The Best Controller…Ever
Friday, June 10th, 2005 at 6:02am by Blake
I believe the GameCube controller to be the most ergonomic controller ever. And because of that, combined with it’s excellent button placement, I deem it the best! Every time I pick one up, it just feels like I’m better prepared for the upcoming gaming experience.
What do you think? Is it the best?
June 10th, 2005 at 7:21 am
I agree it’s the best for most gaming, however it’s not perfect. The Z button is stupid, and I think a trigger style Z1 and Z2 should have been added to the controller, although an even better idea would have been to have left the button off entirely. The c-stick and D-Pad are badly placed and too small respectively, and the vibration is far too weak in my opinion. But it is the best out there at the moment, it trounces the X-Box pad and outdoes the Sony attempt with it’s elegant simpilicity.
Although….
The PS2 controller has it’s good points (R and L 3 are fantastic buttons, but underused in my opinion), but feels a bit too small and I often get mixed up with the buttons (and I’m not stupid, I’ve been playing games for 20 years). There’s simply too many buttons on the PS2 controller to keep track of.
June 10th, 2005 at 7:41 am
I love the GC pad too….
Everytime I hold a PS2 pad in my hands I have a feeling like: “HOW can you play with this thing ?!?”
It feels comortable for a few minutes…but then….the analog sticks are in the wrong place….
On the GC pad the analog stick is perfectly placed, I think the d-PAD and c-stick are allright, but the Z button sucks…that’s true…
Overall best pad ever
btw. The picture is VERY nice, looks cool as frozen-hell
June 10th, 2005 at 1:19 pm
I’ll go on a limb here and completely agree! I love the GC controller. I know there are a lot of PS2 controller fanatics, but the GC is by far my fav. I’ve never had any trouble finding and button on it (except maybe the digital pad and Z buttons which don’t get used that much anyway).
June 10th, 2005 at 2:56 pm
The GC controller is pretty good, except for the X-butotm. I’d vote for the Dreamcast controller as the best one ever. It’s somewhat larger, but it lies just perfectly in your hands and isn’t nearly as heavy as the Xbox controller.
June 10th, 2005 at 3:20 pm
I would have to disagree with the Dreamcast controller vote there, terr.
Have you ever tried playing Space Channel 5 on the Dreamcast? The controller’s reponse is so bad it makes a beat game like SC5 impossible to play. The DC D-Pad is also quite bad, worse than the GameCube’s, and the four face buttons are too small and have too little “give” (they feel too stiff, like you should have to compress them a bit more in order to register a push).
Don’t get me wrong, I mourned the death of the DC, but I’m not that hot on the controller.
June 10th, 2005 at 3:45 pm
Wavebird… Like many have said.. it is the first
A. First party wireless controller and
B. Works just as well as the wired… absolutely no noticable difference…
C. Feels like the stock GC controller which is excellent… although I thought the DC was pretty nice aswell… better than PS2 and xbox… but I agree, it doesnt have that “impowering feel” to it.
June 10th, 2005 at 4:43 pm
i think for this generation right now this is in fact the best controller. i don’t own an xbox nor will i own an xbox 360, but at e3 i played the 360 and its controller is extremely well made. it, for me, is more comfortable then every controller i’ve ever played. it really is pretty sweet ergonomically. so when that comes out i think it’ll take over the comfortable reign…but im sure only for a while until the rev/ps3 unleash their controllers on us.
June 10th, 2005 at 6:34 pm
I do believe the GC controller to be one of the most comfortable, but I can not give it the nod. The PS2 has to be the worst of the 3 consoles right now. After a couple hours, your [ring,pinky] fingers are hurting because they are curled in that position [grips]. The Xbox-S controller gets my nod as the most comfortable controller, albeit with bad [black,white,start,back] button placement… this is remedied with the XB360 controller, can’t wait for that heavenly piece of hardware!
June 10th, 2005 at 7:48 pm
One major problem that I have with the DC controller is that the cable comes out of the wrong side! It ALWAYS got in my way, and there is absolutely no good reason for it to be like that.
June 12th, 2005 at 5:23 am
Although I think The GC controller is currently the best on the market it si really no more then a revised version of the Virtual Boy control Minus a directional pad add a few more buttons triggers and a analog justicks.
I think the Revolution will be the best considering its Tactile Feedback and Gyro movment.
Remember the good old days where a user would swing their NES control around evertime they wanted their charecter to jump.. I think its back and in a whole new way.
June 23rd, 2005 at 10:11 am
I like your thinking
I had that exact same notion about the Revolution controller.
June 23rd, 2005 at 11:31 pm
GC controller:
-Fits perfectly into my hands
-Has the best analogue sticks
-Needs a more springy feel the the triggers
-Needs another Z button
-Would have been better to place the Z button(s) under the L+R triggers
In my opinion, of course.
Ben
June 23rd, 2005 at 11:39 pm
Knew I was missing something…
-A,B,X and Y buttons aren’t ideal for games needing fast button presses/combos, e.g Tony Hawks and Tekken.
Since it’s only really a few games that are affected by it, it aint so bad. Apart from when it’s being played on the above-mentioned games, it’s the best controller.
Ben.01
June 25th, 2005 at 2:34 pm
Nicholas Roussos: The notch in the top of the Dreamcast controller solved that problem (just clip it in), and the reason for it being like that is because there is nowhere for the cord to come out of at the top.
My favourite controller would have to be the Commodore 64 paddle. Or maybe the Wavebird.
June 27th, 2005 at 2:31 pm
I love the main button layout but I prefer the PS2 trigger setup. I like the Gamecube d-pad better than the XBox or PS2 one but I wish it were in a better position (and slightly larger).
July 20th, 2005 at 2:36 am
The Cube controller is wonderful, except for that painfully placed Z button. It would have been cool to have an underneath Z like the N64. And there is too much travel in the L/R triggers for games that need the buttons pushed all the way down.
I think everyone agrees that the Wavebird is excellent! But, no rumble? Nintendo, I don’t mind buying batteries!
My other favorite controler is the Saturn 3D Pad and the Xbox S.
August 2nd, 2005 at 9:28 pm
I love the GameCube controllers! My only complaint was the short cable length, but then Nintendo went and made the WaveBird — the best wireless controller ever. Here’s hoping the RevolutionBird has a rechargable battery and rumble features, though…
August 9th, 2005 at 8:46 pm
i love the gamecube controller. i like that the analog are on different axis unlike the ps2 controller. Ithink it could add a l2 and r2 as depressed analogs like the xbox where it takes more presure to push them ini dont think z is useless but i think there could be a z 2. I like that you have to depress the triggers more than ps2s quick tap. they are also better than xbox triggers because they can be pushed in twice. its a good controller over all.
August 9th, 2005 at 8:46 pm
i love the gamecube controller. i like that the analog are on different axis unlike the ps2 controller. Ithink it could add a l2 and r2 as depressed analogs like the xbox where it takes more presure to push them ini dont think z is useless but i think there could be a z 2. I like that you have to depress the triggers more than ps2s quick tap. they are also better than xbox triggers because they can be pushed in twice. its a good controller over all.
October 31st, 2005 at 6:32 am
I like N64’s best… YES!!
GC controller is really well shaped, analog sticks are perfect, analog L & R are great, and I like the big A little B combination, I even like the Z, tough it is not that well tought out… but come on!! the directional pad is ridiculous, and messy. you end up pressing things you dont want to way too often, and for God’s sake!! x and y are totally dumb. Yeah, nice bean shape, very artistic, but theyre a pain in the ass and totally unpractical
if you want to press B, the only possible combination is Z, yeah, that may be OK for nintendo in-house games that are made more with the controller in mind more than trying to fit some gameplay to it. but even for F-zero, a half-nintendo developed game, they are no good. B is THE button for nitro to me, but then I find myself not being able to push x or y for another action like an attack… i Have to lift my finger leaving also A unpressed and, thus, decelerating so I can reach one of those. in a fast paced game like that , this is critical… not to talk about fighting games, wich, fortunatelly for me, I’m not a fan of.
it is very uncomfortable to press 3-button combinations for any kind with the face-buttons, I manage to get my “pointing finger” (sorry, I’m not native English speaker, I can’t remember finger’s names right now :() to press them, but that means leaving R & Z alone, or getting into another really uncomfortable, uninstinctive position (I’m not THAT good at “chording” controller buttons with alternating fingers, mind you) to mantain control of them.
Maybe I’m the only one that minds about those issues, maybe even the only one that considers all this and issue…
who knows
October 31st, 2005 at 6:34 am
correction:
“if you want to press B, the only possible combination is Z”
I meant A, the only combination is A
sorry, my fault
January 21st, 2006 at 12:24 am
This topic has been beaten to death in numerous forums. Thank God the people here seem to been around the block a bit, otherwise we’d have 20 more people claiming the X-Box controller is the best.
It always seems to boil down to the Gamecube and Dreamcast, and while I think those 2 are far above any “stock” controllers (if I could choose anything, I’d choose my homemade arcade stick). I still think the Dreamcast is much better than the GC.
Triggers are far and away the best. Face buttons are just right for me. They’re not as tiny as the DS buttons (make them too big and people with small fingers complain; make them too small and people with gorilla hands whine). Revolutionary with the memory card/screen, though ahead of its time. Analog face was the perfect size and had great response. I didn’t play Space Channel 5, but I had an insane DC library and never had issue.
You would have to be out of your mind or way too nostalgic to choose the NES or SNES pads. PS2 is my choice for 3rd.
February 28th, 2006 at 9:34 am
Nintendo Wavebird - Great - we now have 4, but I have come across one problem. After changing batteries the controller will not work. The solution alludes me but usually after 10 minutes of switching on and off, disconnecting the receiver and changing channels numerous times it suddenly works again? Has anyone else had this problem and does anyone know of just one step I can follow to cure it when it does happen? Thanks
February 28th, 2006 at 9:51 am
Hey Julia
I’m not very adept with Wavebirds since i don’t own any, but usually i’ve found that the problems persist when the batteries are running out, as opposed to after they’re replaced. What you could do is email us at team@infendo.com and we’ll see if our Genie can help you.
May 17th, 2006 at 3:00 pm
The GC controller is great, but it has it’s problems.
1. Misplaced analog sticks.
2. A little d-pad. Why do we only get a tiny little d-pad. Gay.
3. face buttons poorly placed for most fighting games.
But it is the most ergonomical of the current generation and I think it’s still way better than PS2 or XBOX. But the 360’s controller is probably the best traditional game pad ever made, and this is coming from a Microsoft hater.
May 18th, 2006 at 6:49 pm
I really enjoy the GC controller, and it feels the most comfortable in my hands compared to xbox and ps2 controllers (360’s is nice though). As for button placement, I agree that the z button is a little wonky, but I don’t think it was meant to be a critical button during gameplay, more like that little button to tap to bring up a map for a few seconds every half hour or so.
As for actual combinations of input, PS2 controller obviously has more button press combinations, but thankfully nothing really needed that many.
I just wanted to add one thing, for Soul Calibur 2, I wouldn’t pick another controller in the world. I’ve tried SC2 on all other systems and I can’t stand to play it with anything except the GC controller, the buttons and analogue stick are perfect for THAT 3D fighter and a single tear rolled down my face when I tried Soul Calibur 3 on PS2, damn exclusive. I will buy it if they ever decide to make a GC port, even this late in the game.
…Wii Soul Calibur anyone?…
May 22nd, 2006 at 5:55 pm
I was about to say that exact same thing, anonymous guy right above me. Soul Calibur 2 should be strictly reserved for the Gamecube controller. I tried to play it on an Xbox and just got confused and sad.
October 30th, 2006 at 2:34 am
I agree with everything said above except, no ones looking at whats actually important. ITS PURPLE!!!!…
Has no one realized the purple colour is the soul reason the Game cube came out 3rd for this generation?!?!
people will place a higher value on colour and looks than they will admit to
People say its not about looks, its about personality, and this is true, but only to a point. And in many cases its style is its personality. (Google vs Yahoo)
And so I say the classic controller for all its simplicity.
November 12th, 2006 at 10:30 pm
I must say, even though I am an avid N*thusiast, I believe the Dual Shock 2 to be vastly superior. Have any of you played the Metal Gear series? The all analog buttons on the ds2 are very well put to use, as well as the L+R3 buttons for close quarters combat. It takes practice, like anything, to really get full use out of it.
The GC controller is certainly a great controller, but the shoulder buttons are floppy and not so hot on analog response, the digital override on the triggers was never really necessary, z button is fumblesome. I like the feel of the sticks on the gc controller, but the dual shock’s are sturdier and are more resistant. Even with L+R3 and vibrators underneath.
I’ve have had my ps2 since launch and my eldest dual shock 2 still functions better than any other controller I’ve ever used, though the finished has been buffed to a high gloss shine over time. I have at least 2 glitchy GC controllers.
November 9th, 2007 at 2:03 pm
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