What's the best and worst console controller?

Shoggoth2588

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Aug 31, 2009
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I don't know what the best or worst are since I'm not an engineer. If anything, the worst controller would be for the Colecovision (I think...old school controller that looked like a phone)

I am qualified to talk about the two which I like the most and, dislike with all the bile in my being.

Favorite controller: Xbox 360. I keep mine wired and connect the IM-keypad for some extra weight. I've been using the hell out of that controller since 2006.

Least favorite controller: Wii-mote + Nunchuck combo. It isn't bad enough that it's a motion control scheme but the controller is broken into two parts which both seem to utilize motion control technology. It's a mind-fuck and does nothing for me but add thinking time when I should have already jumped into the action. I say the Wii-Mote + Nunchuck combo because the games that offer it that I have played (SSBB and, Donkey Kong Country) also offer alternate controls using the Wiimote on its own. It makes the Nunchuck just seem like a pointless piece of plastic.

To be honest though, I strongly dislike the Wiimote too. For SSBB and Mario Kart I used the Gamecube remote exclusively. Donkey Kong was fine with the single Wiimote but that was due largely to the fact that there wasn't a lot of motion controlling to be done.
 

TheStickman

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Worst: Probably N64, but I've only played one once for not very long so it's a bit hard to remember.

Best: Gamecube controller, it feels very natural to me.
 

sylekage

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Dec 24, 2008
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Best: The 360 controller. it's too comfortable

Not s much worst, but the Playstation controller, I never really liked the joysticks being right in the middle like that.
 

Nemesis729

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Jul 9, 2010
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Best- Gamecube

Worst- 360, Mostly because of the dam D-pad, seriously it's borderline useless, Also the dreamcast controller, which is basically the same shape as the 360s lol
 

weker

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

may sound fanboyish here :p

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
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icame

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fenrizz said:
Best: PS3 controller. Been playing on that one (in essence) since Dual Shock came for the PSX.
Feels natural to me.

Worst: N64 controller. Seriously, how am I even supposed to hold it?
Listen to this man. He obviously has great intelligence.
 

Kevo32A

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Best: I think the ps3 and the xbox 360 have both cracked it. Perfect intuitive layout with negligable difference.

Worst: Any form of motion control that isn't just for gimmicky games. Having to wave the controller to slap people in Mario Galaxy was that games biggest drawback and shaking controller bits in heavy rain sucked a lot.
 

nexekho

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Best: Gamecube. Perfect buttons, sticks, ergonomics

Worst: PS2. Still got sharp edges where your thumbs might rest, but now it has pressure sensitive buttons that take way too much pressure to fully activate on games that support them! (Driver3)
 

Dalek Caan

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Feb 12, 2011
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The best is the Xbox 360 controller simply because I'm to use to it. The worst is the PS3 controller. Its too small and feels weird.
 

mephistophelesees

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best was the gamecube, most ergonomic thing evaa
worst was probably some novelty piece of crap for the ps2, and really, there were a lot of them
 

Fleaman

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Nov 10, 2010
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Gamecube controller.

The reason is the stupid kidney-shaped buttons, and here's why: Soul Calibur 2. It is so much easier to hit two of those stupid kidney-shaped buttons than it is to hit two small circular ones in the same locations on an X-Box or Playstation controller. Just a little thing, obviously, but current-era controllers are all Dreamcast controllers anyway.

Worst of current generation would be Playstation, which is difficult to hold due to its small size when you're doing something that needs fingers on both of the shoulder buttons on one side. Worst of all time was the N64 controller before it was killed by Bellerophon riding Pegasus.
 

putowtin

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Jul 7, 2010
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best: Playstation 1,2,3,4, (err what ever where up to!)
worst: wii, ahhhhh! the wii mote ahhhhhhh!
 

Maxtro

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Feb 13, 2011
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Not going to read six pages. But if this hasn't been mentioned. It's the worst.


Rawr
 

GartarkMusik

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Best: 360 controller. Its size is perfect and everything is within easy reach. It's basically an extension of my fingertips when I play games. Playstation controllers are a close second, cause that was my first gaming system, but they're a little small for my hands.

Worst: Any Madcatz controllers. They don't even last a month before becoming buggy and unresponsive and they're really uncomfortable.
 

jamesmax

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Aug 25, 2009
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Popadoo said:
Best: PS3 Duelshocks. I grew up with them, and I'm just used to them.
Worst: Xbox controllers. They're way too heavy and clunky, and I prefer my controllers light. That's why I like the PS3 controller.
I think the xbox 360 is the best but its just up to what your used to and hell yes the old xbox controllers were huge as hell! 360 got a bit beter tho
 

mjc0961

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Nov 30, 2009
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I'm just going to talk about currently released and supported console controllers. It's easier than trying to remember years of gaming controllers.

Best has to be the 360 controller. Both analog sticks are in the right spot, the triggers are perfect, and all four face buttons use very different colors so there's no confusion in QTEs (unlike the Dualshock, where some games draw the buttons so small that you can't see if it's a circle or a square, and all you can see is some kind of reddish/pinkish color that could be either button). Only problem is the d-pad, but it's rarely used so I can forgive it. Plus, it's apparently somewhat easy to take the controller apart and fix it if you wanted to.

Worst has to go to Sixaxis/Dualshock 3. I actually like the Dualshock overall, but for the 3rd version where they decided to make changes to it, they changed some things for the worse and didn't change other things that needed it. Leaving the left stick down at the bottom was stupid, and replacing L2 and R2 with those awful "trigger" things was madness. Hey Sony, triggers curve outwards so that your finger can rest in the curve, not inwards so your fingers slip off. Thankfully you can get some plastic snap-on triggers that make L2 and R2 proper triggers. Also, this just in: segmented d-pads STILL suck, especially when you end up making the buttons too far apart. Sure, the Dualshock d-pad works great... Until you need to hit a diagonal. Then the buttons are too far apart to hit two at the same time easily, and since they're all separate, you can't just stick your thumb on the middle of the pad and slide it over in the direction you want. Again, it's rarely used so it's not a big deal, but it sticks out to me that if they wanted to change things on the controller for this version, that was something they should have changed. Also of note, tossing in cheap motion control at the last minute after seeing the Wii Remote. The sad thing is that some developers still haven't learned to go Playstation Move or no motion controls at all, so you get shit like having to use the motion controls to turn some wheel in Killzone 3 when using the Dualshock. Motion controls to turn the wheel is fine if you're already using Move to play, but if you're using a Dualshock, leave it all to the buttons and sticks please!
So yeah, for taking a controller had room for improvement but instead not improving anything while making it WORSE, Dualshock 3 gets a big thumbs down from me. Again though, I still like the controller. It's the worst out of a set of controllers that are all quite good. It's like a 7/10 while the others are all 8's and 9's, and this is a real 0-10 scale where 7 is really good and not shitty like in mainstream game review scores.

Honorable mention goes to the Wiimote for having a speaker that is somehow worse than the speakers in the original GameBoy. And because of that shitty speaker, the d-pad is a bit too far towards the top of the remote, making reaching for it (especially the up button) in games where you hold it vertically a bit awkward. Take out that stupid speaker and bring all the buttons but the power button down a bit, and bam, it would be so much better.

Here's my homework for Microsoft and Sony: Go get some Wii Remotes, Classic Controllers, DSis, and 3DSs. Use the d-pads. Use them a LOT. See how wonderfully they work (except for the aforementioned Wiimote problem, but that's placement, not the pad itself). Study them carefully and try to make d-pads like them for your next controllers.
 

Jackstick

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May 25, 2011
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mjc0961 said:
Here's my homework for Microsoft and Sony: Go get some Wii Remotes, Classic Controllers, DSis, and 3DSs. Use the d-pads. Use them a LOT. See how wonderfully they work (except for the aforementioned Wiimote problem, but that's placement, not the pad itself). Study them carefully and try to make d-pads like them for your next controllers.
There's gotta be some reason why Sony and Microsoft, and plenty of third-party companies, have come close-yet-so-far from the Nintendo D-pad design.

I'm guessing it's patented, or maybe they just all want to have their own D-pad design.
 

Dr. Win

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Jan 2, 2011
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Best: Xbox 360 controllers. Feels natural as someone who grew up with an Xbox of some kind in their house for most of their life. And I hardly ever play games where the D-Pad is used constantly.

Worst: I'm going to go against what seems to be the flow and say that the PS3 controllers are the worst (To be fair I haven't really used that many controllers before). The buttons feel weird, R1 and L1 being aim and shoot makes no sense to me (more of a game thing but whatever), R2 and L2 feel like bits of plastic attached to marshmallows, complete symmetry feels bizarre, the ergonomics don't fit my hands and R3 and L3 are terrible. But I guess it comes down to personal preference.