, which leads to cramps. The S is much, much better, and both Xbox controllers' rubber-tipped sticks are the best out there. My thumbs slip off the Cube & PS2 sticks.

Intellivision 2 - I like the stock Inty controllers, but the Inty 2 controllers are a pale substitute. The plastic edge where the disc sits is sharp, the side buttons are as bad or worse than the Inty's, and worst of all, the 'membrane' style keypad doesn't have the satisfying click.

Dreamcast - super floaty dpad that constantly fought against you in fighting games, and the odd angle you had to hold your hands led to some cramping. It's not that terrible, but that dpad just kills me.

As for best, that's easier for me:
Epyx 500XJ - wonderful click feel, tight controls, and comfortable.
Gamecube - it felt like butter in your hands - the sticks weren't great, but it felt so good to hold. The triggers have a great feeling as well, with the soft click when fully engaged.
Atari 2600 joystick - classic. Comfortable, accurate, very usable.
Xbox 360 - comfortable, usable... same excellent rubber-tipped sticks from the Xbox controller.
SNES - the perfect fighter and 2D game pad. Good-sized and tight, comfortable Dpad, well-placed buttons... pretty much perfect.

[buzz_n64]

List sucks ass. Xbox fat controller is one of my favorite, if not my favorite controller. Fits my hands perfectly, and thought the new "s" controllers were for children. Too small. The xbox controller to me was an improved dreamcast controller.

Number 1 should be 5200 controllers. I've had horrible expeirences from childhood, dying because of the damn controller. I love the system, but atari messed up big time.

number 2- intellivision, what the hell were they thinking?

3- n64 switch to d pad, switch to analog, and back. thought it was cool at the time, but forget about nastalga, and take it for what it is, a concept that shouldn't have been finalized.

[Valkrazhor]

I've only really played systems from the NES era and beyond. Those remote controller looking controllers do look quite horrible though. All of the 8-Bit and 16-Bit era controllers have been a joy to use for me. The 3D era is when I started having problems. I know I'm in the minority when I say this but personally I can't stand the Nintendo 64 controller. Horrible D-Pad and analog stick placement. Not to mention that its analog stick always felt way to loose and slippery for its own good. Thanks to this controller I haven't been able to fully enjoy much of the Nintendo 64's already small library. The Gamecube controller was a step in the right direction but still felt a bit too gimmicky with its somewhat funky shaped buttons and layout and the D-Pad was in an even worse spot this time around. It fit in my hand nice though, probably because it didn't have three handles... Hah. Plus it had a decent analog stick. I was able to control Zelda: OoT much better on that than I ever was on the Nintendo 64 controller. Still, Nintendo should have kept it simple like the ace Playstation and Dreamcast controllers did.