What's the best and worst console controller?

[mGoLos]

Best Xbox 360 controller for the best as it feels robust with a sleek design and fits most hand sizes

may sound fanboyish here

Worst Playstation controllers fee,l flimsy small and cheaply made for me, as well as the stick position and shape make me say "blaaaggghhh"

Agreed. You get used to the PS3 controller after a while though. I'm finally comfortable with it but it didn't come easy like it did with the 360 controller.

 

[Rad Party God]

The very best controller I've ever used: Mouse and Keyboard.
As for console controllers, the Wireless Xbox 360 Controller. Best. Controller. Ever.

The DualShock 2 and the Classic Controller Pro are both tied in second place.
In third place, the GameCube Wavebird if it wasn't for that flimsy right analog stick.

Worst controller I've ever used: The N64. Seriusly Nintendo, what the fuck were you thinking?
Honorable metion goes to the old "Hulk" Xbox controllers.

The Wiimote feels surprisingly good while playing Resident Evil 4, Okami, Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 and Metroid Prime Trilogy.
It's neither the worst, nor the best I've ever used.

Honorable mention to best controller ever goes to the NES controller. It still feels right after all these years, can't say the same thing about the N64 controller after being spoiled so much with the 360 controller. Or any other controller for that matter.

 

[OceanRunner]

I've heard that the Atari5200 controller was notoriously unreliable.

 

[Leg End]

Best: Master Race GameCube. You know it to be true.
Worst: Everything else. XD Except the NES controller, that is the only one that exceeds the GCN controller.

 

[infernovolver]

Best: About every iteration of the dual shock controllers. Best D-Pad ever.

Worst: A toss up between the Sega Saturn, Phillip CD-i, Jaguar, or Intellivision.

 

[Raykuza]

Best controller? Guitar Hero Controller, with or without that stupid touch pad thing they added (R.I.P. GH).

Worst controller? Mad Catz Gamecube controller. God help you if you're playing Smash Bros. and you're stuck using that piece of shit. Hell, I've never seen any 3rd party controller that was even half as good as it's 1st party counterpart.

 

[teh_Canape]

best: Sega Genesis controller

worst: Atari 5200/IntelliVision/ColecoVision and Atari Jaguar

 

[Tibs]

I am best with the playstation controller, but I do really like the Xbox360 one as well. I cannot rememner enough about the controllers for older consoles to judge them for being the worst.

 

[Zac Smith]

I'm going to have to be a dick and say things like Kinect and Eye Toy, actually having nothing to hold is the most comfortable. But technically you want an actual control. Still though I'm going to be different

I'm going to say the Guitar Hero / Rock Band guitars. I am a guitarist myself, so picking those up just felt natural to me

Worst in my opinion, was the original Xbox control, they were clunky as hell, luckily for me when I got my original Xbox it came with 2 of the redesigned smaller models

 

[Falseprophet]

Best: DualShock 3 and its predecessor. Light and sturdy--I drop them all the time from 3 or 4 feet high and they're none the worse for the wear. I know most of my friends with larger hands prefer the 360's, but that feels huge and clunky in my hands.

Historical honourable mention to: The Sega Genesis controller--the controller that introduced the idea of ergonomics and showed just how horrible the NES controller was.

Worst: There were a lot of bad controllers before and including the NES era, but I think the worst of the lot was the Intellivision controller:

Worst: Commodore 64. I have no idea what old schoolers see in this...thing. We've moved onto much bigger and better things since then. And for a good reason.

Um, C64 wasn't a controller, it was a computer that used controllers. Although companies like Epyx tried to put out fancy-pants controllers like this...



...I always found the plain old Atari 2600 joystick to be the best and most rugged controller of its day.

 

[Waaghpowa]

As far as design and button layout goes, Xbox and ps3 are the same. Quality/value it's the ps3 one for not making me pay 30 more dollars on rechargeable batteries. Always liked the Cube one though.

 

[DustyDrB]

Worst: The N64 controller. It really cramped your hands together.

Best: The Wiimote + Nunchuck. It's so comfortable. I can lay on the couch, one hand resting on my torso and the other dangling on the floor. I'm a big fan of the split controller. Make this standard.

 

[scorptatious]

Best: Quite possibly all of the Playstation controllers. Sure they haven't changed all that much over the three console generations. But you know what they say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Worst: As much as I loved the N64, I'd have to say that it's controller is probably my personal worst. It's odd design makes it feel a bit awkward when handling it for the first time, at least until I realized I only had to hold the middle and right parts.

 

[Rockchimp69]

Best: PS3 controller grew up with it love it

Worst: tie GameCube controller and Xbox 360 controller can't get used to the change of the left stick and the d-pad find it hard to use maybe it's just me growing up with play station controllers

That's funny cause I was really used to the playstation controller from literally only having played Sony games consoles but when I tried an xbox 360 for the first time it came as naturally- if not more than the PS type. I guess I just naturally prefer that shape, it feels more robust to me.

Best: Xbox 360 controller for those reasons with a mouse/keyboard coming close behind only because the fact that keys have a binary output rather than a smooth analogue one which means that you can't vary your speed.

Worst: I would have to say the Sixaxis controller. It had the classic design of the controllers I was familiar with and was even streamlined a bit (e.g. smaller, less clunky and no analogue button) but all 3 of my controllers became almost unplayable through normal use.
The analogue sticks became sticky and unmovable, the triggers became too loose and unpredictable and the R3 & L3 stick buttons stopped working sometimes.


Mind that I haven't played that many different controllers.

As far as design and button layout goes, Xbox and ps3 are the same. Quality/value it's the ps3 one for not making me pay 30 more dollars on rechargeable batteries. Always liked the Cube one though.

Personally I think everyone should get the play and charge kit but that is also just an extra cost. Another problem like this is the extra cost on the older versions of the 360 for the wifi adaptor.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Best I'd say would be gamecube, fits the hand well and it's very hard to break.

This but I take it a step further and say the minicron controller made by Mad Catz for the Gamecube. That is still my favorite controller of all time.

I've always hated the Xbox controllers. Just too thick for my liking...

 

[GreyKnight3445]

Best: xbox 360. its the portal of controllers (IMO)
worst: PS3. its like the Kane and Lynch 2 of controllers (again IMO)

 

[BanthaFodder]

Best: I'd say either Dualshock 3 (with rumble) or Gamecube. they both feel just right. and the shoulder buttons are frigging amazing. Sony's got the right idea; new console =/= the need for a new controller design. explains why I don't care for the classic controller much... it's ALRIGHT... but... meh...

Worst: alrighty, here's my top 3 WORST controllers ever.
1. the CDi controllers. a stiff d-pad with a vestigile joystick, unresponsive buttons, and one being a dvd remote. and not in the Wii kinda way, this was just like the hefty ol' TV remote, tiny ass buttons and all.
2. Atari 5200. it had a joystick and a numberpad. so yeah, imagine playing Atari with a phone, only the phone didn't work for shit.
3. Kinect. every game besides Dance Central is shovelware, it can't sense dark colors properly, and the fans have made more of it than anyone.

Spoiler

personal runner up: X-Box controller. this made no sense to me as a kid. why was the Dualshock 2 so much better? PS2 had certain things mapped to the sticks, so you could just click down and, boom, done. X-Box? you had to hit these two little buttons located under to the bottom of your thumb. this requires you to either: A. stretch your thumb down (which was a ***** to do in some games) or B. take one hand off of the controller and press the button. that and it was big, bulky, and just kinda unrefined compared to the nice, convenient, sleek comfort that was the Dualshock 2. and don't even compare it to the wavebird. amazingness.

 

[PandaPoster]

Best Xbox 360 controller for the best as it feels robust with a sleek design and fits most hand sizes

may sound fanboyish here

Worst Playstation controllers fee,l flimsy small and cheaply made for me, as well as the stick position and shape make me say "blaaaggghhh"

totally off-topic but i love you profile picture
*humming* this is the tale of Captain Jack Sparrow

 

[Coldster]

Best: Xbox 360 controller. Why? Well because its sturdy, it has plenty of easily accessible buttons that work for many different kinds of games, and the guide button is just an all around awesome tool.

Worst: N64 controller. Why? Because its just so retarded and there is no real way to hold it. It may seem fine after playing with it for awhile but thats just you adjusting to it's "crap factor".