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I just felt like asking: what is (or was) the best console controller overall? Personally, I love the Dualshock/Dualshock 2 controller. It's the perfect size and all the buttons are conveniently placed. I just flat-out love the thing.

Also, this is my first poll, so I'm not quite sure what to set the limit to. Hoping this won't be a fuck-up.

Dualshock. Dreamcast was too big, Xbox only has two shoulders (and stupid black/white buttons instead), GC controller is too small, NES is painful, Genesis is crap. All controllers released for the PC have sucked.

Gamecube, but I have to admit I didn't use the Dualshock all that much. I always felt it was a bit too stiff and unintuitive, but that might be from lack of familiarity. Or something.

I acrually found the N64 controller to be a bit more precise then the GC one but the latter has a nicer feel to it with the chunky triggers.

Gamecube for Adventure
Neo-Geo Arcade stick for Beat them up
XboxBontroller S for the rest

I would say a mouse, keyboard, and 4-axis joystick, but since you specified consoles...

I'm fond of the SNES for its simplicity but my favorite would have to be the N64's. It was a little weird at first, but I'd take it over any other. Dinking around in Halo 2 was an irritating excerise in frustration; compared to GoldenEye and Perfect Dark there's just no contest.

Japanese Xbox controller. Good size/shape/button layout, good quality sticks, pressure sensitive buttons.

Everyone who voted for controllers with less than four shoulder buttons can report to the vaporisation chambers. I shit you not, Halo is way better with PS2 controllers, because l2/r2 map to black/white, so you can melee without TAKING YOUR FUCKING FINGER OFF THE TURN STICK, which frankly is the gayest interface decision ever. Oh, and nades. Doesn't anyone wonder why XBox shooters don't have industry-standard multiple firing modes? TWO SHOULDERS.

As an aside, aren't the XBox shoulders like the GC ones, in that 'pressing' them is one function, and 'clicking' them all the way is a different function? If so, why does no game (bar drivers, I guess) use this?

Brother-Captain Gaius wrote:I would say a mouse, keyboard, and 4-axis joystick, but since you specified consoles...

I'm fond of the SNES for its simplicity but my favorite would have to be the N64's. It was a little weird at first, but I'd take it over any other. Dinking around in Halo 2 was an irritating excerise in frustration; compared to GoldenEye and Perfect Dark there's just no contest.

I have to agree that the N64 was a very nice controller. I loved GoldenEye and Perfect Dark for it. It seems that it's really a matter of how well the games are designed for the controller. Still, there are controllers that make me want to curl up in a corner *coughGCcough*. The GC controller is just too small for me. To quote J (MiB, not jmac), "I feel like I'm gonna break this damn thing!".

EDIT: And of course, a keyboard, mouse and/or joystick blow most controllers out of the water for virtually everything, which is why they aren't on here.
P.S.: Edit typos . Well, it is 5AM

I like the GC as much as anyone, but I find the c-stick too sensitive and not enough travel, the z button impossible to hit reliably, and the whole thing too small for my hands. The Wavebird is larger, but the other problems remain.

The N64 controller is bad due to only two shoulders, no stick-click functions, and the games with less vertical sensitivity. I'd prefer an XBox controller (the Japanese not-stupidly-big one).

Stark wrote:As an aside, aren't the XBox shoulders like the GC ones, in that 'pressing' them is one function, and 'clicking' them all the way is a different function?

Each shoulder button counts as an additional directional axis.

No shit. Is there a discrete function for 'full click', or is it just 100% on the potentiometer? I ask because a GC *technically* has five shoulders, and FPSs used this. More buttons available with thumbs on both sticks = better controller for FPS.

Control pads are shite for FPS' anyway, especially after you've experianced the precision of the mouse/keyboard combination. I can't play console shooters any more, for that very reason.

I have to say the GC pad is the best. Aside from the marginally odd C-Sick placing, everything is perfect. It feels unbeliveably comfy - I remember being shocked by it's awesomeness when I first picked one up, which is somthing which has never happened before. I'm expecting the Wii to be the same

Stark wrote:No shit. Is there a discrete function for 'full click', or is it just 100% on the potentiometer? I ask because a GC *technically* has five shoulders, and FPSs used this. More buttons available with thumbs on both sticks = better controller for FPS.

No, the Xbox controller just has potentiometer triggers.

The 360 controller adds two new shoulder buttons, as well as the analogue triggers.

The Gamecube controller would be better for FPS, but due to the slight resistance in the full click action it can't be used for actions you want to perform quickly and repeatedly. (it would be good for, say, burst fire on pull and full auto on full click, but I don't recall something like that ever being done)

Also, the Gamecube controller has no stick-click buttons. The 360 and PS2 have six functions available with both thumbs on sticks, the Xbox had 4.

Currently, the Xbox 360 controller is the best. It is comfortable to hold, all the buttons and sticks are in the right place (unlike the DS2, which still has the D-Pad in the "natural" left thumb position. Great for Soul Calibur and Tekken, less good for anything else).

The only downside to the 360 controller is a slightly iffy D-Pad, which means you have to be careful in DoA4.

Vendetta wrote:The 360 controller adds two new shoulder buttons, as well as the analogue triggers.

Currently, the Xbox 360 controller is the best. It is comfortable to hold, all the buttons and sticks are in the right place (unlike the DS2, which still has the D-Pad in the "natural" left thumb position. Great for Soul Calibur and Tekken, less good for anything else).

The only downside to the 360 controller is a slightly iffy D-Pad, which means you have to be careful in DoA4.

Are the new shoulders remapped black and white or new ones?

They replace the black and white buttons, and are mapped to them in original Xbox games. This is a good thing. Neither original Xbox controller had the Black/White buttons in any kind of easy to access place. You could only map them to non-time-dependent functions, because they required too much hand movement to access.

So basically, the 360 controller is like a PS2 controller? That can only be good. As I said above, PS2 having shoulder b/w meant every game was easier to play.

Stark wrote:So basically, the 360 controller is like a PS2 controller? That can only be good. As I said above, PS2 having shoulder b/w meant every game was easier to play.

Yes, basically. Only with analogue triggers with a decent pull, and the D-Pad and left stick swapped.

It's also more rounded and comfortable to hold. And wireless (or standard USB).

Which is why it is The Winner.

Wireless is always good

The DS2 had easily the best button layout, though I prefer playing with the GC's Wavebird. I have tiny girly hands, you see.

Ford Prefect wrote:The DS2 had easily the best button layout

Well yes, they robbed it off the SNES and added prongs. The prongs are good, I didn't particularly like pads before they had prongs.

Vendetta wrote:

Ford Prefect wrote:The DS2 had easily the best button layout

Well yes, they robbed it off the SNES and added prongs. The prongs are good, I didn't particularly like pads before they had prongs.

They also added an extra pair of shoulder buttons and rearranged the face buttons into a more intuitive "cross" configuration. And added analog sticks, of course.

And added analog sticks, of course.

But only after Nintendo came up with them

Dualshock for fighters, probably since I started fighters on the PS.

Gamecube for adventure games.

The simple controllers still feel nicest for the older systems. I've never really liked emulating.

DS2. My second would be the GC one, with DC third. For worst, I can't stand the N64 pad and the American Xbox one, I'd rather have a NES controller than something as cumbersome as those two.

I'll go with the GC. N64 second, because it's just so damn cool. That Z-trigger is really great and the thing looks like a spaceship. It's also way more precise than the GC controller (more precise than any controller actually, I'd think). Just compare using the bow in Zelda on the N64 and GC... Just too bad that the stick has a tendency to die rather quickly...