Top Ten worst video game controllers

[crom]

By Craig Harris at IGN
http://ca.askmen.com/top_10/top_10/2_top_10.html

Number 10
5200 Controller

http://www.atariage.com/5200/images/misc/5200_Controller_intro.jpg

Though Nintendo didn't truly innovate with analog controllers out of the box, at least the company got it right. Atari's attempt two decades prior was just unbelievably weak -- the company created an analog joystick that didn't even center itself when released, and its engineers used material for its buttons that seemed to deteriorate at room temperature.

And the games were challenging, but not in a good sense -- with this thing, trying to get Pitfall Harry to jump over a gap was just as difficult as trying to stop him from running to the right.

Number 9
Turbo Touch 360
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xSMtJQbhDbY/SlwQKA7OVoI/AAAAAAAABgI/RYtIcI1z0YE/s320/turbotouch360.gif

Dear Control Engineers:

Please don't remove the D-pad on a controller in favor of a touch-sensitive surface. You may try to con fighting gamers into thinking it'll make smooth circular motions easier, but you may not realize they like to rest their thumb on the pad when idle. Thanks.

Your pal,
Craig

Number 8
U-Force
http://image.examiner.com/images/blog/wysiwyg/image/u-force.jpg

What looks like a laptop when folded and a Death Star access panel when open? One of the most ridiculous third-party controllers ever conceived, that’s what. Infrared beams shot out of this unit's surface and tried to interpret hand motions as controller movements, but did it work? Know anyone who owned this thing? There you go.


Number 7
Power Glove
http://www.club-nintendo.ch/boutique-2007/images/powerglove.jpg

One of the history’s stupidest controllers is also considered one of the most classic simply due to the brilliant marketing practice known as "product placement." The Wizard, starring Fred Savage, was a 90-minute Nintendo commercial for Mattel's Power Glove and Super Mario Bros. 3, even going so far as to use both items in the movie trailer. So even if you didn't pay your six bucks for a movie ticket, you were still assaulted with the branding. Oh, and you won't look as cool as an ‘80s Nintendo wizard when you strap it on, so don't bother.

Number 6
TI-99 Joystick
http://www.mainbyte.com/ti99/computers/joystick.jpg

Computers in the ‘80s weren't meant for the gaming market, but let's be realistic: That's all we really used those things for anyway. Texas Instruments' TI-99, a computer with an optional disk drive twice as massive, jumped on the gaming market early on with a bunch of classic games like, uh… M*A*S*H, and, uh… some Pac-Man clone.

Anyway, you had the choice of controlling these games with either: a) the keyboard or; b) one of the crappiest, most unresponsive, piece-of-junk joysticks ever produced. But hey, there were two of them!


Number 5
Philips CDi Game Controller
http://pics.shorty.org/files/195/philips_cdi_controller_1.jpg

Philips certainly had its heart in the right place -- it just didn't have any brains. The Philips CDi was a dead-on-arrival, straight-to-infomercial multimedia system with a huge focus on games. But with a really retarded set of remote controller designs, from the sluggish and wildly inaccurate analog unit to a digital pad that looked more like a crack pipe than a controller, these guys really knew how to woo the gaming public. But at least the system had Zelda!


Number 4
Intellivision Disk
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/Intellivision_controller.jpg/450px-Intellivision_controller.jpg

Look, we understand that many system designers were shooting in the dark during the early days of video games. As for the Intellivision Disk, I'm sure that a handheld controller that looked like a touch-tone phone seemed like "Space Age Technology," and that offering the “Disk” with more directional points than an 8-way controller seemed like it a gamer's dream, but good luck figuring out if you're pressing left or just slight up and left. And controller overlays? Work of the devil.


Number 3
Sega Activator
http://xe3.xanga.com/14ff7b7ad0134247183594/b195984938.jpg

Didn't the U-Force teach us that invisible infrared beams are the absolute worst way of controlling your games? This octagon from Sega promised players who stood in the middle a new way of fighting in titles like Eternal Champion. But it just ended up making 8-year-olds look like they were having convulsions.


Number 2
Xbox Fat

http://technabob.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/benheck_xbox_controller1.jpg

I may be able to palm a bowling ball, but even I couldn't comfortably or effectively wrap my mitts around Microsoft's original monstrosity. This gargantuan thing was clearly made for the Rock Biter from The NeverEnding Story. What a shame the Nothing took him away.


Number 1
Jaguar Controller

http://www.atariage.com/Jaguar/controllers/con_JaguarProController.jpg

Maybe Atari was doomed even before the Jaguar was ever conceived, but its idea of a controller definitely didn't help. Not only did the company bring back the unnecessary phone keypad-with-overlays theme of the early ‘80s, Atari also created a three-action button device in a world of Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat -- a genre that the company was trying to woo over to its 64-bit system. On top of this, the company utilized a VGA plug for its controller ports, and the controller plugs simply fell out if a mouse farted somewhere in the house.

[Hawksmoor]

The Jaguar controller being #1 is absolutely ludicrous. I agree with some of the other entries on the list, like the U-Force and Activator, but I'm going to go ahead and say Mr. Harris' list is completely worthless. Hopefully the day will come when wantant Atari bashing is not so en vogue.

[portnoyd]

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

[Sonicwolf]

There are plenty of controllers that are worse than the Atari Jaguars controller. People need to stop labelling that controller as crap just because the system didnt pan out. Third party controllers also shouldnt be on that list because there are hundreds of shitty ones which would slime the list.

[TonyTheTiger]

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

Agreed. That opens the door to fill the entire list with wacky crap that trumps any first party controller out there.

http://www.ohgizmo.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/n64_powerglove.jpg

[portnoyd]

Seriously. If this guy wants to include 3rd party controllers, then he didn't even scratch the surface as far as bad goes.

[TonyTheTiger]

For the record, if I were making a top ten list of worst first party controllers the Jaguar's would probably appear somewhere on the list but certainly not #1. The 5200 or Colecovision might take that spot.

[Ed Oscuro]

I like the commentary on some of the items (couldn't be any briefer dismantling the Power Glove for instance) but it definitely is overreaching.

Also, my CD-i came with a trackball...so there. Not so bad at all (except for something like Link: The Faces of Evil, guh, still need a real pad for that).

[Cloud121]

The Jaguar pad is amazing. And the Xbox Duke is ten times better than the S. I have the smallest hands in the universe, and I think the Duke is more comfortable than the S.

[The 1 2 P]

My list would have included the N64, Gamecube and Atari 2600 controller.

[Push Upstairs]

U-Force, Activator, & Power Glove should have all tied for #1.

They are all pretty useless controllers.

[TurboGenesis]

I am feel that the list should either focus on 3rd party controller OR OEM stock controller… NOT both.

There are well more than 10 3rd party controller that are worse than any OEM controller.

The Jaguar controller is always getting abuse… it is far from greatest, but not necessarily the worse.

[Cobra Commander]

Why does every reviewer of things like this have to be such a dick?
We get it. They suck. Do audiences really have to have this kind of commentary? I'm just tired of all the bile.

[sebastiankirchoff]

Why do people keep saying the "Fat" Xbox controller is really bad? I personally don't think its THAT bad, really. Sure there are better controllers out there, but I liked the big Xbox controller and its layout, and why the hell is it at #2? I personally think most of the controllers on the list are worse than it, especially the Power Glove and the U-Force, which barely even function.

[houstonlibrarian]

#5 looks just like the VCR remote I had for the Goldstar VCR I bought from Sam's back in 1986.

[delafro]

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.

[jcalder8]

I have big hands and I have to say that I love the original Xbox controllers. They are still my all time favorite.

[crom]

I remember the first time I played the original xbox, it was inside a promo xbox truck, outside of air canada centre for a raptors game... as soon as I picked up the controller I was like

"wtf is this? this is horrible"

[Snapple]

My list would have included the N64

I hope your list is called "Best controllers ever," because then I could understand the N64 inclusion.

[AB Positive]

N64 seems to be a love it or hate it controller. I personally can't stand it, as I don't have the speed to move back and forth across the three prongs as is necessary in some games.

Of course I usually mainly play the WWF games on it, the only games I could get to control decently. Maybe if I had one of those gamecube looking N64 controllers, that one didn't seem so bad.

[Pantechnicon]

Crap list. Too much snarky. Not enough thoughtful analysis.

I'll stand up for the Jaguar controller, as I believe its placement at the top of the list is just wrong; a case of guilt by association. The numeric pad notwithstanding, there is imo no functional difference between its layout and that of some of its contemporaries like the 3DO, Genesis or Saturn. It's a D-pad on the left, 3 or 6 buttons on the right. If you want to condemn one, you might as well condemn them all.

As for the numeric pad, it worked just fine and its positioning actually offered certain advantages on FPS's like Alien vs Predator or (for the sake of cross platform comparison) Doom, giving one the ability to immediately select a weapon of choice as opposed to having to cycle through the inventory like on other systems. Focusing the critique of this controller solely on an argument that is "didn't work for Street Fighter-type games" is rather short-sighted.

[Griking]

Why does every reviewer of things like this have to be such a dick?
We get it. They suck. Do audiences really have to have this kind of commentary? I'm just tired of all the bile.

Probably because it's a list of the 10 worst.

People don't usually have a lot of nice things to say about things on these sorts of lists.

[Steve W]

I'm so damn tired of hearing about the Atari Jaguar's controller being "the worst ever". It was very comfortable to hold and easy to use, it's only crime is of looking awkward because of it's size. If there was a slight tweak to the design, for example the ridged part between the numeric pad and the side grips being removed, then it wouldn't look bulky and people wouldn't whine about it. Nobody complains about the Sega Genesis control pad, and the Jaguar's pad is essentially the same thing but with the empty space underneath taken up with a number pad.

I think the N64's controller should have been number one on that list. The Jaguar controller could just be picked up and used, whereas you have to train yourself to get used to the N64's odd design. I guess all the classical controller designs had already been used and Nintendo wanted to go a different direction to set themselves apart from the other consoles, but it was a hideously bad design that should never have left the prototype stage. If they had used the Virtual Boy controller design instead, it wouldn't have been such a chore to use. I can't to this day play the N64 just because of that God-awful controller.

[Baloo]

The Nintendo 64 controllers were designed with aliens in mind. It's usable, but not that great.

The Atari Jaguar isn't that bad, except for that unnecessary keypad that looks ridiculous.

Where's the Top 10 controllers list?

[crom]

Crap list. Too much snarky. Not enough thoughtful analysis.

I'll stand up for the Jaguar controller, as I believe its placement at the top of the list is just wrong; a case of guilt by association. The numeric pad notwithstanding, there is imo no functional difference between its layout and that of some of its contemporaries like the 3DO, Genesis or Saturn. It's a D-pad on the left, 3 or 6 buttons on the right. If you want to condemn one, you might as well condemn them all.

As for the numeric pad, it worked just fine and its positioning actually offered certain advantages on FPS's like Alien vs Predator or (for the sake of cross platform comparison) Doom, giving one the ability to immediately select a weapon of choice as opposed to having to cycle through the inventory like on other systems. Focusing the critique of this controller solely on an argument that is "didn't work for Street Fighter-type games" is rather short-sighted.

dead on... dead on...

[Push Upstairs]

I think the N64's controller should have been number one on that list.

Not to worry, the N64 is #1 on *my* list....

....list of things I'd use as doorstops.

[Dr. Dib]

I'm sort of assuming that this article was just created by looking at a list of controllers and choosing the worst one. The opinions stated above seem to show that not all the controllers on the list are bad.

I have to agree he should have limited himself to either 3rd party, 1st party, or licensed controllers. Though I think the only non-licensed controller on the list was the turbo-touch 360 so in a way it was first party.

I guess I'll just give my opinions on a few.

10)Yes! The Atari 5200 controller is crap. They break so easily and are somewhat difficult to repair. Well the buttons are more so then the analog stick which is a simple, though annoying, fix.


7)Though it is a beating horse, it is still pretty bad. Though they are fun to wear. Well at least for a few minutes before the plastic starts hurting my hand.

6)Fair reasons for being bad, but I have no way of verifying. Plus, if the C64 is any example, some computers allowed you to switch out for a 2600 controller. Though I guess it doesn't change the fact it is bad.

2)A little unfair to add this in. Sure it was very big, but the few times I used this I could play with it. In fact, the only problem I ever had with it was that I couldn't get used to the placement of the black and white buttons. I think people were just turned off by the size more than comfortability.

As for the N64 controller, well he obviously doesn't have it on because is he a Nintendo editor! Though to be fair it was just a controller you had to get used to. I'm guessing Craig did get used to it, so it didn't come up when he thought about bad controllers.

[Ed Oscuro]

Not to worry, the N64 is #1 on *my* list....

....list of things I'd use as doorstops.
I dunno, I think the little analog stick would break off and damage something or get stepped on by bare feet, yikes!

[Flack]

Here is the real 10 worst controllers.

10. Intellivision
09. Intellivision
08. Intellivision
07. Intellivision
06. Intellivision
05. Intellivision
04. Intellivision
03. Intellivision
02. Atari 5200
01. N64

[A Black Falcon]

Not to worry, the N64 is #1 on *my* list....

....list of things I'd use as doorstops.

It's number one on my list too, my list of the best controllers ever that is. :)

... The Xbox fat controller would be on that list as well. I've never understood why so many people disliked it... I loved it from the first time I held it and it's still absolutely my preferred Xbox controller.

Anyway, That list was fine for the first eight spots, but yeah, numbers 1 and 2 really didn't fit after so many truly horrific controllers. I've never used a Jaguar so I can't say how good they are, but based on looking at it, it looks like there's almost no way that it's nearly as bad as the horrible things in spots 10 to 8... it was just somewhat behind the times, not actually bad.

Oh, and the Turbo Touch 360 should have been higher on that list. Those things were some of the most miserably awful "controllers" ever made... they just don't work. Every first-party controller for probably every system since the NES is better no question (though that CD-i thing probably is close), and most of the third party ones as well.

[Sonicwolf]

If the Nintendo 64's analog and digital pads had been swapped around and a better quality stick used, it would have been a much better controller.

[Ed Oscuro]

Something like the Hori remake of it, eh?

Still has a 3D stick that can die though.

[A Black Falcon]

If the Nintendo 64's analog and digital pads had been swapped around and a better quality stick used, it would have been a much better controller.

Absolutley not, that way the trigger would not have been under your left thumb, and triggers are better than shoulder buttons. Really, about the only thing I can think of that could possibly have improved the N64 controller other than making the analog stick more durable (without changing its unique and great feel and design, hopefully, I love those sticks in every way apart for durability...), would be to figure out a way to make the R button a trigger too. That's something that's great about the Saturn, Dreamcast, Microsoft Sidewinder 3D Pro, Xbox, and some other controllers -- both buttons on the sides are triggers, not shoulder buttons! It's so much better than standard SNES-style shoulder button designs... (and this is one reason I don't like the 360 controller as much, the thing should have had six face buttons and just the triggers like the original Xbox controller, not four and four like the PSX. :()

The three-prong idea was a great one because it means that both the analog stick and dpad are both in the ideal position when you are using them. This is never true on a two-prong controller with both an analog stick and a d-pad, one gets stuck in that lower position, the PSX Dualshock lower-stick position, that just isn't quite as comfortable or natural a position as the d-pad in that controller is in... but on N64 that is not an issue. Plus, no stupid games forcing you to use the d-pad in the menus but the stick in the actual game! I always hate that stuff...

I also always found it quite natural and easy to use and understand, from the first time I used it. The controller was never an issue for me... I know it was for some people, who couldn't figure out how to hold it or something, but that's why the manuals show pictures of people holding the controllers, for those people who can't figure it out (even though it's really not very hard).

... If I was making a list with the same kind of "put the controller you dislike most in first, not the one that actually is worst", I'd probably have to put the PSX controller as #1 or something. But fortunately, I wouldn't make a list that way, I'd try to actually list the worst controller as first, not just the one I dislike the most... so it'd probably be the TurboTouch 360 or Activator or some junk like that. Things like those are far worse than any NES-or-beyond official gamepad.

[Sonicwolf]

Absolutley not, that way the trigger would not have been under your left thumb,

I forgot to add the idea of moving the Z-trigger underneath the left side of the controller under where the Dpad currently is.

[A Black Falcon]

I forgot to add the idea of moving the Z-trigger underneath the left side of the controller under where the Dpad currently is.

You'd need a very different looking controller design to have that trigger on the end, though... would you need that large prong on the side, or two, one on each side, for two of them? I don't know, maybe it would have looked okay, but what's the point? It looks and works just fine being in the center...

[Flack]

The N64 stick actually isn't bad, if you have large lobster claws instead of human hands.

[crom]

The N64 stick actually isn't bad, if you have large lobster claws instead of human hands.


LMFAO!

[Pantechnicon]

Here is the real 10 worst controllers.

...

02. Atari 5200
01. N64

This is going to be one of those rare occasions where I'm going to disagree with you (as well as everybody else who rips these two).

Atari 5200 - Heard it all before. Doesn't center, breaks easily, yada yada. Yes, there are games where the non-centering is problematic, but there's also Missile Command, Defender, Super Breakout, Gorf, Robotron, Space Dungeon, Dreadnought Factor, and probably quite a few more where non-centering works to one's advantage.

As for the controller failure rate, I'll concede that there was a design flaw only in the choice of materials. But the purchase of a refurb kit from someone like Best Electronics or 4Jays solves it. I installed the 4Jays kit in a 5200 controller five years ago and it hasn't failed me once.

Even if one still thinks a non-centering controller sucks, or that it's too much hassle to install a refurb kit, the nice thing about 5200 games is that you can enjoy the same titles (more or less) across the 400/800/XE computer lines and with digital controllers instead of the 5200 analog one. They're great games, so let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater here.

As for the N64 controller ...eh...I don't have as strong of an argument here, but I've personally never been bothered by this one. This might have something to do with my being semi-ambidextrous, but I think it works great for the games like FPS's whereby others are most inclined to hate it.

[staxx]

SEGA you could have made TONS of money with the Sega Activator. Too bad you used it to advertise a fighting game. If only you could have come up with the idea like Konami for Para Para Paradise then the Activator would have been a genius design.

[Hawksmoor]

This somehow morphed into a N64 hatred thread. I played the hell out of Mario Kart 64 and Goldeneye and grew quite accustomed to the N64 controller. I wouldn't put it in my personal top 10 of worst controllers, but I can see how some people would find it unpleasant to hold and use. That said, the N64 had quite a few phenomenal games, so the comments about using it as a doorstop seem a little absurd and ignorant to me. To each their own though.

[Icarus Moonsight]

Here is the real 10 worst controllers.

10. Intellivision
09. Intellivision
08. Intellivision
07. Intellivision
06. Intellivision
05. Intellivision
04. Intellivision
03. Intellivision
02. Atari 5200
01. N64

Yup, looks about right to me. Flack wins a cigar! :D

I played N64 and still do... One of the best aspects of Wii VC is getting the N64 games and playing them with a GC controller.

[Steve W]

And the thing about the TI controllers, those pictured aren't the ones that came out. Those might have been prototypes or something, or possibly really early ones put out when the TI-99/4 hit the market in 1979. I've always been a TI lover, and I've never seen those pictured controllers. The ones that were available look different, and weren't all that bad. Sure, they felt a little 'spongy', but it wasn't a hindrance like the Atari 5200's unnecessary analog stick. If they'd just put in a digital stick instead, and something other than a flex circuit to keep costs down, the 5200 joystick would have been pretty decent. Hell, if they made the stick digital but put in an analog pot on the stick so it would rotate like a dial, they would have a perfect controller for games like Commando and Ikari Warriors.

[CelticJobber]

I loved the Turbo Touch 360, I used it almost exclusively on my Genesis back in the day. It was great for fighting games, and I wish they'd bring back the "touch" technology on a modern controller.

And unlike most here, I think the N64 controller was great, easily in my top 5 controllers of all time.

[Icarus Moonsight]

Was not that just a membrane d-pad though? No, membrane anything is bad mojo man. Try a membrane keyboard... If you can find one. Icky-poo nasty!

[houstonlibrarian]

Intellivision was the precursor for the cell phone designs of the 90's, so it was cutting edge if anything.;)

[BetaWolf47]

The N64 controller is horrid if you hold it the recommended way. I actually hold the left prong and reach my thumb towards the control stick to play. I actually cannot use it any other way.

And the fat Xbox controller does get too much hate. There's no way it is worse than most other controllers if its only crime is simply being too large. At least all of the function buttons and sticks are placed decently.

[cooky560]

The N64 controller is horrid if you hold it the recommended way. I actually hold the left prong and reach my thumb towards the control stick to play. I actually cannot use it any other way.

And the fat Xbox controller does get too much hate. There's no way it is worse than most other controllers if its only crime is simply being too large. At least all of the function buttons and sticks are placed decently.

I agree entirely. I was an early adopter of almost every console, and I still wish they made xbox1 controllers for the 360

[Tempest]

And the thing about the TI controllers, those pictured aren't the ones that came out. Those might have been prototypes or something, or possibly really early ones put out when the TI-99/4 hit the market in 1979..
I was wondering about that. I've also never seen those joysticks. The stock TI sticks WERE crap though, I never liked them.

If you want to see some seriously bad sticks, take a look at the Videobrain controllers (http://www.atariprotos.com/othersystems/videobrain/hardware/joystick/joystick.htm) or the controllers for the Arcadia 2001 and it's clones. The Arcadia controllers are like cheap knock-offs of the Intellivision controllers which should tell you something about how well they work...

Tempest

[dendawg]

I was wondering about that. I've also never seen those joysticks. The stock TI sticks WERE crap though, I never liked them.

Referring to the TI sticks as crap is an insult to crap. :p

The lack of quality on those sticks cannot be understated...they'll fall apart if you look at them wrong.

[PentiumMMX]

To be honest, I would have included the 1st edition Sega Saturn controller somewhere on this list. It's simply a pain to hold comfortably; the 2nd edition, Japanese style controllers where far superior in every way.

[Push Upstairs]

The N64 controller is horrid if you hold it the recommended way. I actually hold the left prong and reach my thumb towards the control stick to play. I actually cannot use it any other way.

Well that screams "poorly designed controller" to me.

Even the Gamecube controller, with its weirdly placed...*EVERYTHING*, was more comfortable to use.

[BetaWolf47]

Gamecube controller? Other than the controversial face button layout, what's not to like about it?

[chrisbid]

the intellivision disc is not the major problem with the controller, its the fire buttons

[TurboGenesis]

Gamecube controller? Other than the controversial face button layout, what's not to like about it?

The only thing I do not like about the Gamecube controller, is the microscopic d-pad. Otherwise, I really like it.

In regard to the Nintendo 64 controller, I am not a fan of it. Quite hate it… BUT when playing Bangai-o and Sin & Punishment, it is a great controller. Those two games were made with the controller in mind. I like Bangai-o in the N64 over the Dreamcast version because of the N64 controller…

[Steve W]

I've heard a lot of people bad mouthing the GameCube controller, but I always found it to be really good. I never had to struggle to use it, unlike other controllers in the past. It's more or less a non-copyright infringing take on the PS2's pads.

[Ed Oscuro]

The problem with the GC pad is that they got rid of having a second FUNCTIONAL analog stick and tried to dress it up as being a useful "cute" nub. Blah. Other than that, I agree, it's not tough to use. I'd still rather use two sticks though, and I'm sure most developers felt the same way. Green A and red B can kiss off.

[Push Upstairs]

Gamecube controller? Other than the controversial face button layout, what's not to like about it?

Z&C buttons. Both placement and C button being that nub thingie.

But light years more comfortable than the N64 abomination.

[A Black Falcon]

Z&C buttons. Both placement and C button being that nub thingie.

But light years more comfortable than the N64 abomination.

The Z button is awful, but the C stick works just fine. Absolutely no problems with it in any games that use it. I don';t like the GC controller quite as much as the N64 one, but yeah, it is a good controller that works well. All it needs are a couple more face buttons... but other than that it's good.

... As for the N64 I've already said how strongly I disagree. It's the best controller ever, hands down, in my opinion. But obviously it's a love-or-hate thing, for some reason I don't know.


The N64 controller is horrid if you hold it the recommended way. I actually hold the left prong and reach my thumb towards the control stick to play. I actually cannot use it any other way.

How strange, it would be so uncomfortable to hold it that way... the normal way is far, far better! And how the heck are you supposed to use the trigger with your index finger that way, as you're supposed to be? Use some other finger? That's not going to be anywhere near as good...

[Bad Atom]

My vote goes for the N64 controller. When you see it on display at a store and are unsure how to hold it, that's a good sign of a poor design. Also, it just feels cheap and plasticky. (Yes, I know it's made of plastic.)

[j_factor]

The three-prong idea was a great one because it means that both the analog stick and dpad are both in the ideal position when you are using them.

Either, not both. It's not practical to use both in the same game -- removing your left hand from the middle prong and grasping the left prong can't exactly be done in the heat of gameplay. (There is the possibility of left prong + middle prong, but that's exceedingly rare, and you lose all the face buttons.) And I've played games on other systems that used both an analog stick and d-pad. Although to be fair, this wasn't very common on Playstation or Saturn, due to the need to accomodate digital controllers as well as supporting analog. But still, I felt the N64 controller failed to fully take advantage of having analog standard. You also could never have L, Z, and R mapped to three different functions. Why have a set of three buttons, of which you can only use two? With the N64 controller, you're always only using 2/3rds of it. A couple of outlier games did benefit from the three-prong design (Robotron 64 comes to mind), but the vast majority did not. I always thought the Saturn analog controller was much better, and it's pretty similar when you think about it.

Despite my gripes though, I wouldn't put the N64 controller among the worst. I think the RCA Studio II, Fairchild Channel-F, Bally Astrocade, Intellivision, 5200, Colecovision, CDi, and CDTV controllers are clearly worse. I guess if I were making a top 10 list, and not including third-party controllers (unlike the OP), the N64 controller might make #10. Probably not though -- the N64 controller is more "weird" than truly terrible.

[A Black Falcon]

Either, not both. It's not practical to use both in the same game -- removing your left hand from the middle prong and grasping the left prong can't exactly be done in the heat of gameplay. (There is the possibility of left prong + middle prong, but that's exceedingly rare, and you lose all the face buttons.) And I've played games on other systems that used both an analog stick and d-pad. Although to be fair, this wasn't very common on Playstation or Saturn, due to the need to accomodate digital controllers as well as supporting analog. But still, I felt the N64 controller failed to fully take advantage of having analog standard. You also could never have L, Z, and R mapped to three different functions. Why have a set of three buttons, of which you can only use two? With the N64 controller, you're always only using 2/3rds of it. A couple of outlier games did benefit from the three-prong design (Robotron 64 comes to mind), but the vast majority did not. I always thought the Saturn analog controller was much better, and it's pretty similar when you think about it.

The whole point is for either/or, not both. That is the design of the system. I don't think it is a flaw that the d-pad and L button aren't easily accessible with the standard way you hold it because that's how it's supposed to be, and games are designed around that fact, either not using L and the d-pad or only putting unimportant things on them, like how in OoT L turns the map on and off.

The idea was to have something familiar for people used to controllers like the SNES, with the left-and-right style, for 2d games, but also to have a new style for 3d games, with the middle. And at that it succeeds. Nintendo could not have known when they were designing it how few games would use the 2d style controls... but as I said I think that it's definitely better off that they did it that way.

Anyway, as for "can't use them both at the same time", as I said on one point the N64 is by FAR better as a result of it -- the PSX (and PS2 as well, and GC and Xbox because of too many PS2 ports) is plagued with a huge number of games which require you to use the d-pad in menus, but are better with the stick in the game. Because I mostly played N64 then, I found this design alien and bewildering, and still think that it's just horrible design. The N64 is far better off having you actually use the same control thing for the whole game.

Few to no analog PSX games use the d-pad for anything other than menu control or alternate digital control. Do you know of any that use it for anything other than that? The fact that games generally had to be backwards compatible with the dpad-only controller (Ape Escape is the only game I know of that actually requires the Dual Shock) meant that they had to put standard movement controls on the dpad too.

As for Saturn, only the 3D Controller in analog mode has both an analog stick and a dpad. Games that support the 3D Controller specifically (not just the 3D Controller acting like a Mission Stick or Arcade Racer) can support both the analog stick and dpad at once, but very few Saturn games have 3d Controller support really, so this isn't used much. Of what I have played myself though, MechWarrior 2: Arcade Combat Edition does use the dpad for commands, when you play with the 3D Controller. The game is best with the Mission Stick of course, which has its own custom control scheme, but it's great on 3D Controller as well...

But anyway, the N64 controller by default has 9 buttons and a dpad or stick easily accessible, plus a second pad or stick and a 10th button a bit farther away. PSX has 10 buttons, really; as games were almost all backwards compatible to the original controllers, the analog stick click buttons were virtually never used (did anything at all use them?), plus pad and stick (for some games). Saturn has 9 buttons, plus pad or stick (or both for 3d controller in games that natively support it). N64 easily holds its own in comparison to either of those others, it doesn't have less buttons or anything like this. The complaint really doesn't make much sense -- games that use the analog stick are better with it. Why would you need easy access to the dpad anyway? It's entirely unnecessary while playing any game that uses the stick...


Despite my gripes though, I wouldn't put the N64 controller among the worst. I think the RCA Studio II, Fairchild Channel-F, Bally Astrocade, Intellivision, 5200, Colecovision, CDi, and CDTV controllers are clearly worse. I guess if I were making a top 10 list, and not including third-party controllers (unlike the OP), the N64 controller might make #10. Probably not though -- the N64 controller is more "weird" than truly terrible.

Yeah, as I said, actual bad controllers should be on the list, not just personal dislikes. Most of that list was like that, just not the top two spots.

[j_factor]

The whole point is for either/or, not both. That is the design of the system. I don't think it is a flaw that the d-pad and L button aren't easily accessible with the standard way you hold it because that's how it's supposed to be

Uh. When someone says a design is poor, replying with "but that's how it was designed!" doesn't really make for a strong riposte.


The idea was to have something familiar for people used to controllers like the SNES, with the left-and-right style, for 2d games, but also to have a new style for 3d games, with the middle. And at that it succeeds. Nintendo could not have known when they were designing it how few games would use the 2d style controls... but as I said I think that it's definitely better off that they did it that way.

I just don't understand what would've been wrong with taking the design of the 6-button Genesis/3DO/Turbografx pad, putting an analog stick where the d-pad was, and putting a d-pad below it (making the controller a bit taller in the process). Basically like the Saturn analog pad. That type of design seems a much more logical, intuitive evolution of familiar controller design.


Anyway, as for "can't use them both at the same time", as I said on one point the N64 is by FAR better as a result of it -- the PSX (and PS2 as well, and GC and Xbox because of too many PS2 ports) is plagued with a huge number of games which require you to use the d-pad in menus, but are better with the stick in the game. Because I mostly played N64 then, I found this design alien and bewildering, and still think that it's just horrible design. The N64 is far better off having you actually use the same control thing for the whole game.

Menu selection seems like an extremely minor point to me.


Few to no analog PSX games use the d-pad for anything other than menu control or alternate digital control. Do you know of any that use it for anything other than that? The fact that games generally had to be backwards compatible with the dpad-only controller (Ape Escape is the only game I know of that actually requires the Dual Shock) meant that they had to put standard movement controls on the dpad too.

Like I said, the Playstation and Saturn were slightly older systems that shipped with a digital controller, so their ability to fully take advantage of analog was limited by that. The N64 was the only one to ship with an analog controller standard. Kudos to them on that point, but they could've come out with a better design, IMO.


As for Saturn, only the 3D Controller in analog mode has both an analog stick and a dpad. Games that support the 3D Controller specifically (not just the 3D Controller acting like a Mission Stick or Arcade Racer) can support both the analog stick and dpad at once, but very few Saturn games have 3d Controller support really, so this isn't used much. Of what I have played myself though, MechWarrior 2: Arcade Combat Edition does use the dpad for commands, when you play with the 3D Controller. The game is best with the Mission Stick of course, which has its own custom control scheme, but it's great on 3D Controller as well...

I'm surprised you know about MechWarrior 2. Yes, that was pretty rare on the Saturn... but that's also because Saturn died off rather early (in addition to the fact that the analog controller wasn't available until a year later). If Saturn had lived longer, or if Sega had been extremely forward-thinking and the analog pad had been the original Saturn controller, you would've seen more stuff like that.


But anyway, the N64 controller by default has 9 buttons and a dpad or stick easily accessible, plus a second pad or stick and a 10th button a bit farther away. PSX has 10 buttons, really; as games were almost all backwards compatible to the original controllers, the analog stick click buttons were virtually never used (did anything at all use them?), plus pad and stick (for some games). Saturn has 9 buttons, plus pad or stick (or both for 3d controller in games that natively support it). N64 easily holds its own in comparison to either of those others, it doesn't have less buttons or anything like this. The complaint really doesn't make much sense -- games that use the analog stick are better with it. Why would you need easy access to the dpad anyway? It's entirely unnecessary while playing any game that uses the stick...

In a lot of post-N64 games, you use the analog for movement and the d-pad for weapon selection. Fur Fighters, for example. I think a game like GoldenEye would've benefitted from such controls.

But really, it just feels weird to be using 2/3rds of a controller. Especially since there's no real reason they couldn't have combined the d-pad and analog stick on the same area. The only games I know of that would've been hurt by this are Robotron 64 and Bangaioh.

[TheDomesticInstitution]

I never understood all the hate toward the N64 controller. It was definitely a unique design, but as a heavy player of Goldeneye and Perfect Dark, I found to work well. Some of the buttons may have been in slightly awkward places, but there's a learning curve for almost any new controller being used. I'm not saying the criticism isn't valid, but if you spent large amounts of time playing it, it worked great. It also didn't help that the PSX controller was the competition at the time, and it was a much more straightforward design. I remember the 1st time I played Medal of Honor: Frontline on the Xbox. Jesus, you're supposed use two analog sticks for movement? That took some getting used to.

As for the list?

The Xbox had the worst 1st party controller? I personally never played with the Duke, but how can it be on the top of the list? The INTV controller is just plain evil, how did it make it so far down the list? Anyway with the mixing of 3rd party and 1st party controllers here, it's hard to take it seriously.

In fact, if I were to write the list the 2600 Joystick would have been in there. I know it'd piss a lot of people off, but it's nothing like a real arcade joystick. To me it controls as well as a cabinet would if a bunch of snotty kids shoved their gum down into the shaft area of a control panel. It doesn't have the accuracy or weight of a real joystick. I know it may sound like flamebait, but it really kept me from enjoying the Atari for years.

I still love lists, even if I don't agree with them.

[Ed Oscuro]

I just don't understand what would've been wrong with taking the design of the 6-button Genesis/3DO/Turbografx pad, putting an analog stick where the d-pad was, and putting a d-pad below it (making the controller a bit taller in the process). Basically like the Saturn analog pad. That type of design seems a much more logical, intuitive evolution of familiar controller design.
I don't think the hand fit would be quite as precise - the classic flat-pad style controllers is meant to have your hand folded across it essentially, whereas on the newer controllers you have a raised thumb. At least I guess that's what they were thinking. There definitely have been some controllers as you describe, and they haven't been terrible.

[k8track]

*SIGH* Feel like a broken record here; I know I've addressed this a few times, but I'll say it again.

The Jaguar controllers were COOL; they felt great, I liked them. My favorite gamepad. And I don't care what anyone else says, numeric pads are COOL. I thought they were cool on the Intellivision, Colecovision, and Atari 5200 (and yes, I'll even throw in the Arcadia 2001 for good measure), and I like it on the Jag controller.

I have never ever seen the TI-99 controllers that were pictured. Were they for the original TI-99/4? The ones for the TI-99 4/A really WERE the worst controller ever, hands down.

I give no credence whatsoever to any of these insipid top-ten lists. I know what I like and don't like and don't give a flip what anyone else thinks.

[Kiddo]

I just don't understand what would've been wrong with taking the design of the 6-button Genesis/3DO/Turbografx pad, putting an analog stick where the d-pad was, and putting a d-pad below it (making the controller a bit taller in the process). Basically like the Saturn analog pad. That type of design seems a much more logical, intuitive evolution of familiar controller design.


I personally thought the Saturn analog pad was bulky and uncomfortable to hold in my hands, and since none of the games that supported it really "needed" it, I went back to the standard 6-button controller.

The Dreamcast's controller design, if you look at it closely enough, resembles the Saturn Analog Pad. I'm fairly certain that in the days before "woe to you who dare say a bad thing about the Dreamcast", that controller design was dissed like crazy. (I didn't like it much myself, but the sheer amount of awesome games made up for it. I tend to prefer the specialty controllers over the default any day, of course.)

[Push Upstairs]

I like the Saturn analog controller but I hate the Dreamcast controller.

Namely that awful d-pad used on the Dreamcast controller.

[j_factor]

I personally thought the Saturn analog pad was bulky and uncomfortable to hold in my hands, and since none of the games that supported it really "needed" it, I went back to the standard 6-button controller.

It's large, but I've always found it very comfortable. It has handles, n' stuff. I greatly prefer using it in just about every game that supports it. NiGHTS is terrible with the d-pad.


The Dreamcast's controller design, if you look at it closely enough, resembles the Saturn Analog Pad. I'm fairly certain that in the days before "woe to you who dare say a bad thing about the Dreamcast", that controller design was dissed like crazy. (I didn't like it much myself, but the sheer amount of awesome games made up for it. I tend to prefer the specialty controllers over the default any day, of course.)

The Dreamcast controller is basically the Saturn controller minus two buttons and with a worse d-pad. I'm not crazy about the Dreamcast's analog stick either. I think it's very comfortable to hold, but otherwise not very good.

[RJ]

Another post defending the Jag controller.

"...the controller plugs simply fell out if a mouse farted somewhere in the house."

Hmmm- I've had the Jag since its release & I've never had that happen...though I rarely sit the full length of a controller cord away. & the Jagpad (love saying that- did I invent a word?) never got in my way. As said above, it just occupies what would be empty space.

[mr.soul]

Look at my avatar, I just have to come in and defend the N64 controller here. I mean, as long as you're not holding the leftmost prong with your left hand and stretching across to Z and the stick, I don't think it's ever been a problem. They could have chopped off the entire left part of it and it would have been completely fine. The only game I've played that even uses the D pad is Kirby 64, and it doesn't make you switch between them.

if you hold the middle with your left hand and the right with your right hand, everything is really comfortably accessible.

[BetaWolf47]

Look at my avatar, I just have to come in and defend the N64 controller here. I mean, as long as you're not holding the leftmost prong with your left hand and stretching across to Z and the stick, I don't think it's ever been a problem.
If you're going to bother doing things in my method, why not just use the Z button with your right middle finger???


They could have chopped off the entire left part of it and it would have been completely fine. The only game I've played that even uses the D pad is Kirby 64, and it doesn't make you switch between them.
There's quite a few more games that use it though. For example: Mortal Kombat Trilogy & 4, Mischief Makers, and a few others.

[mr.soul]

If you're going to bother doing things in my method, why not just use the Z button with your right middle finger???

Actually, I just tried that and it was relatively comfortable. The only thing is, I have to stretch my left thumb so far to get to the joystick that I feel like I have very little control over it and am worried that it will slip. I have pretty big hands, too...

I can't argue with you on those other D-pad games though. I've just never played them, so my method works for the games I play, I guess.

[emceelokey]

I think adding all the 3rd party controllers makes no sense mainly because they were third parties that were trying to latch on to the established console to pretty much make a buck. They rarely enhance the gameplay of anything and are usually made inferior compared to the basic 1st party controller because they were meant to be sold cheaper then the 1st party controllers. I haven't played too many classic consoles so I'll just stick to 5. Not necessairly in any order.

- N64 controller -
The analog stick was just so fragile and that third handle is just so inefficent. Thy could have reduced the size by doing what the Dreamcast essentially did by putting the stick and pad on the same side. On that note...

- Dreamcast controller -
Anything good in it was canceled out by something bad. Moving the D-Pad and analog stick on the same side set a new standard as well as the pressure sensitive triggers. the VMU was a fun innovation as well but having the cord come out of the bottom and the way the grips sort of inclined to a point where it it was like you were holding a letter V made it uncomfortable to use after an hour or so.

- Original Genesis controller -
The three botton layout probably did fine for the first year or so but then games became more advanced and playing something like NBA JAM was a bit odd because of that three straight line, botton layout. Plus the d-pad on that was horrid. It was like sunken into the controller and it was like a big disc opposed to the typical +.

- The Original Saturn controller -
It was just this weird boxy boomerang type of thing and the shoulder buttons were'nt very responsive.

- .... that's all i can think of for the moment....

[Push Upstairs]

When I first got my Genesis I thought those original 3-button controllers were *HUGE*

Of course, I was used to the small NES controllers so the Genesis ones would seem gigantic.

[Arkhan]

Was not that just a membrane d-pad though? No, membrane anything is bad mojo man. Try a membrane keyboard... If you can find one. Icky-poo nasty!

Yeah, my Atari computer doesn't see too much use with its awesome membrane keyboard

As for controllers....

--The Atari 5200 controller wasn't that bad, unless you count the reliability of it. I have like 6 broken ones and 2 working ones...

--N64s button placement is awkward, the joystick isnt long lasting, and the C buttons are dopey... I would've liked the N64 more if the D-pad wasnt alienated, or the joystick was rubbery instead of clumsy and plastic. :(

--If you ask me, the worst controller ever is the actual pack-in Atari 2600 joysticks. They're stiff as hell and hurt my hands. I can use the Intellivision disk of doom better than a stock 2600 joystick!

I was also not a fan of the Tac-3 joystick for my Commodore 64/Amiga 500. That thing is so crapass. I can feel it breaking as I use it. Both of them.