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Post by Xeogred on Jan 19, 2018 22:34:16 GMT -5
I'm not sure who all here plays illegal games made after 2008... and the black market of this era has brought us quite possibly some of the best controllers ever... However looking back, what are some of your favorite controllers? Any that you dislike? I could easily be content for life with the Dualshock if I could only use one controller. I don't really like it at all for FPS's, the joystick nubs could have been reworked. But for everything else it's by far one of my favorites. It's like an evolution of the SNES gamepad which I love as well, though the Dualshock gives us a few more buttons to work with and a superior grip for comfort. I really want to get some non-joystick PS controllers again sometime, I loved those as well. I think the version I like the most is probably the Dualshock 2. I like the extra weight it has over the Dualshock 3. The shoulder buttons and joysticks could be better but it's not a huge issue to me. I've personally always loved the PS's weird d-pad too. Overall fantastic, I wish they stuck with the gray though. After that, can't go wrong with the SNES or Genesis 6-button gamepads. I'm not a big fan of the Dreamcast controller. That huge chunk of awkward empty space if you don't have memory cards in there, the cord coming out from the bottom, and the placement of things just isn't ideal. But the d-pad is incredible. The Gamecube controller is never my preference but I don't think I have any huge issues with it, same with the N64 controller. The Hori N64 controller looks really cool, I'd love to get one. The NES controller is completely fine but the SNES one is just nicer to hold and use, it was the perfect upgrade. Nowadays I use a Japanese Buffalo SNES USB controller for my emulation needs in most cases, but I have a Hyperkin Genesis one too... that sadly sucks. The Buffalo is amazing though and in ways almost feels even higher quality than the official SNES controllers! It's cool that we have all these replica options nowadays. For almost a decade or more I used some Dualshock 2 USB controller adapter that worked wonders, but now it's fun to try and mimic the real experience as best as possible if you're doing emulation I'd say.
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Post by Sarge on Jan 19, 2018 22:57:59 GMT -5
2nd Gen: I know that the old standby is the Atari 2600 joysticks, but I think I like the Intellivision controllers a lot. Sort of a forerunner to analog controls, giving 16 directions to use. The overlays, as long as you didn't lose them, were pretty neat, too. 3rd Gen: Definitely the NES controller, but more preferably, the dogbone controller. The originals are good, but that one is even better. 4th Gen: SNES, all the way. The only way it loses out is to a quality 6-button controller on Genesis for fighters, but I'm sure there are likely 6-button controllers of that type on the system, too. 5th Gen: Probably the DualShock, but I also really like the Saturn analog pad. N64 is not as bad as folks seem to think, but both of those are superior in most ways. 6th Gen: I think I'm going to go with the XBOX Controller S. A close second is the Logitech Wireless PS2 pad. I agree that the d-pad was great on Dreamcast, I played many an hour of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and Capcom vs. SNK 2 on there. 7th Gen: 360. Not even close. PS3 is okay, but I didn't like the triggers, and the d-pad is only slightly better than the 360, being a bit too recessed for my tastes. For PC, particularly 2D stuff, I actually use an Afterglow 360 controller, the d-pad on that is top notch. The analog sticks are a bit loose, though, like a PS3. 8th Gen: Given that I only have the PS4 and Switch, I reckon it has to go to the DualShock 4. Much improved over the DualShock 3. I do wonder how the XB1 controller is, though. I'll probably have a chance to try one eventually.
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Post by Ex on Jan 19, 2018 23:34:09 GMT -5
When I emulate 16-bit and below games, I tend to use a Buffalo SNES USB controller. When I emulate 32-bit / 64-bit I tend to use a wireless 360 controller. It has enough buttons for Dreamcast and Saturn, and everything else. When I play games on my phone I use this: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N8WWOE5/My all time favorite controller though, insofar as both ergonomics and beauty, is this: The PS2 Satin Silver Dualshock. I absolutely love the way its finish feels, and it's a great color. Magnificence.
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Post by foxhound1022 on Jan 20, 2018 8:38:04 GMT -5
Gen 2 Saturn pad. Just an overall great controller for arcade ports if you're not into sticks.
The Hori mini N64 controller is awesome for most games, but anything requiring the D-pad is not ideal.
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Post by anayo on Jan 20, 2018 10:39:15 GMT -5
Most of my controllers are great. It would be easier to list the controllers I don't like. 1) Atari 2600 joysticks
When I made myself play nothing but Atari 2600 in December 2010 I cheated and used a Genesis controller. My first controller ever was for the NES, so I really can't stand the design of the Atari joysticks. They suck. 2) Nintendo 64 joysticks
I was an N64 kid from 1998 to 2003, so I don't actually mind the weird, mutated N64 controller shape. It just bugs me that the joysticks wear out over time and become loose and floppy. It has an alarmingly finite service life. (Come to think of it, handheld video games make me uncomfortable for the same reason, since they're basically welded into the console. Replacing them would require surgery on the whole entire unit. It would be cool if they invented a handheld game console with removable, replaceable controls. Maybe on March 3, 2027 I can talk about such a thing.) Honestly I think that's it. I've had some 3rd party N64 controllers that suffered from overly sensitive joysticks and some other 3rd party controllers that just broke over time due to cheap build quality. But that has nothing to do with the 1st party controllers. I guess Turbografx 16 and Vectrex controllers piss me off for being so expensive, but that's a supply and demand problem, not a design one. To get around this I bought some adapters that let me use other controllers on my TG-16 and Vectrex. I bought one from a site that sells Dualshock to TG-16 adapters. (I love how cheap, plentiful, and reliable Dualshock controllers are. I even have a Dualshock to Gamecube/XBOX adapter that gets a lot of use.) There's also an Australian guy on eBay who from time to time will fabricate and list a few Genesis to Vectrex adapters. He doesn't always have them in stock, though. I was thinking about this, and I strongly suspect it's due to the "arcade in your house" vs. "console gaming" philosophies of the Genesis and SNES. The Genesis just copied an arcade pad. The SNES asked, "What ergonomic possibilities can we explore in the living room but not in the arcade?"
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Post by Ex on Jan 20, 2018 11:33:10 GMT -5
The Hori mini N64 controller is awesome for most games, but anything requiring the D-pad is not ideal. It is indeed, I think Hori's GameCube controller is great too. N64 controller shape. It just bugs me that the joysticks wear out over time and become loose and floppy It didn't help that Nintendo published games actively designed to aid in destroying said joysticks... I ended up replacing the stock joystick in my N64 controllers with a more durable aftermarket one. I never thought of it like that, but now that you mention it, that seems quite plausible.
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Post by Xeogred on Jan 20, 2018 23:22:22 GMT -5
Hope you guys don't mind the image size because I think it's very appropriate... Since I've been on an Xbox kick this week, before I got my Xbox out again I was thinking "Heck yeah I think I'm really in the mood to use the Hamburger/Duke again, I actually have some fond memories of it despite what most say!" ... ... then I just lost it and cracked up when I picked the controller out again and held it in my hands. WHAT WERE THEY THINKING? In ways I like how it feels like a more fleshed out (literally) Dreamcast controller and has an additional joystick, but holy crap. I can't bring myself to use it again despite my initial optimism before I held it hahaha. The S controller isn't very good either though. The placement of the select/start and white/black buttons is horrible. I'm weirdly finding myself getting cramped with it here and there. It's a vastly better option than their first take on a controller, but yeah. This one hasn't aged very well either. Actually, I think I will give the Duke another shot. The select/start and white/black button placement is much better. lol
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Post by bonesnapdeez on Jan 21, 2018 10:40:54 GMT -5
I will admit that the worst thing about the second gen was the controllers. Most aren't bad, save for the 5200, but are admittedly clunky. That said, one huge advantage to modern 2600 gaming is the option to use a Genesis controller. In most all cases this is preferable to the original.
Third gen: NES kills it. The gold standard for all controllers that would follow. SMS tried valiantly but ended up with a cheap squashy imitation.
Fourth gen: SNES, the greatest controller of all time. Perfect layout and number of buttons. PCE is solid, though obviously a copy of the great NES controller. I was never a fan of the Genesis controller. It's clear that they were trying to go for some sort of scaled-down arcade vibe, but the three buttons in a row is just awkward for thumb presses. Even the RPGs have odd control schemes. The 6-button update is just weird and clunky, okay for fighting games I suppose.
Fifth gen is where shit gets bad. N64 is obviously a mess (though not as bad as many folks claim). PlayStation is a worse SNES controller with extra unnecessary shoulder buttons. Not a fan of dual analog either. Saturn is comfy but way too cluttered unless you're playing a fighting game.
Sixth gen forward is mostly balls with the exception of Dreamcast. The last great controller. A SNES vibe with really cool shoulder buttons and a single stick. I approve.
Now, the absolute worst controllers of all time are retro computer joysticks, like the official Commodore sticks and the like. Horrendous. So many games are barely playable.
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Post by anayo on Jan 21, 2018 11:30:52 GMT -5
While we're on the subject of controllers, I remember when Halo and Halo 2 were hot there was some controversy over whether dual analog controllers or keyboard and mouse are superior for first person shooters. How could anyone think anything other than keyboard and mouse? I've actually read of cases where game developers wanted to let console and PC players play online together, but the guys on PC absolutely steamrolled the ones on console (I'm not linking it here because I'm pretty sure the game in question was too recent to discuss here.) Aside from that though it all comes down to points of articulation and motor control. The human arm and wrist are just capable of more fine-tuned movements than a lone thumb. There are physiologically more muscles at your disposal with a computer mouse.
What's everyone think about 007 Goldeneye in this respect? It's got a pretty weird control scheme, obviously begat from a day where these conventions weren't standardized, so they had to make up a standard that never caught on in the future. I've heard some people lament that game's control scheme as insufferably weird and clunky. As I've said already, I was a Nintendo 64 kid so I just rolled with it. While it seems quaint today, I got really proficient at playing it that way, so if anything the weirdness adds to the charm.
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Post by Xeogred on Jan 21, 2018 11:49:11 GMT -5
That's true but I think it boils down to the game a lot too. I played a lot of Halo CE on PC as well as the Xbox version and I think it plays way better with a controller on consoles. It's the reverse with Half-Life 2 for me, I have the Xbox/360 ports of that and beat them all, but that game feels infinitely better on a PC. It can be case by case. But 9 times out of 10 thesedays I still use controllers even with PC games if it's natively supported. It's just more comfortable to sit back and play games to me. I guess the main point though is that I'm playing single player stuff, not a big multiplayer or competitive games player usually. If I were then yeah... I would consider mouse and keyboard for sure. No denying there's an advantage in the long run.
I played Goldeneye and Perfect Dark to death haha. Beat them in all difficulties too and unlocked secrets, etc, which definitely required you to master the C button side step running haha. I definitely can't go back now though. Thankfully Perfect Dark has a nice 360 digital port now that supports dual joysticks and it's awesome. I think the first dual joystick FPS I played was Timesplitters on the PS2 and it was so bizarre heh. The issue going back to this gen now is that they rarely let you customize the sensitivity much... it makes some games of this era for the FPS genre practically unplayable to me now. If you can boost that sensitivity up a ton then I can still be pretty good with a controller.
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