Favorite Controller?

[Alienblue]

Of all the systems you've owned, which controller was your favorite/worked best? Which was the WORST?

I'm old school as you know, and the original "Paddle" (Potentiometer) dial control will always be my fave. It is SOOO easy and smooth to move the on-screen paddle or whatever in Pong, Breakout, Arkanoid, Tempest etc...

Second place would be the Genesis 6 button pad.

Worst would be a tie between Intellivision and Atari 5200. The disc is slippery; the 5200 stick floats and breaks easily. On BOTH the teeny tiny pez-sized fire buttons tend to stick and eventually break down (after they break your fingers!)
Others?

[ActRaiser1]

Favorite: Hands down the Dreamcast controller - kidding.  Seriously, what schmuck thought of placing the cord coming at you?  Though the VMUs were pretty cool for play selection in NFL2K.  I never cared for the 7800 controller either actually.

 

Actual favorite controller: Sega's Maracas for Samba de Amigo

 

2nd: Guitar for Guitar Hero

[Steerforth]

I like the SNES pad best. Simple and very functional.

 

N64 pad is very underated. I like it because it is BIG.  The center trigger deal is very intuitive. And the few games that used the "classic" configuration felt very comfortable. Of course, the fact that every single N64 analog stick gets loose after awhile is a buzz kill.

 

Worst Nintendo pad is probably the gamecube, even though it is the most comfortable feling controller I ever used. If only they would not have had such a small d-pad and the button layout was ultimately a mistake. I really like the feel of their analog sticks though, so it is a mixed bag.

 

Wimote is the coolest controller though, time will tell if it is the best. 

[a1]

Favorite controller-the Wii remote, but counting that out I might have to go with the 3d Saturn controller. The dogbone NES controller and 6-button Genesis are great, too.

[Atarifever1]

Genesis, either version, is my favorite.

Dual Shock is my least favorite that I've used.  I've said it before, but I simply can't move past the antiquated placement of the analog sticks.  For that reason, when I buy a Wii I'll be using the gamecube controller instead of the retro controller for anything using the sticks (yes, I'd prefer the terrible Gamecube C stick to the terrible side by side analogs, especially considering that there's no reason to use dual analog for emulation of any of Nintendo's, Hudson's, or Sega's systems anyway, so the c-stick won't be an issue).

I think the 7800 controller is underrated.  Of course, I've played the 7800 so much more this year than my other systems that it actually feels more natural to me than my other controllers.

[chrisbid1]

the atari 2600 paddle is my favorite

the genesis six button pad and original saturn pad are next up

[andrew]

Best controller: NES controller hands down
Worst Controller: PS3 six axis. I love the dual shock but this shock less controller feels cheap in my hands. Its analog triggers feel incredibly cheap and flimsy like i'm going to break them when I use them.

[Paul Campbell]

Genesis.  I remember when I first played a Genesis right after it was released.  The controller seemed so enormous compared to an NES controller, but it still felt so comfortable.

I will add that I have never understood the big deal with the Dreamcast controller having the cord coming out of the bottom.  I like it.  It looks cleaner to me.  Even if I didn't like how it looks, it has never gotten in the way, so I wouldn't complain anyway.

I also dislike the Dual Shock the most.  I don't like the feel in my hands, and I HATE the use of shapes to mark the buttons.  The reason it bugs me is that there is no special order or pattern that would help you which is which without looking down at it.  This is why I would have HATED to play games like RE4 on the PS2.  When it gives you the quick command in the middle of a cut scene, The Gamecube buttons are so easily distinguishable because the all look different.  I would have lost countless lives on the PS2 from slow response.

[Roperious1]

Intellivision I controllers were the WORST! Made your thumbs hurt so much.



All sega controllers were awesome, excluding the activator of course.

[a1]

[QUOTE=Steerforth]

I like the SNES pad best. Simple and very functional.

 

N64 pad is very underated. I like it because it is BIG.  The center trigger deal is very intuitive. And the few games that used the "classic" configuration felt very comfortable. Of course, the fact that every single N64 analog stick gets loose after awhile is a buzz kill.

 

Worst Nintendo pad is probably the gamecube, even though it is the most comfortable feling controller I ever used. If only they would not have had such a small d-pad and the button layout was ultimately a mistake. I really like the feel of their analog sticks though, so it is a mixed bag.

[/QUOTE]

 

I personally loved the N64 controller when I was a kid, but I can't stand it now. My knuckles scape up against the left side, and I have to lift my hand up at an odd angle to prevent it.

 

I agree that the d-pad on the Gamecube controller is awful; it's so small it might as well not even be there. The only decent d-pad of the entire generation (Gamecube, Xbox, PS2) was on the dual-shock. The other ones were awful. I wish companies would steal the d-pad straight off of the Genesis controller. It was by far the best d-pad ever.

 

Other than that though I think the button layout was great on the Gamecube pad, z button aside anyway. Instead of going with the diamond that has been standard since the SNES controller they went with something unique, and I really liked the R triggers. The controller was one of the few things that made the Gamecube unique, and a few issues aside I think it was pretty good.