Video game controllers, Are they that complicated??

[Jazoni89]

I have used the Nes, Master system, Snes, Mega drive, Saturn, Playstation (all versions), Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, Xbox (both fat original and controller S versions), Gamecube, and Xbox 360 controllers in the past. The only controllers out of those lot to ever give me problems were the Dreamcast and original Xbox Controllers.

The Dreamcast controller is a great design and all, but it's triggers are so awkward and it cramped my fingers up something fierce playing Jet Set Radio for a few hours. Also, I find having the lead at the bottom rather than the top hard to get used to.

The original Xbox controllers problem was that it was far too big to anyone who didn't have giants hands. The difficulty of the controller was made apparent in games that used all of the buttons. This was thankfully replaced with the smaller one which was much better on the hands, and you didn't have to reach so much for the buttons.

The Nintendo 64 Controller gets a lot of flak (due to it's unorthodox design), but I find it's rather good especially in FPS games like Perfect Dark, and Goldeneye. In fact, it's possibly the only controller in my eyes that has come close to the accuracy of a keyboard and mouse.

Besides, i don't think anyone who hates the Nintendo 64 controller can safety say it's worser than this.

Or this...

mmm....yeah.

 

[Panzervaughn]

I like Xbox's triggers, but hate the bumper buttons, mostly because MY brain finds it difficult to diferrentiate between the two, when a game promts me. "MASH THIS SHOULDERBUTTON! NO THE OTHER ONE. WAIT IT WAS THE FIRST ONE YOU WERE JUST EARLY." I cant tell the difference betweeen two slightly different grey shapes while something is chewing on my spine.

 

[Xeraxis]

It depends.

I don't like the feel of the buttons on a PS3 controller. They throw me off considering how long I've been playing Xbox. But I adjust accordingly whenever needed.

Some older people I've come across find our controllers complicated today, since they grew up with simple ones that consisted of a stick and one button, or anything else similar to it.

As long as our controllers don't become anything like the abomination that is the Duke controller from the original Xbox, all is well.

 

[144_v1legacy]

I really liked the Gamecube controller, it was simple and had enough buttons. Usually. It had a clearly defined purpose for each hand, and easily accessible positioning for the B,Y,and X buttons whose shapes made them easier to push simultaneously with A (not so much with each other) and could be recognized easily by feel. I know It could have used a left-side bumper, but that's all I'd add.
For any controller, I don't think there's any reason to have more than one set of bumpers in addition to triggers, it muddles things too far and confuses the hell out of me to have to remember what they all do (pet peeve of mine).
Now - different functions need to be better applied to the controller with a proper hierarchy, something the wiimote handles well (as a trade off for awkward secondary button placement) and if there are too many button-needing commands, a better gameplay system may be in order. I like TF2, which is technically played on a controller with tons of buttons, but is controlled with only a few for most of the time, and supplementary actions are allocated to a separate system of choice rather than having too much to choose from (though you can set it up otherwise if you choose to, I know).
I've never liked the PS3 four-button configuration (the part with the triangle and the circle and all) because the setup doesn't facilitate intuitive button-switching,i.e., for someone unfamiliar with the controller, the buttons, because they all feel the same, get you into a "locked" position, where your right thumb forgets where the adjacent buttons should be. And they're far enough apart that it's hard to press them simultaneously, and I'd imagine small-handed people have an even tougher time with that. The placement of the 360 buttons seems a bit better (which are not only bigger but closer to each other), as the topmost button seems like a supplementary button to the three main lower ones, with a clearly defined center button among them, (in other words, your finger stretches directly upwards a bit to push Y, and automatically resets it the neutral "A" position when the Y pushing is finished).
Finally (and I bet PS3 owners will think I'm crazy), I really like the size, placement, and non-symmetry of the Gamecube controller's C-stick. The left joystick is the primary method of interaction for one's left hand, but for the primary action of the right hand it is not. They shouldn't be symmetrical, because a left-side joystick and a right-side A (or whatever) button are of equal importance. The 360 understands this, as did the Gamecube. The Cube and the PS3 have better placement of the start and select buttons, though, which allow for easy access to menu and pause-based functions, usually equally necessary in terms of their need to be pushed quickly (pausing can be a big issue), but need to be dislocated from the other buttons so as not to confuse gameplay and options. In this way, I'd say the 360 has these too far away.

Disclaimer: yes, I personally owned more Nintendo products than others. Yes, I've sufficiently played with the other controllers to a great degree, my suite common room had the other consoles too. Yes, the owners of those consoles agree with me. Yes, I like the Gamecube controller more than any other. Most importantly, the above are statements of opinion, not groundlessly claiming to be facts.

Summary: the main confusion surrounding controller deals with a lack of button hierarchy. Ergonomics and button quantity are practically irrelevant. This is why people are willing to pick up a wiimote and nunchuck more than any other controller as a beginner - the primary buttons are obvious. A controller that seems foreign will be a controller that clouds the importance of the different buttons.

 

[Twilight_guy]

Yes, modern day controllers are complicated. No, shut up, they are.

I have trouble with the X-box controller because I don't use it that often but I have learned over a great many years the basic motions of a controller. The basics really haven't changed in the past decade at least. For anyone who hasn't been playing games controllers would be a nightmare.

 

[Exius Xavarus]

I never really had too much trouble. The hardest thing I ever dealt with was the original Xbox controller, trying to get used to the Black/White Buttons. Though honestly, I didn't have a problem with L2/R2 until I took hold of a PS3 controller. It was just fine on the PS2, but seriously, why do the L2/R2 buttons on the PS3 controller have to be so goddamn huge? I keep hitting those two buttons whenever I pick my controller back up, and it often wastes resources, or gets me into trouble. I prefer the triggers of the Xbox 360 controller, but I prefer the L1/R1 buttons over the bumpers.