[PPOTW] Which system has the best controller?

[Maxternal]

- Wiimote is the best for shooters (even if there aren't that many shooters on the system) and you can find adapters to connect a GameCube controller (which I also love) or PS2 pad to it ... but that part doesn't really count, I guess.
- Wii U pro controller has the form of the 360 controller (winning 2nd) with a few buttons switched AND it has motion controls built in
- Wii U gamepad just has all the bells and whistles.

My vote goes for the Wii U option which can work with all of them

 

[SirAileron]

I play too many different games to say "This one is the best!"

360 pad is great for 3D adventure types, PS3 pad is fantastic for 2D just about anything that benefits from d-pad use, Sega Saturn is great for those 6-button fighters, Gamecube pad is simply the definition of "made for Smash Bros," though less modern adventure games do work well on it, as does Soul Calibur. And as much as I swear by keyboard and mouse for first-person games, Metroid Prime: Hunters worked fantastically with a touch screen, and I do find the idea of touch-screen aiming/looking to be incredibly viable when done right (I'm looking at you, Wii U game pad). And the Wii remote with the nunchuck had quite a fair amount of viability when games were made for it. Metroid Prime 3 and Skyward Sword, as more notable examples, but even Smash Bros. worked with Wiimote+Nunchuck almost flawlessly (if they allowed the A+B "button" to be disabled, it would be perfect).

As it stands, only two things affect what system I get a game for:
1) Will the controller make me feel sexy while playing this game?
2) Are the versions the same, or is this the shitty version?

While I haven't held one of these, though... I'd say this probably comes the closest to being "the best controller," simply by rule of modularity:
http://store.gameshark.com/listCategoriesAndProducts.asp?idCategory=449&scid=madcatzsite

 

[JulietStMoon]

I'm not sure I can honestly answer this, because for every controller I can nominate as the best, there's another that does a particular thing better, in my opinion. GameCube has the best analog stick and face button layout. The dualshock series has the best conventional layout, best digital triggers, and a great dpad. The 360 controller has the best analog triggers. the "SNES style" Nintendo controllers in general have amazing dpads and (IMHO) the most intuitive face button naming.

I honestly think it varies greatly on the kind of game I'm playing. But if I absolutely had to pick one, it would be the GameCube controller. That perfect, short height of the left analog stick and beautiful streamlined face button layout (so you're never more than a small finger twitch from any button) wins me over every time.

 

[Ethevion]

XBox 360 for me. It is by far the most comfortable controller I've ever used. Luckily, the games I played rarely needed the d-pad. The PS controllers are my favorite for fighting games though, because I use the d-pad when it comes to Street Fighter.

 

[FAST6191]

On dpads, the 360 and fighting games

Have people tried the improved/rotatable Dpad model?

Maybe it is because games tend not to need them nowadays but I would not have ranked the 360 dpad as all that bad. I would never confuse it with being one of the greats (such things are switches or do not bother) but not bad/notably useless as to have a proper opinion on the matter. That said I would probably say the same about everything there as far as the official pads for main consoles that do not have switches go.

Where do fighting pads/arcade sticks (I am not a fan of the term fightstick but probably have to have it in here anyway) fall in this?

 

[narutofan777]

the mouse and keyboard r best controllers. best players use them.

 

[IBNobody]

I will never buy a 360 controller because of the horrible dpad. I may very well buy an XBox One controller, though.

I use a Dualshock 3 and the PS3 Nav controller for some PC gaming. (NB: Check out Better DS3 if you use Motionjoy. http://betterds3.ciebiera.net/)

But for PC gaming in general... Mouse and Keyboard cannot be beaten.

 

[Psionic Roshambo]

I wish to change my vote to NES Advantage.... lol It is the epitome of awesomeness the pinnacle of perfection! lol

But really it was so great that I picked up 2 of them for my NES back in the day.

I have fond memories of that controller helping me beat so many tough games!

 

[Mantis41]

I will never buy a 360 controller because of the horrible dpad. I may very well buy an XBox One controller, though.

I use a Dualshock 3 and the PS3 Nav controller for some PC gaming. (NB: Check out Better DS3 if you use Motionjoy. http://betterds3.ciebiera.net/)

But for PC gaming in general... Mouse and Keyboard cannot be beaten.

To be honest I have never played a game on the 360 that required the D-pad the joysticks seemed to be used for everything. I can imagine how bad it would be though considering the way it jumps all over the place on the on-screen keyboard.

 

[tbgtbg]

360 controller is ruled out by the terrible D-Pad.

I voted other, but honestly, I don't think any system has the best controller. Some are better than others, but none are perfect.

 

[grossaffe]

There is no best controller, in my opinion. Different controllers are better for different game types. Wiimote+/nunchuk, for example, really cannot be compared with the the other controllers because it has completely unique uses.

 

[FAST6191]

There is no best controller, in my opinion. Different controllers are better for different game types. Wiimote+/nunchuk, for example, really cannot be compared with the the other controllers because it has completely unique uses.

For all that I might wax poetic about genre blending and ? elements in modern games it is still a few core concepts that dominate and not so many new ones. To that end controllers can still hurt your hands to hold for a long period and with the possible exception of flight games and fighting games (and ignoring the mouse and keyboard for fps thing -- they might not be competitive with one another but they can still play) most will pull double duty and do the lot.

 

[Foxi4]

I'm going to say 360 pad. The D-Pad is still better than the PS3's and the layout is the most optimal one around with all the sticks and buttons in just the right places, the shoulder buttons have the right shape and function (top ones are flat buttons, bottom ones are full-on pressure-sensitive triggers) and it's generally the best "stock" controller for current generation systems.

Can't really vote for PS4 or XBox One controllers since I haven't used them yet (obviously) and I still maintain that the WiiU's sliders are not only inferior to a standard analog stick, they're also in the wrong places - the right analog stick should be below the buttons, not above them because it's the buttons that are the focus of the right side of the controller, not the slider which is only used for camera control.

This is actually a gripe I have with the Dual Shock as well, but in that case the positions of the D-Pad and the left analog stick should've been switched ages ago - the D-Pad is no longer extensively used in most games and as such, its importance is lesser to that of the analog stick which is used all the time.

 

[Nathan Drake]

Why are there nearly 100 votes for the Wii U controller? Really guys? Do people even read the poll, or do they just see Wii U and blindly vote for it anymore? I know that everybody has handled a better controller than that one. If you're going to tell me it beats the Gamecube or 360 controllers, I'm gonna have to wonder exactly how many systems you've actually owned and played.

Personally, I voted other because I have love for the Gamecube controller, but really, I'd have no problem voting for the 360 controller either. After using that controller as much as I have previously, I know I need to get my hands on one for myself for all of its uses with the PC and such.

 

[JulietStMoon]

Why are there nearly 100 votes for the Wii U controller? Really guys? Do people even read the poll, or do they just see Wii U and blindly vote for it anymore? I know that everybody has handled a better controller than that one. If you're going to tell me it beats the Gamecube or 360 controllers, I'm gonna have to wonder exactly how many systems you've actually owned and played.

People think differently from me! Boohoo, they must be fanboys!

 

[rehevkor]

While I like the design of the PS3 controller it loses points for the triggers.
The Xbox 360 pad has its flaws but it's pretty nice. It gets bonus points for working on Windows with most games supporting it directly.

Xbox 360 wins then I suppose for me..

 

[Guild McCommunist]

To be fair I think all D-Pads are shit, the only good D-Pad I've used is the Vita D-Pad.

 

[Arm73]

I'm a huge fan of Wii remote + nunchuck, but it has it's limitation.
However the pointing capability are amazing.

Since I'm playing mostly on the PC these days, and although I have every controller ( including arcade joysticks ) with USB adapters up to the PS2 and GC, I use a wired Xbox360 controller and I couldn't love it more ( well, maybe with a better d-pad so that I wouldn't have to switch to another controller when playing retro games ) , it fits my hand perfectly, I like the placement and feel of the analog sticks, once my thumbs set on those they are like 'locked' for good, as opposed to any other brand when they inevitably start slipping around after a certain amount of sweat is involved

But all in all I should go with the Wii U gamepad.
It has all the necessary buttons and also gyroscope and motion sensors, etc... , but the large touchscreen on it just opens up a lot more possibility .
Asymmetric or off screen playing, maps, quick inventory , scanner, scope, steering wheel....you name it.
There is just so much that could be done !

Just like the second screen on the DS allowed developers to create unique and amazing experiences on the seriously underpowered handled, I hope to see some creativity down the road for the Wii U as well.

 

[Taleweaver]

Why are there nearly 100 votes for the Wii U controller? Really guys? Do people even read the poll, or do they just see Wii U and blindly vote for it anymore? I know that everybody has handled a better controller than that one. If you're going to tell me it beats the Gamecube or 360 controllers, I'm gonna have to wonder exactly how many systems you've actually owned and played.

Do you even read the replies?

In case you haven't noticed, the wiiu controller HAS A FREAKIN' SCREEN. I can use it as a handheld if I so damn want to. And I often do, considering there's quite some glare on my TV before sunset.

Also...wiiu pro controller > xbox360 controller. Yes, it's obviously based on it. But it's lighter, has USB recharging connection and a better D-pad. I could list more, but it may not be correct to compare a brand new wiiu pro pad to a used xbox360 one.

 

[FAST6191]

It came up in another thread but I thought of this one as I read back up on the matter.

Microsoft used to have a line in gamepads and related things called the sidewinder
Wikipedia I know but http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_SideWinder

I kind of half forgot about this. Best is not even a question but might frame something differently.

On Wii U vs 360... I am leaning towards people maybe considering best to be "best ideas" rather than best option for a gamepad.
Granted from what I have seen the dreamcast VMU probably added about as much to the experience as the Wii U pad has done thus far and the GBA-GC stuff is probably not far behind.