Here's your controller, bro - Post bad controllers, either in design or maintenance

[Dom Cruise]

Everyone knows the N64 controller sucks but the Gamecube controller is even shittier. It's too small, the buttons are stiff and awkward (especially the Z button and the d-pad), and that stupid squiggly line on the left stick gouges into your thumb when playing for long sessions.

I always liked the 'Cube controller to be honest.

Definitely the weirdest controller I would say I liked though.

 

[Kiwi Jeff]

It's amazing how they made the Intellivision controller look like a weird phone

Edit: I remembered a very relevant video I wanted to post

 

[oldTireWater]

Anyone who used the old controllers (not just Atari) back in the day should remember how fucking awful they were once they started to get just a little wear on them.

You'd wind up with bruises on your palm from the amount of force required.

 

[0 0]

More fight sticks.



And speaking of fighting games, this is a real Tweet sent out by EVO.



Seems mundane enough until you look at this controller here:

 

[Schmeckel]

I was always predominantly a Nintendo kid. And I always liked some of their controllers. The original NES pad was great. But, they had an absolute shit pile come out.

Spoiler: Fuck this controller

My mom got me this for Christmas or something like that. At first, I was like "sweet! Turbo!" And then that ridiculous garbage for a dpad made me want to convert to the book of Genesis. Seriously. Fuck this controller.

Later on, I got this bad boy. And it was glorious.

Spoiler: The best

This controller was the fucking best. An absolute lad. Total unit. Solid contender for my favorite controller of all time.

The small town I grew up in was mostly Nintendo. I think one kid had a genesis. I was pretty dumb as a kid, and I probably still don't have it all together right now. After playing a display unit at a department store that had the 6 button controller, I wanted one. I got one for my birthday along with Sanic. And I was mortified at what it came with.

Spoiler: The fuck is this?

This controller is amazingly shit. Fight me on that one. The dpad is alright, but only 3 buttons? Fuck out of here with this shit. Sega does what Nintendon't? Yeah, it has fewer buttons.

In all seriousness, I had no idea that the default genesis controller only had 3 buttons. Small town and Nintendo nut-hugging can do that to a kid. I was upset thinking that my mom got me the wrong system. But, lo and behold... Fighting games were a chore with this unwieldy thing.

Anyone ever have one of these rings of autism?

Spoiler: Motion controls, yay!

Came with Eternal Champions (great game) and was an unmitigated dumpster fire. Thought you looked like a sperg playing Wii sports? Try playing anything flailing around like a complete buffoon. My friend in high school got one of these. I think his parents didn't like him.

I never liked the default GameCube controller. It was just awkward. But madcatz made a more compact version that I still use to this day.

Spoiler: Wonderful

About as great of a layout as you can get with the weird GC controller.

 

[Eryngium]

Wtf was up with those "Turbo" buttons on 3rd party Chinese controllers?

Had one on my gamecube and it made your camera go apeshit and in some games flash, had one for the xbox 360 and on a few games it would cause player-models and shit to flip out and some even weirder shit especially on non-AAA titles, I didn't even know shit like that was possible.

 

[Recoil]

So this is a thing that exists

 

[Kiwi Jeff]

So this is a thing that exists

If I pull that off, will the controller die?

 

[Judge Dredd]

I can't find the name of this 3rd party controller for the SNES (I think there was a Genesis version too) that didn't have the typical clicky D-Pad. It had a smooth surface kind of like a touch screen. There was a commercial showing off how it won't hurt your thumbs. Fast forward 6 months later and I see one of these things at a clearance sale and buy it for $5. Worst $5 I ever spent. It had the absolute shittiest D-Pad I've ever fucking used in my life. Using an actual touch screen for a mobile game would have much more precise controls.

A friend of mine had one of those shitty store brand third party controllers everybody had, and it had a threaded hole in the middle of the d-pad where you could screw in a bit of plastic to make it a joystick. It was pointless.

The same friend also ended up with a strap on bit of plastic from a magazine that supposedly turned the d-pad into an analog stick.

Speaking of which. Any controller where the analog stick actually only has 2 levels of sensitivity. Nothing and 100%. Watch people stumble around in third person games and be unable to hit anything in a FPS.

MadCatz didn't make good controllers in the seventh gen.

Or ever.

What was the point of that? I'd saw it advertised all over games magazines and in games when I was a kid.

That's a cool design tbh. Doubt it's good for actually playing though.

Edit:

Edit: I remembered a very relevant video I wanted to post

A couple of classics.

 

[Recoil]

If I pull that off, will the controller die?

It'll be fine. The thing is a competition overshell for esports fags that allows the button layouts to be moved up and around.

@Judge Dredd The twist axis is supposed to function like an analog paddle for driving games.

 

[No creativity]

I came here to post the N64 controller but since that was already done I have nothing. It's probably the worst first party controller for a successful console ever made, worse even then the dinner plate with analog sticks that Microsoft tried to sell to non-Asian audiences when they launched the XBox.

At least it had an analog stick. I experienced the joy of playing 3d platformers on the PS 1 with only arrow keys at my disposal and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Thank god for Dualshock.

 

[Dunsparce]

View attachment 898364View attachment 898365
I kinda want the new Switch one

As someone that owns the PS2 version of this, it is legit comfortable to use, something that made me pleasantly surprised when I first got it many years ago to use with Dragon Quest VIII

 

[Cedric_Eff]

What was the point of that? I'd saw it advertised all over games magazines and in games when I was a kid.

That’s sir, is a neGcon, a alternative to an conventional steering wheel for a racing game. It was pretty good to use actually.

 

[Dom Cruise]

So this is a thing that exists

What the fuck is that?

 

[Recoil]

What the fuck is that?

N-Control Avenger - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[XYZpdq]

One of my favorite controllers only for the fact that if you wrap your hands around it like I do, you end up giving two thumbs up. The d-pad was pretty sad and not good for playing fighting games with though, and the analog stick felt kind of weird. I love this controller a lot, but even I have to admit that it wasn't the best design.

yeah the DC's controller was more than sorta shit, especially with "hey kids here's the new 2d fighting hotness! oh wait did you want to taunt in six button fighters hahaha fuck you there's your taunt"

 

[Picnic_Boy]

Later on, I got this bad boy. And it was glorious.

Spoiler: The best

View attachment 898706
This controller was the fucking best. An absolute lad. Total unit. Solid contender for my favorite controller of all time.

The metal base on that raw chunk of gaming masculinity let Slimes, Peahats and those little purple pieces of shit from Fester's Quest know that you weren't fucking around. It wasn't my favorite for sidescrollers, but for everything else, it was essential hardware.

 

[Blitz22]

Honestly I don't like idea of drawing blood everytime you die in video games. There also another concept I found where every time your shoot it takes blood from you. I can't find that video at the moment but if anyone can find that be great!

 

[PL 001]

The Wii controller was just too awkward for an oldfag like me. I could never get used to it and had to use a GameCube controller if I wanted to be any kind of decent at whatever I was playing.

I was able to work the n64 controller just fine when I first had one, but going back and trying to get used to it again was just an eye opener on how poorly designed it was, especially that pencil thin analog stick.

PS2 controller = best controller.

 

[NoBully]

Here's a controller i saw on Rerez's channel. It's for the Buyee a console that Soulja was selling.

Small. Uncomfortable. Light as a feather. No way to open it for cleaning or maintenance. A genuine piece of crap.

Spoiler: It's a feature!

You can pull out the buttons. The plastic is actually that soft.