hardest and eaisest controllers to get used to?

[xenomorpher]

Just to name a few:

 

Easiest

 

Playstation systems -Works great for me. I know all the button layouts and I like the small space between shoulder buttons so I can rest my index fingers and slide them up or down to push a button.

 

Xbox- Very comfortable since I have bigger hands and my personal favorite for FPS games.

 

Nes - Simple and comfortable to use.

 

Hardest

 

Atari Jaguar- As much as I love this system, the D-Pads can be very stiff and the numeric pad is hard to see in low light unless you are using an overlay

 

N64- After not playing for a month and starting right up, the analog stick digs in my thumb.

[kisrael]

You know, in general I like the GC Controllers, but they really cheaped out on the D-pad. I imported the Puzzle Collection (@$(#& thanks for making me do that Nintendo) but that D-pad is just too damn small.

 

Agree that the symbols on the PSX controllers are teh suck. Also, making every button analog makes everything very mushy.

 

Xbox was very easy to get used to because we had seen it all before...I think it's the best controller out there, even though sometimes I have to look down to locate black/white etc buttons.

[n8littlefield]

I would say the hardest for me was the Playstation. The only reason that it was tough was that I skipped the SNES, so it was my first experience with shoulder buttons and I found that was tricky at first.

 

For easiest it's hard to say - certainly the DS was a nice change, games that are so intuitive that you never have to think about what button does what. Other than that, probably the Cube. The controls are very comfortable, and since they made the buttons different sizes, it's easy to remember what button does what command.

[+LS650]

I think the GameCube controllers are ideal.

 

I always liked the Jaguar controllers, especially the "Pro Controller". If you are a serious Jaguar collector, the slimmer Pro Controller joypad is a nice improvement.

 

The Intellivision is easily the worst controller ever. And I don't care for the small rectangular NES D-pads.

Edited February 16, 2006 by ls650

[SHAGOHOD X99]

Easiest = NES or PC-Engine Game Pad

Hardest = ColecoVision

[JB]

You know, in general I like the GC Controllers, but they really cheaped out on the D-pad. I imported the Puzzle Collection (@$(#& thanks for making me do that Nintendo) but that D-pad is just too damn small.

They used hte same d-pad as in the GBA. Not sure if it's the size causing my problems, but I can't get reliably precise input on 'em.

 

Agree that the symbols on the PSX controllers are teh suck. Also, making every button analog makes everything very mushy.

I haven't really had the feel issue. The fact that almost every developer ignored that bit of retardedness helps a lot.

 

I DID have a vaguely familiar problem with the buttons becoming less responsive after a while(tapping them wouldn't work, and I had to lean into them), and I had to open it with a screwdriver and clean the contacts to restore it to proper responsiveness...

[kisrael]

You know, in general I like the GC Controllers, but they really cheaped out on the D-pad. I imported the Puzzle Collection (@$(#& thanks for making me do that Nintendo) but that D-pad is just too damn small.

They used hte same d-pad as in the GBA. Not sure if it's the size causing my problems, but I can't get reliably precise input on 'em.

Hm. I need to cheeck the size before I quite believe that but you're probably right.

If so, I think the "secure base" of the GBA makes it easier to get good positioning

 

Jeez, is it even smaller w/ the mini-GBA they have out now?

 

Agree that the symbols on the PSX controllers are teh suck. Also, making every button analog makes everything very mushy.

I haven't really had the feel issue. The fact that almost every developer ignored that bit of retardedness helps a lot.

I think they might use it in GTA...but usually there's no reason not to go flat out, so I end up hurting my thumb making sure I'm going fullspeed...I actually keep around regular Dual Shocks just for that game.

 

I DID have a vaguely familiar problem with the buttons becoming less responsive after a while(tapping them wouldn't work, and I had to lean into them), and I had to open it with a screwdriver and clean the contacts to restore it to proper responsiveness...

1019124[/snapback]

heh, reminds me of how sometimes you haved to give the GC controllers a torque to restore responsiveness.

[JB]

Agree that the symbols on the PSX controllers are teh suck. Also, making every button analog makes everything very mushy.

I haven't really had the feel issue. The fact that almost every developer ignored that bit of retardedness helps a lot.

I think they might use it in GTA...but usually there's no reason not to go flat out, so I end up hurting my thumb making sure I'm going fullspeed...I actually keep around regular Dual Shocks just for that game.

I have a few games that use it. Obne built around it...

Generally speaking, they realized it was a bad idea early on, though.

 

 

I DID have a vaguely familiar problem with the buttons becoming less responsive after a while(tapping them wouldn't work, and I had to lean into them), and I had to open it with a screwdriver and clean the contacts to restore it to proper responsiveness...

1019124[/snapback]

heh, reminds me of how sometimes you haved to give the GC controllers a torque to restore responsiveness.

1019168[/snapback]

I thought that was only the early ones.

I remember seeing something about that a long time ago. They forgot a peg in the mold, so teh rubber bits weren't anchored down at one spot and tried to creep out of place.

[Vic George 2K3]

Of the systems I've played and used:

 

Atari 2600: Easiest. Standard joystick controller is the right size.

Atari 5200: Hard. Don't like potentiometers for joysticks.

Atari 7800: Moderate. Stick feels too stiff. Control buttons don't feel responsive.

Intellivsion II: Hard. Side buttons need to be bigger.

ColecoVision: Hard. Control knob can be clunky. Don't like triggers for buttons.

NES: Moderate. Control pad size too small. Don't like crosspad design.

SMS: Moderate. Same size problem as NES control pad.

Super NES: Easy. Excellent shape and size. Great arrangement of buttons.

Genesis: Easy. Excellent shape and size. Original 3-button format is easy to use.

N64: Moderate. Too many buttons on right side of controller.

Playstation 2: Easy. Excellent shape and arrangement of controls.

Edited February 16, 2006 by Vic George 2K3

[BydoEmpire]

Hardest: 7800 - cramp-o-riffic. I just can't use it at all.

Easiest: SNES - Tight d-pads, great button placement, easy to get used to.

 

Other controller thoughts:

I love my Dreamcast, but that floaty d-pad was just God-awul. And the hard-plastic analog stick is barely a notch above the dual-shock. The shape of it also forces my wrists to bend unnaturally (I pretty much need to use 'split' keybaords at this point) as well. A very poor controller, imho.

 

I also hate the standard Colecovision controller. The Sports Stick is great, though.

 

The Controller-S is my favorite of the next-gen controllers because the analog sticks are concave and rubber. Your thumbs don't slip off like the ps2 & ngc controllers.

 

The smooth molded plastic of the cube controller is like buttah. Like BUTTAH! Just a joy to hold. I like the buttons, too, but I'm not a fan of the analog sticks.

 

[Edit] The psx/dual shock is almost the worst for me. After all these years, I STILL have to think about which is R1 and which is R2. It took me about five years to internalize square, triangle, circle, X. And sometimes now I still have to think about it. ABXY is much, much easier to use 'without thinking' for me.

Edited February 18, 2006 by BydoEmpire

[ninjarabbit]

Easiest:

 

Gamecube

PS2

 

Hardest:

 

Dramcast- whoever decided to put the wire where it is deserves to be shot

 

Atari 7800- could double for a medievel torture device, I've heard rumors that the terrorists at Gitmo Bay are forced to use this controller to play games

[sega saturn x]

I was playing shadow of the collosus today and to the ps2 controllers credit the 4 should buttons make things a hell of a lot easier. And the rubber gripped analog sticks are comfy, if only they didn't put them in such a dumb spot.