FUCK YES!

That is all... possibly more later.

The N64 controller is the worst on of all (I am not going into the whole Jaguar thing of a controller). At first I had no idea on how to hold it but later I figured out how to hold it but still it was confusing.

It seems like i might be a bad person, but am i wrong to really not like the dreamcast controller very much?

Everyone else seems to love it.
It could just be the adoration for the console itself makes them love it.. But i just dont really dig on it too much for any kind of game.

Intellivision numpad FTL!

Do not forget the following special controllers...

The U-Force
The one zapper helmet that used your voice to fire.
The Max
The Beatmania Controller

That is all...

Best controller evar! I'm not referring to any one controller though. I think we can all agree that every controller has had at least one flaw, no matter how small. If you could make any controller, made from the parts of other previous controllers, what parts would you pull? (i.e. the d-pad from one controller, the analog stick from another)

Also, if you could integrate any technology you wanted into a controller that is not already in a controller, what would it be?

(btw it's pronounced Roo-roh-nee Kyuu)

Still waiting for my Castlevania edition of Retroforce, but this seems like a fun topic to discuss.

Let's see..if you wanted to make a controller, what things would you add from previous ones?

Another one would be "Do you think that the stylus for the NDS works well as a substitute for a analog stick?"

RAB- You're not alone. I'll probably rant about that for half the show.

Also, I always really liked the N64 controller. It felt good in you hands and the d-pad never got in the way of the control stick. It probably would have been annoying in a game requiring both, but as far as I remember I never played any.

I love the Dreamcast but the controller feels like I'm trying to play a game with a grapefruit. Love the analog stick, just wish the controller was a little smaller.

I remember when the Mega Drive had only 3 buttons, and when Street Fighter II:CE came out, a 6-button pad was released. Somehow I managed to talk my parents into getting me them for Christmas....I don't know what I did without it.

Anyways, here's a question:
If you could create the ultimate controller, using parts of existing pads - What would it feature?

Mine would be the general pad design/triggers of the 360, the SNES D-Pad, 2 Gamecube analog sticks, and the 6 face buttons of the MD/Saturn.

I dunno, I really loved to use the N64 controller, it felt really good to use the analog stick.

Oh, and RAB, you are not alone. The D-Pad for the Dreamcast left me with sore thumbs in so many fighting games, specially Garou and Marvel vs Capcom 2.

I don't know if anyone else had one of these babies, but I'll have to admit that it may very well have been the sole reason that I owned at Mega Man on the NES:

The NES Max Controller

hands down best implementation of a turbo button I've ever come across. I miss this controller a lot!. The grip was comfortable, the "cycloid" pad was pretty responsive, and the button layout was perfection. And, it was a Nintendo made alternate controller. So full of win.

@WhiteSpiderZero: I never really liked the gamecube stick that much, too slippy. I'd probably put the 360 stick on there. Other than that, I'd have to say mine would be the same.

I still say the best controller was the original NES controller...

@Tubatic

YES, I had one of those and I LOVED it. :D

Excremento knows what I'm talking about.

I HAD that zapper helmet! How ridiculous was that thing?!

Also, Virtual On arcade cabinet controllers. Loved that game because of the controls. So incredibly satisfying.

My all time favorite controller is the SNES controller. Of course I love the NES controller as well. Though, is it weird that I enjoyed the Saturn controller? I am sad though that as much as I fucking love my Dreamcast to death I'm not a huge fan of the controller.. and just fuck the 360 up it's fat ass with it's horrible D-Pad..

I have to say this has to be the worst controller I've ever used: http://www.wagglepop.com/auction/images/imgupld/319233_1.jpg
Pressing the shoulder buttons is like moving a boulder, the turbo only works sometimes, and the extra face buttons just plain don't work at all.

It's clunky too

I still feel that the best controller ever was the Super Nintendo Controller. Granted, shoulder buttons were a bit of a pain in the ass for games like Street Fighter II, but I got by. I was a bit over joyed when the Wii classic controller had similar buttons (although Zr and Zl can bite me). On to a question.

How did you guys feel about the change in D-pads after the end of the 16-bit era? With the Playstation's separated button d-pad to all those crappy circular d-pads that are never quite as accurate. Some of them frustrate the hell out of me.

@ Nad Crusher

Is it me or does that pad kind of look like Mega Man's helmet? (If you painted it blue).

I'm back after a long hiatus. Thanks for the shoutouts you guys have given me in previous episodes from a long time ago, those were awesome.

Hmmm, a lot of love for the N64 controller. I dunno, I've hardly disliked any controllers, but I have to say that a controller is better than a keyboard for not emulating games. Hands down if I could find a copy of Chrono Trigger my SNES controller would be fused to my hand.

Here's a question for you guys though. As I already know you guys will be debating about console controllers, what is your favourite button layout for a portable system so far? Besides this, how much the controller setup affect your overall like/dislike for any console?

I've been meaning to ask this for awhile, but I kept missing my opportunity.

How do you guys feel about the "retrofication" of certain games? In Omega Five, there was a Retro Mode, that basically put the graphics through a filter to make things look really pixelated. In Call of Duty 4, the title screen for Arcade Mode was an homage to times past. Do you guys think this stuff is cool or not?

Question: The Power Glove: Great controller, or GREATEST controller?

Also, I'd like to ask if you guys have any good stories of controller abuse. There were times where I'd want to snap my poor NES controller in half, or my friends would blame their N64 joysticks for sucking so much.

Man, those N64 controllers were not durable AT ALL.

The box said that it was an extremely ergonomic design, but it definetly feels like your holding megamans helmet.

What would your dream device be? Irrespective of the games. ie:

- Number of buttons
- Number of sticks
- Shape
- Color
- etc

The Snes controller has always been the best for me, considering my first video game console was a snes it holds a special place in my heart, I was excited when i found out nintendo decided to use the snes as a basis for the classic controller.You guys will probably talk about the worst controllers too, so i have to say its a tie between the orginail xbox controller and the dreamcast controller. Also the super scope hurts my shoulders *tear*(Keep in mind i never played with some om the more obscure controllers)

While the SNES is the undisputed king of digital controllers (love that d-pad!), please talk about and consider my proposal that, save for its woefully inadequate d-pad, that the Xbox 360 controller is the best analog controller made yet.

Also, please mention in some form Hori's excellent digital Gamecube controller, which is essentially a SNES controller with ABXY buttons replaced by the Gamecube's ABXY layout.

Which controller had the best bounce when throwing it?

Topher, what would you do to the guy that made the 360 controller D-pad?

@monkeyspoon5 : I've gotta go with the gba fat. It's length makes it very comfortable and the buttons are both big enough, and spaced well enough apart. Also the shoulder buttons are very comfortable, very much like the SNES.

Another question:

Worst controller to play Daikatana?

Have fun with that one.

Oh, man...I remember my mom buying us a $9.99 third-party PS1 controller from Caldor back in the day. That piece of shit lasted about a month. But my worst memories of a third-party peripheral come from a baseball bat controller for the Genesis.

My brother and I were really into R.B.I. Baseball ’93 at the time, and we thought that BatterUP was going to be the coolest thing ever. You were supposed to be able to swing with it (à la the Wiimote in Wii Baseball) to hit pitches. Of course, it didn’t work at all. We could never bring ourselves to explain it to my dad, who had bought it for us, because money was tight and we didn’t want to make him feel bad. So we just hid it in the closet, never to be seen again.

Here's my question:

When has bad controller design completely disconnected you from a game?

Has anyone ever been able to figure out why Sega actively went out of their way to make a new, horrible controller for the US Saturn at launch?

That controller really has no redeeming values.

As much as I agree with you guys that the SNES controller is the high point of controller design I always used to have the L and R buttons break on me. The little hinge would just crack after a while. Or maybe I just wore that shit out because the games were so great.

Along those lines, do yo guys have any recommendations for quality SNES replacement controllers? I've got half a dozen and none of them are fully functional after all of these years.

Last year in a fit of overzealous expenditure, I bought legacy adapters to use all of my old Nintendo controllers on the Wii. My Punch-Out and SMB skills actually improved as a result (score one for muscle memory!). And A Link to the Past and Super Metroid just felt so right with an honest to goodness SNES contoller.
Almost every N64 game is waaaaay better with the original controller because using an analogue stick for your c-buttons is just so damn annoying. Last night I pulled it out during Super Smash Bros. as a joke, and then ended up playing with it for the rest of the night!
So, I guess my question is this: Have you ever invested in any kind of adapter to use a controller from another system? Sub-question: what would be your controller of choice to play on any console?

What retro character do you guys think should have been in brawl?

Oh, man...I found a picture!

After skimming through the comments, I haven't seen any reference to the keyboard and mouse. I know you could argue it's not technically a "controller," but it is the form of control for many a good game. I find it interesting that as console controllers have constantly changed, PC dev's have always had to work with one setup. Do you think this has hurt PC gaming, does it mean the keyboard and mouse are awesome, or have we just gotten so used to it we can't imagine it being different?

BTW, I recall a controller for the PS1 that I have held in my hands... It had a large black rubber ball that stuck out of the top of it that you would twist to control turning radius for certain games like Descent. However, I cannot find any proof of this on the intarwebs. Does anyone have a picture to prove I'm not insane?

@ Samit

That looks like a..well..you know..a multi functional robot cock.

I like the Genesis controller it's just the system I was always most comfortable with.
I never understood the N64 controller, plus the analog gave out pretty quickly... not mine, but my roommates play a lot of Mario Party and their controllers are messed.

And a question: Are there any particular controllers that you liked a lot for a particular game? More clearly stated...A controller you thought fit perfectly with the game play.

Whats with all the people hating on the dreamcast controller? It kind of fits in your hands naturally I think. The button layout wasn't bad and the d-pad was sharp and precise(literally, I've played MvC2 till my thumbs bled)

HMM! The xbawks hueg controller is undeniably the worst FIRST party controller I've seen.

How do you guys feel about companies like MadGrips(formerly known as MadCatz) who just slap a turbo button and some annoying grips and lower the price by $5? Have you ever had a positive experience with 3rd party controllers? From my experience they're typically always worse than first party, except in the case of a pelican black N64 controller I had that looked more like the current gen GC controller.

It had a STEEL joystick and a nice DPAD on the left side of the controller, whereas the A,B and C buttons were presented on the face in the style similar to a six buttoned genesis controller.

This controller was awesome, but every other third party controller I've had is pretty weak.

Couple of questions:

- Is the Wii's controller, in all its special force sensing-ness, nothing more than a throwback to the controllers of old, most notably the NES and joystick?

- The Virtual Boy and its controller: why so little recognition for it? Before the DualShock was around, the VB controller was sporting dual D-pads.

- The Power Glove: please talk about it, how it fell short in the gamesphere, and if it could ever have been a success.

Not pictured: Powerglove, Master System Controller, and Atari Joystick, as they're in storage.

In a similar vein to the Genesis 6 button controller:

Trying to play SFII Turbo on the 3DO with anything else is an exercise in futility. I found 2 of these together on eBay a while ago for quite a bit cheaper than the price in the auction I ripped this pic from.. There's actually an SNES version featuring the exact same design but different colors. Of course they're moot now since I found Super Turbo for Dreamcast along with an arcade stick.

Except for the small d-pad and funky button layout that affects certain games, the Gamecube controller is one of the most comfortable controllers ever. I guess the second stick is kinda awkward as well, but the actual shape of the controller is almost perfect in my hands, unlike the horribly shaped grips on the Dreamcast controller.

[url=http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-aan7-71-m-77-3-49-en-15-dragon quest-84-j-70-xzi.html]Also:[/url]

Between Guitar Hero and the Wii there's been sort of a mild control revolution going on. Would you guys like to see that sort of thing continue and expand, with developers making more wacky controllers/control schemes, or would you prefer to keep things more traditional?

Also, the Steel Battalion controller: amazing, or a waste of money?

I've got to say the best "all round" controller is the PS1/PS2 controller. It sits so well in my hands and I can comfortably use it for 90% of the not roms on my not computer because to me most controllers up till recently are a variation of the SNES/PS2 controller. plus a PS2 controller plus the 11 dollar PS to USB converter is one of the best things in the world.

And the worst offender? the GOD DAMN CD-i!!



That's the offender right there.

NO one has brought up the NES Advantage yet. Awesome in so many ways:
1. Arcade stick is full of the win.
2. Wicked large buttons.
3. Analog knobs to control the speed of the turbo buttons. Best use of a turbo feature anywhere. I recall using turbo on some controllers in like Contra for instance. You'd fire 3 quick shots and then there'd be a pause, because the game wouldn't display more bullets than that at the same time. WIth that analog knob, you could space it out more cleanly for any game you were playing.