What is the best controller you’ve ever used? Period.
- Thread starter Hemingwayoffbase
- Start date
Redeeming Casualty
Neo Member
My favorite controllers are all over the place but they are all unique to the consoles that they play on. My favorites are as follows.
Nintendo Gamecube
Nintendo 64
Wii Remote and Nunchuk
Playstation Dual Shock 2, 4, and Dual Sense
Super Nintendo Pad
NES Controller
Sega Dreamcast
Switch Joy Cons
Each of these controllers are unique in their identity to the games and console they were on. Most of the games in the libraries take advantage of the controller features and add so much depth to the experience that I can't imagine those games played on other controllers not designed for them. I love everything about these controllers from the feel, to them wacky, to experimental, and to levels of immersion they bring to the table.
The only reason I don't like the Xbox controller is because I find them the most boring of the controllers. Its generic and not unique. Glad people enjoy them but I just feel like a Xbox Controller is so boring.
Now is every controller I like perfect? Hell no. They all have some issues but only in small instances, but I don't mind it when there is so much going for them I put up with them and barely notice them when I am playing. These controllers help me define what makes their hardware and games unique to play on their respective pads. They define the consoles experience.
Nintendo Gamecube
Nintendo 64
Wii Remote and Nunchuk
Playstation Dual Shock 2, 4, and Dual Sense
Super Nintendo Pad
NES Controller
Sega Dreamcast
Switch Joy Cons
Each of these controllers are unique in their identity to the games and console they were on. Most of the games in the libraries take advantage of the controller features and add so much depth to the experience that I can't imagine those games played on other controllers not designed for them. I love everything about these controllers from the feel, to them wacky, to experimental, and to levels of immersion they bring to the table.
The only reason I don't like the Xbox controller is because I find them the most boring of the controllers. Its generic and not unique. Glad people enjoy them but I just feel like a Xbox Controller is so boring.
Now is every controller I like perfect? Hell no. They all have some issues but only in small instances, but I don't mind it when there is so much going for them I put up with them and barely notice them when I am playing. These controllers help me define what makes their hardware and games unique to play on their respective pads. They define the consoles experience.
Brigandier
Member
Honestly I can't believe how comfortable the Switch 2 pro controller is, Perfect size for my hands and it feels nice, Analogues feel great too!!! I think it genuinely is my new favourite controller.
Xbox controllers. Only controller from Sony that could bang with Microsoft was the Dualshock 4. I have never held a dualsense so I can't comment there but it doesn't look great imo.
The XBone controllers had a good form to it but those controllers were made like utter shit imo. It was like a 360 controller but cheaper and shittier, I hate the Bone controller. Series S made it feel a bit more premium again but still not as well made as 360 controllers.
I would say the biggest piece of shit in the last few gens was the Dualshock 3, that controller sucked, especially the early models without rumble. Those were shit.
I HATED the N64 and Gamecube controllers. Just dumbass designs to make them look "Futuristic" or different. Whatever it was, they sucked. All the different Wii controllers sucked dick too. SNES was the last time Nintendo was banging imo.
Freaking love the Genesis and Saturn controllers.
The XBone controllers had a good form to it but those controllers were made like utter shit imo. It was like a 360 controller but cheaper and shittier, I hate the Bone controller. Series S made it feel a bit more premium again but still not as well made as 360 controllers.
I would say the biggest piece of shit in the last few gens was the Dualshock 3, that controller sucked, especially the early models without rumble. Those were shit.
I HATED the N64 and Gamecube controllers. Just dumbass designs to make them look "Futuristic" or different. Whatever it was, they sucked. All the different Wii controllers sucked dick too. SNES was the last time Nintendo was banging imo.
Freaking love the Genesis and Saturn controllers.
Hyperborean
Member
1. Dualsense
2. Dual Shock 4
3. Gamecube
2. Dual Shock 4
3. Gamecube
Musashipan
Member
Nintendo or Microsoft
sony is the worst
sony is the worst
Rockondevil
Member
Sony was always going to win due to having a decent controller and huge popularity.
However in a world where everyone has equal fans it goes Xbox > Nintendo (Pro) > Sony.
However in a world where everyone has equal fans it goes Xbox > Nintendo (Pro) > Sony.
BlackTron
Member
Everyone has their own opinion, but when you start telling me "the only reason I literally think mine" get the fuck out of here.
Daniel Thomas MacInnes
GAF's Resident Saturn Omnibus
Wico Command and Boss joysticks
Epyx 500SJ
Atari 5200 Trak-Ball controller
Sega Genesis 6-button joypad
Sega Saturn standard joypad (Japan)
Sega Saturn 3D Multi Controller
Xbox 360 joypad
I know I should list GameCube controller out of respect. I've July used it rarely, but its design is outstanding.
Epyx 500SJ
Atari 5200 Trak-Ball controller
Sega Genesis 6-button joypad
Sega Saturn standard joypad (Japan)
Sega Saturn 3D Multi Controller
Xbox 360 joypad
I know I should list GameCube controller out of respect. I've July used it rarely, but its design is outstanding.
PixelatedBeast
Member
Naw, you cant do that.
You cant use a hypothetical to change reality to presentt it as a fact. The market has decided. If one of the big 3 has an unequal number of fans, then you cant dissmiss that the controller plays a big part of that.
poppabk
Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
Oh yeah - this is actually the best controller I ever used.
Useless for games not designed for it having only a single button, but damn if it didn't have the perfect feel. Being emulating some Amiga games recently and would love a zipstick for them.
applesaucejaxon
Member
Will always be the GameCube controller for me. Dualsense is really close, though.
Cube controller was just so comfortable.
Dualsense triggers and haptics are next level. I just don't find it to be overly comfy.
Cube controller was just so comfortable.
Dualsense triggers and haptics are next level. I just don't find it to be overly comfy.
iQuasarLV
Member
Seriously. This thing has replaced my Elite 2 Core for most used.
8bitdo Ultimate Bluetooth. Hands down the best gaming controller. Use it for both Switch and PC
Trilobit
Absolutely Cozy
I'm just amazed that those triggerbuttons didn't break during Ghost of Tsushima. It's almost magic to me. I had no idea you could design stuff like that and have it be durable, I think the mouse and keyboard players are missing out on a whole dimension of gameplay nowadays.
SweetTooth
Gold Member
Gotta be the DualSense, its the most advanced and feature rich controller out there. Hell some games are not the same when played by other controllers.
Autistic_Pancake
Member
Mouse and Keyboard.
Pejo
Member
I have the Dualsense Edge and I think it's the best controller I've ever owned. The weight is perfect, the battery life is good, the whole thing feels solid and is customizable.
Extremely frustrating though, because I don't think Sony ever released PC drivers for it, which is where I play primarily. So I either have to hope it's recognized as a Dualsense without any special features or extra button support, or I have to use DS4Windows which fucks up the button prompts and usually defaults to xbox prompts along with a host of other annoying small issues.
With Sony dipping up to their knees in PC gaming at this point, I'd really appreciate proper drivers. Hell, they even made PSVR2 PC compatible, why not the Edge?
Extremely frustrating though, because I don't think Sony ever released PC drivers for it, which is where I play primarily. So I either have to hope it's recognized as a Dualsense without any special features or extra button support, or I have to use DS4Windows which fucks up the button prompts and usually defaults to xbox prompts along with a host of other annoying small issues.
With Sony dipping up to their knees in PC gaming at this point, I'd really appreciate proper drivers. Hell, they even made PSVR2 PC compatible, why not the Edge?
Unfortunatecookie
Member
Sony created the GOAT controller with the DualSense. It's not even close.
I initially believed the hype around the triggers and rumble to be just the usual hype that doesn't translate to excellence. They (Sony) advertised the triggers as being able to replicate a bow, gun, or anything with resistance. Then they hyped up the haptic feedback as being able to make it feel like you're walking on sand, swimming, a heartbeat, or even replicate the pitter-patter of raindrops. Once I actually used the controller, it was a hallelujah moment. All of my initial cynicism around the hype was completely unwarranted.
It's a true next-generation controller. Everything they said the controller could do was 100% true. The triggers combined with the rumble, speakers, and light ring around the touch pad create an experience that makes playing games fun. I sound like a marketing parrot, but when developers use the full feature set of the controller, it's like being a kid again and using the rumble pack for the first time. Absolutely phenomenal engineering.
Other features like the built-in battery, buttons that don't sound like a violent mechanical keyboard, perfect D-pad, perfect balanced weight, touch pad, and the microphone -- all of this stuff really makes it obvious how archaic other controllers are. Whenever I have to play a PC or XSX game, I have to use my Series X controller. Frankly, the Xbox controller is a complete dinosaur compared to the DualSense. If the DualSense had fantastic PC support then I would never use the XSX controller ever again.
My one negative with the controller is the quality of rubber on the sticks. It's low and should be upgraded for the inevitable DualSense 2.
I initially believed the hype around the triggers and rumble to be just the usual hype that doesn't translate to excellence. They (Sony) advertised the triggers as being able to replicate a bow, gun, or anything with resistance. Then they hyped up the haptic feedback as being able to make it feel like you're walking on sand, swimming, a heartbeat, or even replicate the pitter-patter of raindrops. Once I actually used the controller, it was a hallelujah moment. All of my initial cynicism around the hype was completely unwarranted.
It's a true next-generation controller. Everything they said the controller could do was 100% true. The triggers combined with the rumble, speakers, and light ring around the touch pad create an experience that makes playing games fun. I sound like a marketing parrot, but when developers use the full feature set of the controller, it's like being a kid again and using the rumble pack for the first time. Absolutely phenomenal engineering.
Other features like the built-in battery, buttons that don't sound like a violent mechanical keyboard, perfect D-pad, perfect balanced weight, touch pad, and the microphone -- all of this stuff really makes it obvious how archaic other controllers are. Whenever I have to play a PC or XSX game, I have to use my Series X controller. Frankly, the Xbox controller is a complete dinosaur compared to the DualSense. If the DualSense had fantastic PC support then I would never use the XSX controller ever again.
My one negative with the controller is the quality of rubber on the sticks. It's low and should be upgraded for the inevitable DualSense 2.
David B
An Idiot
The PS5 controller just feels odd to me. It doesn't hurt anymore like it did when it launched out. But it's just it's not super comfortable, it's not great, it feels like a cheap 3rd party controller to me because it doesn't have that great hand to palm grip overall like the PS4 controller had. Just the PS5 controller just feels overall like some 3rd party thing to me, it just never feels good at all, it's like uh well ok, it's ok, 3/5, but it's not great, it just feels so cheaply made.
Giallo Corsa
Member
Seriously, out of all the DS's problems that's the one it bothers you the most ? You know you can spend 1-2 Eurodollars for thumbgrips as to eliminate said problem, right ?
Now, the stick drift on the other hand...
Unfortunatecookie
Member
I literally did just that. I haven't had stick drift with my DualSenses (only with one of my XSX Controllers) so selfishly, the only DualSense problem that affects me is the rubber around the thumbsticks wearing down and peeling off without any aggressive wet fingers rubbing on them.
Unfortunatecookie
Member
Fair enough. It feels excellent to me and is currently the pinnacle of controllers.
I've used every single console controller for over two decades. The DualSense is better than all of them. Even divorcing the iconic PlayStation colors from the face buttons was the correct decision, as it made the controller look futuristic and have an aesthetic that's different from every other PlayStation controller ever made.
Podge
Member
My favorite controller ever is the Switch Pro Controller. Felt perfectly comfortable in my hands and I spent thousands of hours playing on my Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Edition controller throughout the generation.
Here are some sentimental favorites:
Xbox 360: This controller was pretty much perfect. Extremely comfortable. I never played shmups or fighters back then so the D-Pad never bothered me, but I could see it being an issue today if I were to import a 360 console for games like Muchi Muchi Pork & Pink Sweets or DoDonPachi SDOJ. I need to pick one up for PC gaming if the Hyperkin version is adequate.
Xbox Controller S: My hands are just too small for the Duke. It happens. When the S controller launched in 2003 I finally bought an Xbox with Halo, KOTOR, and Madden 2004 and fell in love. This was a really comfortable controller and the lynchpin for turning me into an Xbox fan back in the day.
Samba de Amigo Maracas: My father was quite furious in 2000 when I spent all of my Christmas money on a copy of Samba de Amigo bundled with its trademark maraca controllers. My brothers and I had so much fun with that game. The Dreamcast's star burned briefly but oh so bright.
Here are some sentimental favorites:
Xbox 360: This controller was pretty much perfect. Extremely comfortable. I never played shmups or fighters back then so the D-Pad never bothered me, but I could see it being an issue today if I were to import a 360 console for games like Muchi Muchi Pork & Pink Sweets or DoDonPachi SDOJ. I need to pick one up for PC gaming if the Hyperkin version is adequate.
Xbox Controller S: My hands are just too small for the Duke. It happens. When the S controller launched in 2003 I finally bought an Xbox with Halo, KOTOR, and Madden 2004 and fell in love. This was a really comfortable controller and the lynchpin for turning me into an Xbox fan back in the day.
Samba de Amigo Maracas: My father was quite furious in 2000 when I spent all of my Christmas money on a copy of Samba de Amigo bundled with its trademark maraca controllers. My brothers and I had so much fun with that game. The Dreamcast's star burned briefly but oh so bright.