I found that the design of the dpad means you can't rest your thumb in the center and rock it in the direction you want to go (like you can with Nintendo style or Genesis), you end up accidentally moving a different direction, it's easy not press exactly in the direction you wish to move. You have to constantly pick your thumb up and press the direction. I couldn't imagine trying to play a game like Contra with it, trying to do diagonals would be a nightmare I think.