The Great Controller Debate

[Stormageden747]

The Dualshock 4 is AMAZING, but the Pro Controller for the Switch also feels nice.

Honestly, I don't have problems with any controllers. Though, I'm a keyboard and mouse fanboy, I grew up playing games on the computer and those are my favorite controls to this day.

 

[Castle]

For me, each console manufacturer has had their turn at impressing me with their controller design. At first it was Nintendo with the Gamecube controller. The cube was my first introduction to gaming so it made a good first impression. The Cube controller is still well off, but we've come such a long way since then it feels a bit antiquated today. Those clunky shoulder triggers that go *snap* *poing!* every time. Oof.

Then it was the 360 controller with those delightful little jellybean buttons, ergonomic grip and slick triggers. I honestly didn't think it could get better than that but then Sony came out with the PS4's Dualshock and it exceeds all other controllers. I used to dislike Playstation controllers and I still do, but Sony nailed it with the Dualshock 4. The directional touch pad is this gen's sole hardware innovation as far as I'm concerned. The first time I learned it was also a button I freaked right on out. Then months later I discovered it's a four-way directional pad and I flipped. The Dualshock 4's triggers are also the best in show.

 

[Zonda]

In terms of intuitiveness, I’ve taken a liking to how easily the N64, GameCube, Xbox 360 and Wii-U pro controllers handle.

My history of gaming has been a contributing factor to hand problems surfacing in the last 2 years and I now have Tendinopathy from my ECU and FCU tendons in both hands which gives me a lot of pain at times. Playing Super Smash Bros. Or Mario Kart 8, or even just normal keyboard use sets it off really badly.

I went over all the common hand movements I do regularly with my Physio and even just a simple SHFFL with the GameCube controller was identified as one of the worst things you could possibly do to your hand (short of actually injuring it straight up) with repeated use as it relies heavily on weaker tendons with no chance for a muscle to take the load.

It’s pretty interesting how some of the most comfortable/easy movements can end up being really bad for you.

 

[WraithHawk]

Personally I'm fond of the Gamecube and Wii U pro controllers. I like the Switch pro controller as well but the Dpad feels off, somehow. I noticed that playing Shovel Knight on the Wii U feels more precise and playing Celeste on the Switch can be frustrating at times. It feels like the Switch controller misinterprets dpad inputs more zealously than the Wii U pro controller because, in Celeste particularly, I'll go down when I meant to go right, or whatever, and die as a result.

I'd rank the Gamecube controller slightly higher than the Wii U pro controller in terms of design but in terms of utility the Wii U pro controller wins out thanks to its bluetooth capability. Mine has been repurposed to control my raspberry pi media center/emulation box (and worked perfectly out of the box, at that).

 

[Alita the Pun]

gotta go with the gamecube, the first controller I ever held. its really a spectacular controller and you know I can rock out some Smash with it! I never liked the Xbox controllers, they just felt clunky. the Dualshock 4 is nice but the Dualshock 3 and earlier had such small handles I could barely hold the thing!

 

[Spirit]

The Gamecube controller will always be my baby.

 

[Zonda]

The SNES controller is surprisingly intuitive and ergonomic for its time.

 

[Ninja]

My favorite controller due to the ergonomics and feel has to go to the Dualshock 4 Playstation controller.

A very close second is my special edition Xenoblade 2 Pro controller for Switch. The design is nice however my new favorite will be THIS one when it comes out.

I hope Amazon has discounts for prime members!

 

[Cfrock]

My favourite controller has changed over time and right now it's one I would never have imagined.

Sega
Sega controllers have all been terrible, with the sole exception being the Dreamcast controller. It's a really ugly piece of work, but surprisingly comfortable to hold with very satisfying triggers on the back. Only having one stick holds it back, but it's not a terrible piece of kit. Looking back, it's really not hard to see why Sega doesn't make hardware anymore, since almost all of it was utter garbage. Sega fanbois and grrls don't @ me.

Xbox
The Duke was an absolute joke. I don't know why Microsoft thought the average person had hands as big as their head but they rolled with it and it almost ruined them completely in the Japanese market. It's not just the size of the Duke that was bad, it's the button layout, too. Everything is in Italics, and the black and white buttons are positioned at the top like some kind of horrible Sega design. The 'rocker' that it had in lieu of a d-pad was also a big mistake.

They corrected with the small Xbox controller which was a lot better. It was originally made specifically for Japan but then everyone else saw it and recognised how much better it would be and demanded it be released worldwide. It's not ideal, it's still too bulky and the shape doesn't fit your hand quite right, but it was a huge improvement.

The 360 controller was a knockout. Until recently it was my favourite controller of all time. It was the perfect size, button layout and spacing was top notch, they got rid of those stupid black and white buttons and gave us shoulder buttons instead (even if they did insist on calling them 'bumpers'), and the triggers were leaps ahead of everyone elses'. It was even comfortable when you had the keyboard attachment plugged into the bottom.

I'm not a fan of the Xbone controllers at all. I honestly don't see why people like them. They look ugly, with their more angular design, the triggers that spill onto the sides feel disgusting and I can't see the reason for such a thing, and the sticks feel fragile and snap against their own housing making an annoying click sound. Microsoft had a choice with the Xbone controller. They could keep the design the same as the 360, or they could make it worse. They chose to make it worse for no discernable reason.

Nintendo
I never liked the NES controller much because its pointy corners would hurt my hands after a while. It's also fairly ugly.

The SNES controller is perfectly fine. Nothing to rave about but it did its job well. Much more comfortable than the NES controller.

I always liked the N64 controller. It had a very visually unique design and it felt just hefty enough in your hand. Felt a bit flimsy if you were using the left handle and not the middle one, but other than that it was good.

The GameCube controller was my favourite until the 360. Again, a unique design, but the level of comfort is still almost unrivalled. The way your fingers naturally rest on those chunky shoulder buttons. The satisfaction of pressing that big A button. The precision of those compact sticks, along with the octagonal housing to make hitting cardinal directions easier. Oh yes. My only complaint is that the Z button feels so weak, and there isn't a corrosponding shoulder button on the left side.

The Wiimote is bad and I don't like it. The d-pad is just out of reach, forcing you to stretch to it, and when used sideways the fact that one side is so thin and the other so fat makes it very uncomfortable. The nunchuck was fine, since it was the exact same shape as the N64's middle handle, but it felt hollow. I also didn't like having a wire suspended between my two hands.

The Wii Classic Controller was also horrible. The main shoulder buttons (which would have been triggers on anything else at the time) felt spongy and the sticks would snap into position and weren't great for more precise movement. Terrible.

The Wii U Gamepad was, eh, fine. Buttons all felt nice and it wasn't uncomfortable, but it was too big for a controller. I also didn't like holding it one handed whenever I had to do something on the touch screen. The sticks were very good, though.

The Wii U Pro Controller was tied with the 360 for my favourite when I got one. It was basically the 360 controller but the sticks were level and the d-pad was better. It didn't feel as hefty, though, which was a point against it, and the glossy facade made fingerprints really easy to see. But that battery life. Praise be!

I don't mind the Switch Joycons. I much prefer them loose compared to in that weird cradle thing you get with them, and I'm not fond of them on their own, but it was nice to be able to lie back with one arm draped over the back of my chair and be able to play comfortably with no issues.

Sony
I have hated every single PlayStation controller up to the DualShock 4. The PS1 controller was basically an uglier, pointier SNES controller. The first DualShock didn't impress me because the sticks felt slippery and they were uncomfortably close together.

DualShock 2 was the exact same thing but black. It was bad.

DualShock 3 was shockingly awful. Again, same basic design (therefore bad) but those """triggers""" that your fingers would slide off like a parent on a ledge at the end of a 90s kid's gameshow were frankly disgusting. DualShock 3 ranks as one of the worst controllers I've ever used, and considering that's what we got instead of that infamous silver boomerang I'd have quite happily said Sony were totally incapable of making a good controller.

But then they made DualShock 4, aka the best controller ever made. They spaced the sticks out a bit, making them a comfortable distance. They redesigned the tops of the sticks, too, to give them more grip. They made the faces with the buttons a little bit smaller, drawing the buttons closer together and making the overall design a little more elegant. The shoulder buttons are curved just the right amount and sink in with just the right resistence, and those triggers, sweet Lord above, those triggers are just so smooth and fit the curve of the finger so well, and you feel so in control at all times. The touch pad is a nice addition, too. I use my DS4 on my PC and the touchpad works as a mouse. It's really intuitive in that function and feels natural. The only thing I can criticise this masterpiece on is battery life, which isn't stellar, especially since I've been using the Wii U Pro Controller for years on my PC so they difference is beyond noticable, but that's a price I am more than willing to pay, especially because I have a program that makes the light bar pulse with all the colours of the rainbow when it's charging ^_^

 

[Dio]

My favourite controller was the Xbox 360 it seemed perfectly designed for my hands. Comfortable and sturdy especially when I threw them in a rage they occasionally survived. I used to get so mad when I played Soul Calibur 4 haha!

The Xbox One controller is pretty good though but is somewhat smaller. Would prefer it to be bigger like the 360 one. I use it to play my non VR PC games now as it is more comfortable than keyboard and mouse. It seems sturdy enough although I have never been angry enough to throw it and put it to the test.

I never liked the Play Station ones as they all seemed flimsy apart from that of the PS4. The pre PS4 controllers probably wouldnt have been any good at the time of the PS3 and PS2 when I would have been most likely angry enough to throw them.

Nintendos best controllers were the wiimote and nunchuck. They seemed to fit nicely in the hands plus pointing with the wiimote was easier to navigate menus with. The N64 controller was for wierd aliens with three hands but as it was my first console I didn't notice anything strange about it. The GC one was ok, sturdy and I liked the big A button. The Wii Poo one was cumbersome and not nice to hold. And I certainly don't like the switch one as it is too small and using the joycons separately are ridiculous and for people with fetus hands.

Occulus Rift controllers are very nicely designed and comfortable to hold. Nicer than the Wiimote and Nunchuck though not enough buttons for standard games.

 

[Spiritual Mask Salesman]

There are some controllers I haven't used, but from the ones I have I'll share what my favorite controller is.

The first controller I used was the N64 controller. Back then I had no issue with it, I liked it but it wasn't durable. The control stick would wear down so easily. Aside from that, an ok controller, and an interesting design, it was ok to hold but only as long as you held it with your hand on the middle handle, it just felt weird trying to hold it with just the left and right handles.

The SNES controller was pretty simple, it was decent, easy to use, I've actually never used a NES controller, but I'm sure the SNES controller was appreciated over it.

The Duelshock 2 was so flimsy. Usually people complain about how things in a controller are too far apart, well with this controller they felt to be crammed too close. Those big clunky control sticks stuck so close together, lol! Oh such memories! I mean yeah they were big and easy to get your thumbs on, but they had no grip and felt slippery. And I was a kid who would get sweaty hands after holding a controller for awhile so it was a love/hate relationship. I loved my games on the PS2, I just hated the Duelshock 2 Controller.

I didn't have an Xbox, but a friend of mine did so I did get ahold of The Duke. Prime example of everything positioned weird, and it was just too big. It was a big reason why I had no interest in buying an Xbox.

The Gamecube Controller was amazing, and its design is still great to this day. It was the first controller I fell in love with because it is so comfortable. Everything is spaced just right, that big A button, those huge L and R buttons that your fingers just sit on perfectly, and the controller was comfortable to hold.

The Xbox 360 Controller was amazing as well. I honestly can't find anything to complain about with it. The buttons were spaced perfect, it felt comfortable, I loved it just as much as the Gamecube Controller.

The Wiimote and Nunchuk pairing wasn't exactly bad. I actually thought the D-Pad was ok located above the A button, and usually if you needed to ever press it while using the nunchuk it was just to press Down. But shifting my thumb up to the D Pad was easy enough, I feel. The 1 and 2 buttons were out of reach. I don't ever recall needing to press them when the controller was paired with the nunchuk though. And I have to admit, the wiimote was comfortable to hold, so was the nunchuk. I think it was pretty good, although I hated trying to play games without the nunchuk connected. Playing with the wiimote that way was really the only time I think the 1 and 2 buttons really served any purpose, because they replaced the A button, and the B Trigger.

I hated the Wii Classic Controller. I much prefered the Classic Controller Pro because it actually had handles and was comfortable to hold. That, and the Z buttons were shifted to be underneath the L and R buttons. The control sticks were also spaced apart better. I would hook up my Gamecube controller instead while playing VC games, even the Wii Pro Controller wasn't great.

I guess we have to consider the Wii U Gampepad a controller, and in that case don't we have to add in the DS and 3DS? Short story, they all 3 are decent. Wii U gamepad is just too big though. The DS was alright. My biggest dislike of the 3DS was it's control stick. I mean it works fine, it feels fine, but for me idk why, it doesn't feel like it could handle some rough heat of the moment gameplay.

The Wii U Pro Controller was great as well, before the Switch Pro Controller I would have said it was definitely in my highest tier of fave controllers. I'd say it is maybe slightly better than the 360 controller, in fact it's design is practically identical. Like @Cfrock pointed out, the controller has an amazing battery life too.

The Switch Joy Cons are ok, but I don't like using just one, even though it's so small and you can actually connect it to your phone, or even a tablet, to play mobile games. Problem is you'd have to be playing a game that doesn't require many buttons. I can tolerate using the Joy Cons connected to the cradle, but I'd rather be using them unconnected, if I even use them at all.

The Switch Pro Controller is much better to use and I'd say it's even a step up from the Wii U Pro Controller, I love the offset control sticks, it makes it feel even more like a 360 controller. Plus like the Wii U Pro Controller it has a long battery life. It's design also looks more unique than the Wii U Pro Controller, it doesn't look like a copy of the 360 controller although it still kind of is. A step up for sure.

The Duelshock 4 is also on my higher tier of controllers, and I'd chalk it up amoung the Gamecube, and Switch Pro Controller. For a company that has historically had bad controllers, it's so suprising that they would end up making the Duelshock 4 into one of the best controllers available currently, arguably the best controller to date.

So yeah, toss up between the Gamecube, Duelshock 4, and Switch Pro Controllers for me. In the end I'd say the Gamecube Controller remains the pinnacle. I'd love to get an official wireless compatible Gamecube controller. It's sad that all we have right now are still only imitations not even made by Nintendo.

 

[Hyrulian Hero]

N64. That controller was an absolutely atrocious design but I love it so hard core. The handles were very ergonomic. I don't know how anyone can like the dual shock, nothing about it feels right to me except the trigger buttons. I was a fan of the s-style xbox controller but I think the 360 improved on the design. The WiiU pro controller is incredible, nigh perfect minus a few little things. Believe it or not, the Wiimote with a nunchuck was very comfortable for me, especially considering the light gun. RE4 was so fine on the Wii.

The Game Cube controller holds up so well today but I'm at a loss as to why the c sick still hasn't been fixed. They're still making these controllers and the c stick is still nothing more than a nubbin. The original GBA fit so nice in my hands it makes me want to use it as a console controller (minus the shoulder buttons although they're great for handheld games).

Here's a pet peeve of mine, why in the name of all crap doesn't the dance pad work as a regular controller?! I would absolutely play through Wind Waker on the dance pad without a second thought. Or DK bongos. Man, what an awesome challenge that would be. Speed runners would crap themselves.