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[D.Lo]

Gotta remember that a lot of people held the controller like this:

Yep, I saw so much of it. Or idiots who claimed it was bad only because it was designed to not use all sections at once. Also it had a stick which worked differently to later ones, much more movement/distance between left and right/up down.

Otherwise it's a 2D 6-button controller, or a 3D controller with BA and a camera control suite, in one package.

The only other option is to have non-optimal placement for either d-pad or stick, which unfortunately almost every subsequent controller has taken. It's 20 years later and Sony still has non-optimal placement of the primary input of character control.

 

[cartman414]

The gab within the dpad is the worst design they could come with. Also both analog stick are misplaced. Last but not least, the size of this controller is made for small hands.

(I'm not counting any 3th party controllers)

Someone needs to photoshop an image of the controller onto Robin's "baby hands" from that Teen Titans Go! ep.

 

[Creepy]

Turbo Touch 360

The Cheetah Tortoise

 

[Kneefoil]

This is easily the worst controller I've ever held in my hands.

Granted, it's still probably better than some of the controllers on older (pre-NES) or less popular systems, like the CD-i.

 

[Moondrop]

Worst I've ever used personally.

 

[orava]

Microsoft Sidewinder dual strike

Yes, that's a ball and socket joint in the middle which was acting as the joystick part. It was very uncomfortable and awkward. You instinctively wanted to rip it apart and using it was very frustrating.

 

[kubev]

I wouldn't say it's the worst ever but I really dislike the Dreamcast controller.

Grips are straight, which means your wrists end up bent into an uncomfortable position.
D-pad is too tall with sharp edges.
Analog stick feels cheap and plasticky.
Triggers are positioned too low.
It feels like holding a small brick when you have a VMU and the vibration pack connected.
For some reason it has less buttons than the 3D Control Pad it was based on.

The Dreamcast controller is one of my all-time favorite controllers. That's actually why I prefer to play Switch with the Joy-Con and grip. Maybe I'm just used to it, but I prefer the way that you have to grip the Dreamcast controller.

The d-pad was very comfortable, but I seem to recall its durability being questionable at times (only in a few cases that I've seen). The analog stick felt fine to me, and it was surprisingly grippy when you consider that it was made entirely of hard plastic. I can understand you gripe about the trigger position, but I think their position facilitates a better grip on the controller than newer controller designs do. I felt that the controller was too light without a VMU and a Jump Pack in it.

Regarding the low number of buttons, honestly, I kind of appreciate the fact that Sega reduced the number of buttons and [initially] designed games that still worked very well around the comparatively low number of buttons. It's kind of like the three-button Genesis controller. There was nothing really wrong with it as long as the games were designed around it. I don't really think the three-button Genesis controller was an issue until Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat came out. Otherwise, it could've worked just fine had companies designed around the controller.

I actually kind of think that the insistence on companies having largely similar controllers nowadays just naturally makes the games from platform to platform feel too similar.

 

[Nemesis121]

This is easily the worst controller I've ever held in my hands.

Granted, it's still probably better than some of the controllers on older (pre-NES) or less popular systems, like the CD-i.

This controller great for fighting games, 6 face buttons, you can mod the b/w buttons for bigger buttons, and the D-pad is so much better than 360's horrible D-pad..

 

[Lettuce]

Was the worst 3rd party snes pad i ever owned, d-pad was stupidly stiff and cut into my 9 years old self's thumb plus the buttons were super unresponsive

 

[InfiniteCombo]

is this a joke? in particular, the face buttons on the gamecube controller are fascinating to me.

My post is not a joke.

Yep, I saw so much of it. Or idiots who claimed it was bad only because it was designed to not use all sections at once. Also it had a stick which worked differently to later ones, much more movement/distance between left and right/up down.

Otherwise it's a 2D 6-button controller, or a 3D controller with BA and a camera control suite, in one package.

The only other option is to have non-optimal placement for either d-pad or stick, which unfortunately almost every subsequent controller has taken. It's 20 years later and Sony still has non-optimal placement of the primary input of character control.

"...idiots..."
Is that... Necessary?

 

[jabuseika]

Awful.

 

[ResidentDante]

I mean, the Atari Jaguar controller has to take the cake right? Literally everything about this thing is wrong from a design standpoint. Just looking at it practically makes your hands hurt.

But have you actually held one, or are we just making assumptions from pictures here. A few years back I got to try one at a games convention, and surprisingly it wasn't so bad to hold. Sure the d-pad is probably nowhere near Nintendo or Sega quality, but the numpad thing was just a relic from the past. It's not like the numpad interfered with the grip of the actual controller.

 

[Jumeira]

DS2, DS3. Horrible controllers

 

[InfiniteCombo]

Awful.

You mind elaborating? What exactly is wrong with the Joy-Cons?

 

[the_batman]

You mind elaborating? What exactly is wrong with the Joy-Cons?

they're way too tiny when separated like that. and the buttons are too small as well.

 

[| Praxis |]

Nintendo 64

There are much worse, but I hated this controller as well. Also couldn't stand the GameCube controller.

 

[Alex Stroud]

Nintendo 64 by a wide margin. Thankfully they turned things around, and their Pro Controllers have been the best in the business as a result.

 

[InfiniteCombo]

they're way too tiny when separated like that. and the buttons are too small as well.

Those are fair points. To be honest, I've never actually held them in my hands, do I don't know what they feel like. My impressions (for better or worse) are only from GAF.

 

[requiem02]

Wii U Gamepad. All Fisher Price jokes aside (those are totally on point by the way), you don't put both analogue sticks above the four main face buttons. You just fucking don't.

 

[Zombegoast]

Sixaxis will always be the worst controller. A flimsy POS that cost $50.

 

[D.Lo]

they're way too tiny when separated like that. and the buttons are too small as well.

Horses for courses, they're my favourite of all time already. Fully wireless, long battery life, separated hands is way more comfortable, full button parity with everything else, separate handed motion control - the ultimate evolution of Wii Remote plus nunchuck with none of the drawbacks. I don't use the wrist straps either, and have relatively large hards. The separated d-pad is no good for fighting games but works perfectly for other games, eg platformers, played through Wonder Boy no issues.

But they've made the pro controller for those that want a normal chunky pad, and the joycon grip, so options for all.

 

[Like the hat?]

I never really liked the Dreamcast controller

 

[Prisoner KSC2-303]

Awful.

I'm having trouble acclimatising to them in handheld mode. The whole local multiplayer angle has meant some real drawbacks for the right Joycon in terms of ergonomics. That right thumbstick position in particular is a pain, I can't imagine playing an FPS on it.

 

[Pharaun]

The Dreamcast controller made my hands cramp so bad that it was difficult to actually let go after a play session.

Edit:. This sucks because I love the system overall, but that controller...

 

[TwistedFreeze]

Out of all the ones I've actually used, I still have to give it to the PlayStation controllers, at least prior to the PS4, but even that controller is still my least favorite this generation. At the very least, I never found the N64 or GameCube or Wii U GamePad uncomfortable or felt that they made playing certain games difficult. The DualShock controllers, on the other hand, always gave me cramps, the triggers feel rather cheap, the face buttons don't feel satisfying to press, and I hate that the left analog stick is below the D-Pad. Most games I play use an analog stick, not a D-Pad, so that always bugged me, alongside everything else

 

[JMY86]

Gravis was the king of awful d-pads back in the day...

I never had a Gravis pad that properly centered the d-pad.

I used to play X-Wing & Tie-Fighter with the Gravis gamepad and a mouse. I used the d-pad in my left hand and the mouse in my right. I have no idea how I made that work...

 

[ShadowSoldier89]

Original Xbox Duke controller, nes, and ds3.

DS3 is my favorite controller, Xbox Duke is second

 

[sixteen-bit]

I mean, surely it's this

Right?

Nothing will ever beat this

 

[WonderCheese]

Dualshock 3 is absolute garbage.

 

[Knurek]

Imagine playing KB+M games on this beauty.

 

[Cipher Peon]

From every console I've ever played, the 360 controller is definitely the worst. N64 comes close. It's bad, but it doesn't consistently and aggressively interfere with gameplay whenever I play.

 

[MAX PAYMENT]

Dual shock 4 due to its awful battery and build quality.

 

[Interfectum]

There are a lot worse controllers but the worst one I used on a regular basis? DualShock 3, easily. Fuck those triggers.

 

[shnurgleton]

This. But my main entry:

Although it feels great in your hands (very, VERY ergonomic!), there are a few problems:

- Weird shaped face buttons (probably my biggest beef)
- The Dpad is just... LOL.
- C-stick... Actually, to be honest, I don't fully understand the concept behind the C-stick
- Uneven shoulder/trigger layout... Both on one side, but only one on the left side?

It makes it impossible for me to play fighting games on the GameCube. Which is a shame, because there are some good fighting games on there (for one, arguably the best version of SoulCalibur II is on that console).

I agree, mostly because it is too light and feels really cheap.

Edit:

Microsoft Sidewinder dual strike

Yes, that's a ball and socket joint in the middle which was acting as the joystick part. It was very uncomfortable and awkward. You instinctively wanted to rip it apart and using it was very frustrating.

Looks like a hip replacement.

 

[jelly]

Dual Shock 2 and 3 are awful, 4 is an improvement but still badly designed other than better to hold. N64 has a learning curve it didn't need and the buttons were horrible.

 

[JMY86]

There are a lot worse controllers but the worst one I used on a regular basis? DualShock 3, easily. Fuck those triggers.

I hated the triggers and the grip on the sticks but the worst was the fucking size of the DS3. My fingers used to hurt and my hands would cramp up using that awful controller. Microsoft is still light years ahead of Sony with controller design but the DS4 is a massive improvement over the DS3.

 

[Plinko]

I'm going off the board here--the Vita's rear touchpad ruined the entire handheld for me. Just an awful, awful decision to have that as a control mechanism.

Traditional controller is a tie between the OG Xbox and the Dreamcast.

 

[thechristoph]

is this a joke? in particular, the face buttons on the gamecube controller are fascinating to me. you have access to every button from the A button, so you could press anything along with A just by tilting your thumb. you cant do that on a standard layout, obviously, and you could do a lot of interesting things

Yeah, the point of the GC button layout was to be able to do simultaneous button presses.

"unconventional controllers" threads always seem to highlight that people don't know what to do with controllers that challenge convention. I mean, in hindsight, they probably shouldn't have designed the N64 controller with three handles, and they probably should have made some modifications to the GC controller's shoulder buttons and right stick, but they do exactly what they set out to do.

 

[HotHamBoy]

Yes, it's iconic. Yeah, it brought the d-pad. Sure, it was better than just about every other controller before it.

But let's be real, the NES controller sucks. I still love and enjoy using the SNES pad but the NES pad is a piece of shit. Super stiff d-pad, sharp rectangular shape lacking any ergonomics.

 

[ShinAmano]

Joy cons, n64 and any ps controller.

 

[cubicle47b]

Single joy-con mode really is the worst. I hate the SL and SR buttons so much. Dual joy-cons are really good, though.

 

[Moongazer]

The Sixaxis controller for the PS3. Had no weight and felt extremely flimsy combined with no rumble and those goddawful triggers that it had. The Dualshock 3 was a bad controller but it was at least a minor improvement over the Sixaxis version. Sony should never release another controller without rumble ever again.

 

[D.Lo]

But let's be real, the NES controller sucks. I still love and enjoy using the SNES pad but the NES pad is a piece of shit. Super stiff d-pad, sharp rectangular shape lacking any ergonomics.

The shape can get uncomfortable after long periods of time sure. But the dpad uses the exact same tech and style and almost identical parts as the SNES pad, if yours is stiff it's because of wear or grime, a new one plays identically to a new SNES pad.

Single joy-con mode really is the worst. I hate the SL and SR buttons so much. Dual joy-cons are really good, though.

They're a pretty big compromise for micro-multiplayer yeah. They're fine if you don't need shoulder buttons but Mario Kart was a bit much with all the shoulder button holding.

 

[mackattk]

This one was always fun to use. Awful d-pad, button orientation, boomerang style, those L/R top buttons were always awkward to hit because look at this fucking thing.

 

[Iriscomeback]

I remember in the 90s you had this flood of crappy PC controllers. They were absolute shit (with a few exceptions).

Also, pick ANY of the CD-i controllers, all terrible.

 

[potatohead]

Gravis was the king of awful d-pads back in the day...

I never had a Gravis pad that properly centered the d-pad.

Yes these were lame

I had the top one like never used it

 

[moltonasty]

3ds when trying to play Kid Icarus.

It's a fucking nightmare.

Playing this game was such a weird experience- an amazing game mixed with some of the most uncomfortable controls I ever experienced.

 

[The Albatross]

Gamecube controller felt great in your hands, but it was a shitty controller for any game that wasn't specifically made for that controller... So virtually all third party, multi-console games were hampered in some way by that weird design.

 

[Breakage]

Dreamcast controller
The thin non-curved hand grips gave me cramps. The analog stick was loose and the nub had that shitty dot texture. Face buttons were too small. D-pad had hard edges that
lead to sore thumbs. And the way the wire comes out at the bottom was a stupid design decision.

 

[Raw64life]

1st party controllers, the original Xbox in a landslide.

any controller?