What is your favorite controller?

[The Last Stand]

The Dreamcast controller is by far the most comfortable I've ever used

The back was really ergonomic

My favorite has to be the Xbox 360 controller.



The controller form is ergonomically perfect for any sized hands.

 

[Ogre Magi]

No Steam Controller lovers here?

I've had mine since 2015. I don't play many controller games, but this controller has been my daily driver for Dark Souls. I have worn the stick on mine so hard that I needed to buy grip caps in order to provide some level of grip for my tumbstick. I still regret not picking up a second one when they were blowing Steam Controllers out for 5 bucks in late 2019. With the Steam Deck being the success it has been and using some of the tech and design from the Steam Controller, I'm hoping Valve release a second edition at some point.

 

[POWER IN MISERY]

No Steam Controller lovers here?
View attachment 5257812
I've had mine since 2015. I don't play many controller games, but this controller has been my daily driver for Dark Souls. I have worn the stick on mine so hard that I needed to buy grip caps in order to provide some level of grip for my tumbstick. I still regret not picking up a second one when they were blowing Steam Controllers out for 5 bucks in late 2019. With the Steam Deck being the success it has been and using some of the tech and design from the Steam Controller, I'm hoping Valve release a second edition at some point.

i really liked the steam controller and i'm sick of society acting like i'm wrong for doing so. i used it for tekken before i got a rap4, and it wasn't terrible! it was fucking great for dark souls. you could set one of the paddle buttons on the grips to enable gyro controls for the camera, set the other to dodge, and set the right trackpad up so that when you give it a quick flick the camera would spin around. i feel like i've got god damn goblin hands having to sprint and turn the camera in PS5 elden ring. i even had those wood grain looking vinyls you'd put on the controller for styles, then the controller died on me. fuck what anyone says, the steam controller was dope. valve should keep smoking crack and releasing oddball controllers.

 

[Cats]

No Steam Controller lovers here?
View attachment 5257812
I've had mine since 2015. I don't play many controller games, but this controller has been my daily driver for Dark Souls. I have worn the stick on mine so hard that I needed to buy grip caps in order to provide some level of grip for my tumbstick. I still regret not picking up a second one when they were blowing Steam Controllers out for 5 bucks in late 2019. With the Steam Deck being the success it has been and using some of the tech and design from the Steam Controller, I'm hoping Valve release a second edition at some point.

That one looks kinda promising to me I guess. like I said before my favorite D-pad is the one on the Genesis, and I am really partial to shield-style D-pads. The NeoGeo CD digital microswitch stick I mentioned in my last post is technically my favorite but I have to distinguish that from an actual flat D-pad even if they are very similar (seriously just look at the internals of the stick, it even has a D-pad center pivot...it's pretty close)

My only concern with that Steam controller is the flatness of the pads. I'd have to get it in my hands to see. Even though I don't personally care for the aesthetics of controllers with big palm swells sticking down like most modern controllers, at the end of the day it is the feel that is most important. You can successfully play a game using just about any quality of controller and a lot of subtle things go into making a controller stand out above the rest and transcend its function. An example is my opinion of what sets the Genesis D-Pad apart from the rest coming down to how pronounced and high up it sits out of the face of the controller, the rolled edges, and most importantly, those little raised arrows in the diagonals. Tactile sensations make a huge difference in controllers for me

 

[WelperHelper99]

Gotta say I have a soft spot for the Duke, both the reproduction for the Xbox One and the OG on the original Xbox I was first introduced to and still play with on my old hardware occasionally. Its big, chunky, and everything that came after IS superior. I just don't care. It's big and chunky, and a blast to play Dead or Alive 3 with on game night with the bros

 

[Poyo Sato]

I know jack shit about controllers, but I've been using the 8bitdo SN30+ in past few years and it works pretty well. It fits in my hands better than PS2 or PS3 controller. Hell, I found it more comfortable than the PS5 stick. In my case, it's pretty tough. It's been fell from table, kicked, played and bitten by cats, but it still works perfectly. The turbo function is also a godsend for playing button mash-y games.

On the portable side, I still think the PSP as the most comfortable machine to hold, even better than the Vita (the slim one, at least).

 

[Cats]

With the modernized NeoGeo CD pad coming out soon (preorders shipping as we speak!) I felt it was time to finally restore and finish up the mods on my Arcade Stick Pro, a console/controller hybrid that was released a couple years back. It came with 20 games initially but there were 40 of the best NeoGeo games available actually on the system at launch. Better still there was a super easy hack called HyloStick Pro you could download onto a flash drive and play hundreds of other pre-loaded games utilizing the onboard storage combined with the flash drive, some of which were other non-SNK arcade games and many Capcom CPS2 and CPS3 releases like Super Turbo, Third Strike and Red Earth.

This is by far my favorite piece of gaming equipment released in the past few years. It can be plugged right into the TV and played like a console or just used as a standalone controller. It's shaped like a giant white NeoGeo CD gamepad and has plenty of room inside for holding all that emulation architecture as well as many potential mods.

I normally like my NeoGeo RGYB buttons to be in a line like on the cabinet, but this is how it comes so I installed the Sanwa upgrades in the same configuration - in a box pattern like the pad. The only non-Sanwa buttons are the gray ones, which were stock and which Sanwa does not produce. The stock buttons were basically Sanwa clones anyway. 4lb. lever spring on a hardwired JLF.


It is very thick and heavy but VERY comfy in the lap. The top "edges" fit perfectly into the back of the knee when you sit with an ankle propped up on your leg. The modded HyloStick drive is hardwired+hidden away inside so it doesn't stick out the back.

 

[Smaug's Smokey Hole 2]

everything else was already mentioned

 

[SSj_Ness (Yiffed)]

No Steam Controller lovers here?
View attachment 5257812
I've had mine since 2015. I don't play many controller games, but this controller has been my daily driver for Dark Souls. I have worn the stick on mine so hard that I needed to buy grip caps in order to provide some level of grip for my tumbstick. I still regret not picking up a second one when they were blowing Steam Controllers out for 5 bucks in late 2019. With the Steam Deck being the success it has been and using some of the tech and design from the Steam Controller, I'm hoping Valve release a second edition at some point.

That seems awful. That dpad, whew. And where's the second stick, is this the 90's? Damn, that makes me glad they were smart about the Steam Deck's design.

That button placement seems so bizarre too. At least it's interesting...

 

[Ogre Magi]

That seems awful. That dpad, whew. And where's the second stick, is this the 90's? Damn, that makes me glad they were smart about the Steam Deck's design.

That button placement seems so bizarre too. At least it's interesting...

It looks weird, but it's pretty comfortable. The second stick is the right pad. The steam controller settings allow for tailoring each element, so you have it do whatever you need for a particular game. In the right pad's case, it can act as a trackpad or a stick. There's haptic feedback and motion control support built into it, way before the other companies incorporated those things.

Just remember that if it wasn't for what Valve learned in making the Steam Controller, I don't think there would even be a Steam Deck.

 

[Cats]

reposting this here:

Preorder has arrived and it is everything I could have hoped for and more. No Switch connectivity but I don't own a Switch so idgaf...I am sure the firmware will be updated in the future to allow Switch pairing since that is literally the only criticism being leveled at these by the reviewers. 35 bucks from Amazon. I would have paid more for this.

8BitDo really outdid themselves. Here it is. Here is THE perfect non-analog gamepad. Comes complete with satisfying, clicky microswitches in the stick and large wonderful face buttons that are a joy to press like very few rubber dome connector buttons ever are:





Size comparison to the two Retrobit Genesis pads (that are also worth every penny):

 

[Pissmaster]

No Steam Controller lovers here?
View attachment 5257812
I've had mine since 2015. I don't play many controller games, but this controller has been my daily driver for Dark Souls. I have worn the stick on mine so hard that I needed to buy grip caps in order to provide some level of grip for my tumbstick. I still regret not picking up a second one when they were blowing Steam Controllers out for 5 bucks in late 2019. With the Steam Deck being the success it has been and using some of the tech and design from the Steam Controller, I'm hoping Valve release a second edition at some point.

I really like mine. It's a very comfortable controller. I'm a little apprehensive about using it because it's entirely possible they're never coming out with a second edition, and there's nothing else like it. The trackpads are more comfortable than the Steam Deck and the thing is glorious for shooters. The only thing I missed was the D-pad. The left trackpad with that D-pad indent is no replacement whatsoever.

 

[Ogre Magi]

I really like mine. It's a very comfortable controller. I'm a little apprehensive about using it because it's entirely possible they're never coming out with a second edition, and there's nothing else like it. The trackpads are more comfortable than the Steam Deck and the thing is glorious for shooters. The only thing I missed was the D-pad. The left trackpad with that D-pad indent is no replacement whatsoever.

Whenever I set up binds for a d-pad game I make sure the left pad is set for touch, not click. I found it much more consistent for my runs in Soulslikes to switch between items instead of having to press hard on one side to click it.

 

[Matt Damon]

My favorite has to be the Xbox 360 controller.

View attachment 5257540

The controller form is ergonomically perfect for any sized hands.

Ehhh, not any sized hands. The 360 controller had an excellent shape and layout, but if had been like 15% larger I would've found it perfect.

I've got big hands and long fingers and I always find controllers a little too small to grip comfortably.

 

[There Is Light At The End]

Anything with asymmetric sticks. Due to my big hands I find PS design very inconvenient, while Xbox one is fits perfectly

 

[Super Dilator Duel 3D]

The Super Nintendo controller is perfect. It looks good, the buttons and D-pad are heavenly and it's got a nice long wire. For 3D/more modern games, I think the GameCube controller was almost perfect. Give it a non-shit d-pad, regular button layout and extra Z button and I'd probably use it a lot more.

sorry for the basic bitch choices

 

[Premium Gonzo]

I can finally sperg about all my arcade controllers. Cats is right there is nothing quite like having an arcade controller for a home experience, i had a nice fighting stick setup for ages, but i don't play comp Tekken anymore so i gift it someone who would use it a bit more.

Current controllers i actually really like the Xbox controllers i got a custom colour one assembled.


Of my arcade controllers i have

A metal DDR pad, it's full size with back bar.

Gitaller (guitar) for Gitadora


Taiko Drum

 

[Night Crawler]

I bought these copies of the SNES and Genesis 6 button controller to play with my emulators on my PC. The really annoying thing about the SNES mini was that Nintendo made them use a special connection and not a USB connection. I don't know why it's just really dumb. You can use them on your PC. So just went out and bought a copy with Mega Man printed on it. I bought the Genesis mini and the Genesis controllers are both standard USB. So you can use them with emulators on your PC. This was a good idea by SEGA and whoever made the Genesis mini.

These days I just play my retro games on one of those little handheld systems you see people buying now. I went with a Miyoo Mini plus. But the Genesis and SNES controllers were good.

But my favorite would have to be the PS controller. All the way up to the PS3 the basic design never changed much. The PS3 controllers look identic to the PS2 controllers and the PS1 controllers when Sony introduced the analog sticks and vibration. I remember playing with the original PS1 controller at a friends house back around 1997. I think we were playing FF7 and that one shitty Star Wars fighting game because it was the only two games they had then.

Second would be the Xbox controller because I use it to play PC games when a keyboard and mouse just doesn't work well. Mostly flying games like AC7 racing games when I fly in games like GTA games. I also use it with emulators like Xenia. It's easy and simple to use with a PC thanks to the Xinput Microsoft has built into Windows. It's the standard for PC controllers now. I remember using old PC's in the early and mid 2000's with different controllers and you had to set them up and get them working. Even with so called plug and play. The Xbox controller makes it true plug and play. You just plug it up and play. Windows picks it up and off you go. It takes like 1-2 seconds. You can even plug it while you play a game. A part of the game where you need to fly a plane? Just plug in your Xbox controller. I have a wired Xbox 360 controller I bought used from a GameStop a few years back for $25. I then bought an Xbox One controller.

I am thinking about getting this though.

 

[Dieter Laser]

I’m a controller nerd and thanks to emulation I have pretty much all of them set up with my arcade cabinet.

The best is obviously the real arcade controls. Nothing feels better than a proper fighting game on full size, Sanwa powered cabinet.

But for anything else I stand by the Xbox Elite, series 1 or 2, they are both amazing. I do have a custom PS5 Scuf but just to play Tony Hawk 2 with on PC, I was weak.

 

[Smaug's Smokey Hole 2]

It looks weird, but it's pretty comfortable. The second stick is the right pad. The steam controller settings allow for tailoring each element, so you have it do whatever you need for a particular game. In the right pad's case, it can act as a trackpad or a stick. There's haptic feedback and motion control support built into it, way before the other companies incorporated those things.

Just remember that if it wasn't for what Valve learned in making the Steam Controller, I don't think there would even be a Steam Deck.

What most people don't realize is that the steam controller can be configured for other tasks, productivity tasks. Having highly configurable analog surfaces really opens up what you can do.