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[D.Lo]

I think a few games used the D-pad instead of the joystick like pokémon stadium ? And in these you'd use L
Also L was used in a few games for secondary actions (case in point in mario kart 64 it was used for the map iirc)

Yes, that's the other position. And those games would not use the Z trigger for the same reason.

MK64 used the L button to turn music off - a borderline hidden option feature and hardly a gameplay use.

 

[KOCMOHABT]

classic neogaf. Worst controller EVER thread and some people are posting Xbox 360 and Dualshock.

Seriously - that is the worst controller ever for you? There is nothing worse than the xbox 360 controller? Or the dualshock, behold the horror :O

Edit: For me it is basically better than all that came before these 2. Still using them and on PC I don't imagine I'll replace the 360 for a long time. Especially since it seems sturdy af

Thanks for the laughs though from the nice custom designs

 

[Shuggananas]

classic neogaf. Worst controller EVER thread and some people are posting Xbox 360 and Dualshock.

Seriously - that is the worst controller ever for you? There is nothing worse than the xbox 360 controller? Or the dualshock, behold the horror :O

Thanks for the laughs though from the nice custom designs

For mainstream controllers DS and OG xbox are clearly the worst POS to exist
Of course if you take into account all the weird custom shit there's always worse, and I think nothing beats the power glove when it comes to badness

 

[jeemer]

I'm glad to see anyone saying n64 - always hated that controller.

 

[icecold1983]

This ain't no small minority preference like DUALSHOCK haters dislike of symmetrical sticks(its not their fault them poor unsymmetrical souls )...No no, This controller is actually a piece of shit.
Look at it! How do you press the left shoulder button now in that position?


Kinda hard to tell.....Because It's true, double edged sword dat is.

you dont press the left shoulder button when holding the controller in that position, you press the z trigger which serves the exact same purpose. have you ever even used the n64 controller?

 

[ResidentDante]

This ain't no small minority preference like DUALSHOCK haters dislike of symmetrical sticks(its not their fault them poor unsymmetrical souls )...No no, This controller is actually a piece of shit.
Look at it! How do you press the left shoulder button now in that position?

You've never played a N64 have you?

 

[TriAceJP]

For mainstream controllers DS and OG xbox are clearly the worst POS to exist
Of course if you take into account all the weird custom shit there's always worse, and I think nothing beats the power glove when it comes to badness

The original Xbox controller was a solid build and positioned the buttons in a nice 3x2 line that made it great for fighting games like Street Fighter.

It was a little big but I found it comfortable. I can see why people complain about the size but calling it a POS is exaggerated.

only if you have small hands - or weak arms

High five!

 

[SPCTRE]

The DUKE

only if you have small hands - or weak arms

 

[Kurt Angle]

This ain't no small minority preference like DUALSHOCK haters dislike of symmetrical sticks(its not their fault them poor unsymmetrical souls )...No no, This controller is actually a piece of shit.
Look at it! How do you press the left shoulder button now in that position?


Kinda hard to tell.....Because It's true, double edged sword dat is.

you've obviously never played on a N64

dual shocks stick layout is garbage

 

[Combichristoffersen]

This ain't no small minority preference like DUALSHOCK haters dislike of symmetrical sticks(its not their fault them poor unsymmetrical souls )...No no, This controller is actually a piece of shit.
Look at it! How do you press the left shoulder button now in that position?

Came to post this. I just found it to be unwieldy to hold and uncomfortable to use. To me it seemed like it wasn't made for humans, but three-handed aliens from Alpha Centauri. Easily the worst controller I've ever used.

 

[AppleSeason]

sticking to official 1st party controllers of things I've tried (this excludes stuff such as Jaguar or SaturnI'm going to go with N64. The analog degradation...

Other candidates I'm not fond of:

- Dreamcast: Shape was not confortable, felt like clawing the gamepad when holding it, not the mention the cable coming out from the bottom (I don't care about that cable holder) and in the end feeling like a big chunk slab of plastic. The raised d-pad was painful for fighting games, and it has the honor of being the first console for which I bought a PSx/2 gamepad adapter.

- Megadrive: I've never liked the single row button position, felt quite plastic-like and it was a failed attempt at ergonomics.

- Wiimote (horizontal mode): Nope. Like a nes pad but much worse.

- Sixaxis: It easily feels like the cheapest gamepad I've ever had. weight, build quality... I already complained that the DS2 sucked compared to the grey DS, but this was terrible. But having a standard DS shape it was still functional.


I've been very tempted to mention the Xbox 360 gamepad because of the fucking d-pad., but that goes in the category of flawed gamepads where I don't like some serious things but I still like them:

- 360: Everything's good and fun until you really need to use the d-pad. Pretty much the reason I would buy d-pad intensive games on PS3 and left analog ones on 360

- Gamecube: The most comfortable gamepad I have tasted (until 360), but... Damn. The athropied C stick (good luck playing Geist with that), the weird buttons and the uncomfortable Z that looked like some evolutionary vestige.


PS: I have middle sized hands and I like the Duke. Say what you want about the black and white buttons, size or shape, but that thing was well built and worked great for games such as racers.

 

[nekkid]

only if you have small hands - or weak arms

DUKE pour homme.

 

[Koyuga]

Only out of the ones I've actually used and not just those that look silly, this piece of shit:

It's so bad it's actually an asymmetrical controller that I hate, and that's usually an automatic plus for me.

If it had an extra shoulder button and a bigger d-pad it would have been the perfect controller.

 

[Langdon Alger]

DS4. The analogue sticks peel. The triggers and shoulder buttons get stuck. The battery life is a joke. The light serves no purpose and cannot be turned off. The rubber on the analog sticks feels gooy and gross, and yet somehow your thumbs slip off of them. The triggers are not concave enough. Not even close. My fingers slip off of them. The sticks have too big of a range of movement, making them difficult to move to the limit and that hurts my wrist. It's the first controller I've ever used that actually caused me pain. I bought an Xbox One just for the controller.

 

[CJCW]

What would you replace it with? The mouse is all you need for changing direction, there's no need for an analogue stick or anything. The keyboard offers you a wealth of control opportunities that no controller could match.

I don't want a controller for most PC games, I want a complement to a mouse that's actually comfortable to use while playing games, and a keyboard isn't it. It's like designers just gave up trying on that half of the input scheme.

 

[spliced]

The controller that inspired all current controllers is the worst?! I mean I guess that qualifies as an opinion I just didn't expect something so off in the op when I came in this thread Abesimpsonenterexit.gif.

The worst is probably some console I haven't played, but from what I've played I'd go Saturn. The shoulder buttons felt cheap and I didn't like that weird D-pad design.

 

[Dagobert Duck]

Quality-wise I would say it is the Dualshock 2 cause I think of the 5 I had 3 were broken after 1-2 years (R1/L1) button stuck...

OG Xbox one was garbage and even the 360 controller was kinda weird...

N64 was weird at first but it was an awesome controller (although the Stick was garbage thats true)

Gamecube, almost perfect but cable length was an issue and the dpad was kinda small.

Gamepad would be godlike if the battery life wasnt garbage...the Wii U Pro Controller is the best controller this generation, hands down. The battery life is directly ripped of somekind of alien technology...

 

[Possumowner]

My worst controller would have to be the Atari Jaguar,just an awful design and terrible in the hand.
I also have a wildcard to throw in,you can disqualify it if need be...but I'm also chucking in the Apple TV 4 remote,its garbage.

I know I know some say its not a console

 

[Dragon Puncher]

Gotta agree with N64 as far as official controllers go. Good ideas, terrible execution.

Besides the points in the OP, I also hated that you had to buy the rumble pak on top of the controller and that you had to switch it out for the controller pak every time you wanted to save in most 3th party games.

 

[JustSomeone]

The WiiU gamepad - it makes the system unnecessarily expensive, and while it has nice uses in some games, it isn't really worth its cost. What other controller can be said to ruin its system's sales?

Wiimote - unlike the WiiU gamepad this one actually contributed to the sales of the system it belongs to, but it sucks all the same. The controller itself is fine, i guess, but nintendo's insistence on shoving motion control to games it has no business being in,like SMG and DKCR, significantly hurt the experience in those games.

 

[Pantaghana]

Seems most in this thread have not held many controllers in their life.

Alpha grip ag-5

[img][/QUOTE]

Because explaining is hard.

It's not really a gamepad, but a keyboard and a trackball mouse shaped as one.
I've always wanted to try it myself out of curiosity, but far too expensive for such an experiment.

 

[TBiddy]

How can anyone claim that the N64 controller is the worst?! Sure, the analog stick didn't last long, but the trigger on the back and the analog stick were godsends, while they lasted anyways.

The worst I've tried, personally, has to be either the Wiimote or the DS3. Wiimote was imprecise in its tracking and drove me nuts. The DS3 was flimsy, the analog sticks were made of the most slippery rubber known to man (causing my fingers to slip during heated FIFA matches) and the build quality about matched my old Fiat 127.

 

[CaptainDreads]

I have never got on with any of the dual shock incarnations.
I've always found the analogue sticks awkward for small adjustments. On top of that it's just too small for my gorilla hands.

Bonus: The Terminator2 and Alien promo Amiga joysticks which work by are totally unusable.

 

[ooobazinga]

I don't know the worst. I didn't mind the sidewinder.

I think the DS3 was pretty bad but I can't say I find the DS4 that great either.

I had so many stick problems with my 360 controller so that perhaps gets the vote for worst quality.

The Xbox One controller is for me the most comfortable I've ever used.

 

[MrCunningham]

Can I vote for this? :

As novel as it was back in the day to have a PS1 styled gamepad for the PC, the original Gravis GamePad Pro was still a pretty terrible controller. The d-pads on these things were so spongy (and I owned several) and were never calibrated right. Sometimes the d-pad would be off center with the left or right being completely unresponsive. I still used them because it was all I had. But g'damn.

The ergonomics really aren't great here.

It is literally a redesigned Onlive gamepad with asymmetrical thumbsticks.

 

[nekkid]

As a general pad it was actually alright. But as its primary purpose (replacement for M&K for FPS games) it was terrible.

 

[Kolma]

Nothing about this was great...
Aside from the spotty bluetooth connection. It had sliding nubs that make the PSP's nub feel like the best analog stick around. And it lacks a damn D-pad breaking it's only real potential in playing platformers on android. Certainly not worth the $50 it cost at launch and not worth the $5 most people paid for during a special promotion.

 

[MrCunningham]

As a general pad it was actually alright. But as its primary purpose (replacement for M&K for FPS games) it was terrible.

Oh man, I had one of these when I was young. It was a weird and wacky design that tried to bridge the gap between console controllers and a mouse and keyboard. But it was so awkward to really use with any success.

 

[Gen X]

All the controllers I've seen in this thread so far are godly compared to......



Drum roll please.......



I present.....



The Quickshot......


JOYBALL!!!

It is anything but a joy, but it's certainly balls.

 

[BGBW]

i hate cause when i use it my hands touch each other

no controller should have it where you hand touch one another

I can't give you beef for that since that's a legit concern based on your experience. The problem is it is so common to see people judge the N64 controller by its look rather than how it feels in the hand.

 

[WITHE1982]

Don't know if it's been mentioned but the Amiga CD32 controller was particularly gruesome.

I switched over to a competition pro as fast as humanly possible.

 

[ResidentDante]

The worst is probably some console I haven't played, but from what I've played I'd go Saturn. The shoulder buttons felt cheap and I didn't like that weird D-pad design.

I'm guessing you're referring to the Mark 1 Western Saturn controller:

Because the Mark 2, which was always the standard controller with the Japanese Saturn, is probably the best d-pad controller ever made:

 

[jem0208]

What would you replace it with? The mouse is all you need for changing direction, there's no need for an analogue stick or anything. The keyboard offers you a wealth of control opportunities that no controller could match.

I'd argue that generally a controller is superior to a keyboard (not a mouse, the keyboard).

The combination of an analogue stick and a DPAD is more accurate and far more versatile than WASD for a number of reasons:

- WASD is limited to 8 directions whereas a stick has a full circular range.
- Digital input only whereas a controller has both.
- WASD requires 3 fingers to control as opposed to 1 thumb meaning a large number of actions often require you to relinquish full control to complete.


There are fairly specific cases where I'd agree a keyboard is superior, fighting and RTS games for example. However, I think for the majority of genres we play the keyboard is lacking: 3D action, FPS, racing, sports etc.

The lack of any form of digital input is the main issue.

I think what would be the ideal controller solution would be something like a mouse combined with the left half of an Xbox elite or equivalent. Adding an extra paddle on the back would mean that each digit has access to an input with no movement, the index finger has access to 2; an analogue and a digital input and the thumb can control the analogue stick as well as another input in the click with the option of using the dpad if necessary.

 

[Neff]

Every third party controller I ever used with the obvious exception of Hori sticks was straight up shit.

The worst first party controller? I honestly can't think of one that's actually bad, but Microsoft's D-pad's sure suck.

Also fuck the N64 controller haters

 

[D.Lo]

I'm guessing you're referring to the Mark 1 Western Saturn controller:

Ah yeah western Saturn Mark 1 is a damn good answer though.

What a complete dog, and they had the other one right there already!

 

[AppleSeason]

Don't know if it's been mentioned but the Amiga CD32 controller was particularly gruesome.

Can you slide the sides down or something similar?

 

[Kurt]

Worst d-pad & analogsticks are wrong placed & to small.
I know most people are used to it now. But hell what a bad design.
Remember, my imo. Don't speak for everyone.

Microsoft did a good job after the first xbox

 

[Shuggananas]

- WASD is limited to 8 directions whereas a stick has a full circular range.
- Digital input only whereas a controller has both.
- WASD requires 3 fingers to control as opposed to 1 thumb meaning a large number of actions often require you to relinquish full control to complete.

- For a lot of genres you only need 8 (or even 4) directions. Plus the mouse complements this.
- Very few cases where you need analog input, in which cases you'd use a controller (and even then you only got that on triggers)
- 3 fingers means more liberty, accuracy and reactivity

 

[WITHE1982]

Can you slide the sides down or something similar?

Ha! That would have been pretty cool but unfortunately no. What you see is what you get.

 

[Pristine_Condition]

Intelivision, and the standard Colecovision controllers, all day long. Both were amazingly shitty, and cramptastic. The Colecovision upped the ante by having a really short, kinda-stiff, coiled cable, too.

On the other hand, the Colecovision trackball controller (branded the Roller Controller) was AMAZING.

 

[Monkey_Plunkett]

I gotta go with the Colecovision those buttons just worked whenever they felt like it

A close second though was the Philips Cdi, uncomfortable to hold and that d pad was rubbish.

 

[Polk]

Tilted to the right dpad. It's beyond stupid.

 

[emiliano]

Ah yeah western Saturn Mark 1 is a damn good answer though.

What a complete dog, and they had the other one right there already!

I've used that controller for years, I still have it. The directional pad is not bad at all, it accompanies circular motions just fine and I never missed a diagonal input. Maybe is not good as the second version, but frankly I don't understand all the hate it receives.

 

[baudelinog]

Master System Control Pad thread.

For those who don't know me, I have the greatest love for the Master System. Greatest. Ever. But its Control Pad... ugh!! It has the worst d-pad ever; diagonals were just a matter of luck.

 

[Branduil]

A close second though was the Philips Cdi

That looks identical to the Gravis gamepad for PC, LOL. Which was a very bad controller.

 

[nkarafo]

Dreamcast one was the worst.

N64 controller was the best for FPS games. By holding it like this:

You had the closest thing to today's dual analog controls or WASD/mouse with games like Turok, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, etc.

 

[jem0208]

- For a lot of genres you only need 8 (or even 4) directions. Plus the mouse complements this.
- Very few cases where you need analog input, in which cases you'd use a controller (and even then you only got that on triggers)
- 3 fingers means more liberty, accuracy and reactivity

For a lot of genres the bare minimum is 8 directions, including all circular directions is an improvement for almost every genre.

I can think of a large number of cases where analogue input can significantly improve the gameplay. Driving is pretty awful on keyboard and any 3D game where you're moving a character is improved with analogue input.

What does this even mean? A single thumb on a stick can be just as accurate and reactive as 3 fingers on a keyboard.

If you don't want to relinquish control of your movement with a keyboard you have to keep 3 fingers on WASD at all times. This mean you have 3 of your digits relegated to only controlling movement. A stick requires only a single digit to control movement and also allows for the thumb to have control of another input with clicking the stick in, this frees up the rest of your hand for other inputs.

 

[Skux]

The only thing I remember the N64 controller being good far was playing 8 player Micro Machines with 4 controllers. That was the pinnacle of multiplayer couch gaming.

Apart from that it was a disaster. It tried to be a gamepad and a joystick at the same time, and failed at both.

This was also a time when console FPS games were in their infancy, and developers were still trying to get their head around how they could be done on gamepad, adding to the awkwardness.

 

[Stallion Dan]

Wii Remote + Nunchuck.

Good in theory, and great when implemented like Metroid Prime 3 or Mario Galaxy. But for every one of those we'd get 5 games straight up ruined due to shitty implementation, and I'm not even counting shovelware.

 

[Gravy Boat]

I'm very much in a minority but I've never found the Xbox controllers comfortable. Maybe the Xbox One controller is better as I haven't tried it, but the offset sticks never sat well with me.

Not sure if it counts as a controller but the vita was always a pain for me to play. When I'm holding it I never feel like I've got a secure grip on it, should probably invest in those attachable handles.