Favourite Gaming Controllers?

Piggybacking off that newspost regarding the Dual Shock 4 design to make a nice discussion topic. Do you guys have a favourite gaming imput method you would love to use with all games, or just one that you can appreciate for its genius design?

Mine is undoubtedly this cracker;

Yeah it's fairly recent, and yeah it doesn't have a vast level of supporting games yet that practically every other controller in history beats out, but I'd be lying if I said this wasn't bliss to use. The buttons are nice and mushy and just feel so right, the D-pad is quite possibly the best Nintendo has ever made (even beating out the GB Micro's), the ergonomics melt into your hands, and the obtuse placement of the analog sticks is ridiculously easy to get used to. The huge amount of battery life and rumble just seal the deal. If a WiiU game supports this pad then it has my attention.

Enough shameless Nintendo ass-kissing from me, now how about you guys? 

I think that all Nintendo's controllers are excellent, including the N64 one. This is probably a very major reason as to why I love them so much. Each controller has added something revolutionary and has nearly perfected control.

However, I do think that the 360 one is the best controller. All the buttons are highly tactile. And the triggers are sooooooo responsive (I really don't like the Wii U Pro controllers' triggers, especially with shooters). Also, the 360 controller fits perfectly in my hands. The clicky parts of the joysticks are cool as well. I know I tried a razer controller, but I used it for maybe an hour. Couldn't really tell if it was better than the 360 one or not.

Definitely the Gamecube.
It had the best analougue stick I've ever used, and I loved the central button concept too. Admittedly the D-Pad did suck, but it was barely used anyway.

The PS2 controller would be my 2nd choice.

I don't have a WiiU and have never touched a WiiU Pro controller. I'm very curious to try it out now.

I'm torn between the Xbox 360 controller and the Gamecube controller. Both are very comfortable to hold.

The Xbox 360 controller is the most logical. Aside from the d-pad, it's what every "normal" controller should compare itself to. Everything is in the right place and everything feels responsive.

The Gamecube controller is not normal. I love the way the face buttons are laid out; they feel very natural (your main button, A, is the biggest and it's surrounded by smaller buttons). The L and R triggers are a delight to use. They feel so responsive and I love how their concave shapes let you rest your fingers in them. The C-stick is great and is made of a nice material. My gripes with the GC controller is that the z-button feels like an afterthought, the d-pad is too tiny (still better the the 360's, though), and the asymmetrical joysticks might be a little less that ideal for games that make use of the second stick more than face buttons (like FPS games). The C-stick still works very well in those games, though, and I've never thought about the stick while playing them.

I probably lean towards the GC controller. I love how it was a little outside of the box, but very well executed. Plus, it made purple look good.

The Sega Genesis/Megadrive controller (the normal one with 3 face buttons) gets an honorable mention. I love that little guy. It had a great, non-Nintendo d-pad and felt pretty good to hold.

Speaking of the d-pad, does Nintendo have a patent on that or something? The NES was the first to use one and it seems like only Nintendo products ever use a + d-pad.

( Edited 19.02.2013 18:34 by TAG )

'Plus' shape d-pad is patented by Nintendo AFAIK. The reason SEGA were able to use it on their Dreamcast was because the patent ran out at that time.

Edit: I believe that after 20 years of Nintendo first patenting it, the Plus-shape design is now free for anyone to use.

Answering topic: PS2/3 Dual Shock and GameCube. Dual Shock pips it due to my dislike of the GC's d-pad and Z button.

( Edited 15.01.2015 02:10 by Azuardo )

Azuardo said:
'Plus' shape d-pad is patented by Nintendo AFAIK. The reason SEGA were able to use it on their Dreamcast was because the patent ran out at that time.

OK, cool. Right after I submitted that post, I thought about the Dreamcast and grabbed one my Dreamcast controllers. Sure enough, it had a + shaped d-pad. That kind of confused me, so thanks for reading my mind and solving that little riddle for me.

( Edited 20.02.2013 07:26 by TAG )

My top three controllers are:
1) Wii Remote / Nunchuk
2) Wii U Game Pad
3) GameCube WaveBird

Wii Remote: I absolutely love the Wii Remote/Nunchuk for its versatility and features. Great motion control, great pointer functionality, built in speaker (one of the most underrated features of more recent controllers). Hold it sideways for the perfect platforming controller. Add a nunchuck and it becomes a traditional controller. The pointer functionality provided one of the best FPS control methods. All of these could be used by the developer as is, with a touch of motion control (like with Super Mario Galaxy or Donkey Kong Country Returns), or full motion control (like with Wii Sports or Skyward Sword). The perfect device that was not intimidating for non-gamers to pick up and play yet was fully featured to satisfy the needs of the long time gamer.

Wii U Game Pad: The Game Pad is really comfortable to hold. I love having both sticks up high on the controller. It returns Nintendo's main controller back towards the more traditional form, while still packing a ton of features: gyroscrope, speakers, microphone, camera - and of course the screen! The awesome screen that can be used in endless ways whether it be a simple map and/or inventory, off-TV Play, and full immersed into the Game Play.

GameCube WaveBird: Really fantastic controller. Super comfortable to hold and bringing controllers to the wireless realm.

I -hate- the wii remote and Nunchuck. I can never find a comfortable way to sit when using them. Thus I haven't really played much on the Wii at all, mainly the games that lets me use Gamecube controllers.
I love those though. The Gamecube controllers have the perfect weight, no sharp edges and buttons at all the right places. Comfortable to hold and the principle of just sitting like in the old days, controller in hand and just relaxing (yeah right) while playing, That's the way to go for me. I hate having to swoosh around with hands and arms just to aim, fire or chop. It's a nice thought that it's more ergonomic and all that, but if I wanted to stay fit and healthy, I'd be working out. Which I do. Let me sit and enjoy the game as should! New generation stuff doesn't work for me. I prefer the old school way of gaming, and Gamecube controllers are suuuuhweet.

Gamecube controller for anything 3D that doesn't require a heavy use of the second stick. (preferably the Wavebird, the lack of rumble doesn't bother me too much since the lack of wire more than overweights the lack of rumble in my book).

Wii U Pro Controller for anything heavy on twin stick controls.

Wii Remote+Nunchuk for first person shooters or adventures (like the Metroid Prime games).

SNES controller for anything 2D, except 6-buttons fighting games.

2nd gen Saturn controller for 2D fighting games.

( Edited 20.02.2013 16:14 by RudyC3 )

Wow!. Always nice to see old members return. This place feels bereft of the community it once had, the more oldies that return the better imo.

1)Sega Saturn Control Pad - best D control ever
2)Super Famicom Controller - great ergonomics and aesthetics
3)Dreamcast Joystick - solid, built to last, several console generations

( Edited 20.02.2013 18:11 by Linkyshinks )

Big fan of the Gamecube controller to be fair and agree with Rudy, the Wavebird's wireless feature trumps rumble functionality. 

I am a fan of the Xbox 360 controller as well, although i really dislike the D-pad, it just feels a little cheap. Other than that these two controllers are the winners for me.

I would like to play with the WiiU Pro Controller, but at the moment i can't justify buying one because at the moment the GamePad does it's job!

Dude,..... the Wii U controller looks like a Wanna-be Xbox controller. Mine is the Xbox Wireless controller.

Gamecube is my top pick as well but I also really enjoy the PS2 controller. For some reason it just felt right to me.