Name your top 3 video game controllers of all time!

Gaming Retro
#1

This could be easy for some and more challenging for others, but let’s give it a go!

  1. Xbox 360
    Definitely the console I’ve played the most in my life. The OG Xbox crystal gone me really started, but the 360 really kicked me into overdrive. So comfortable and felt perfectly balanced. A classic.

  2. Wii
    The Wii was awesome I don’t care what anyone says. If your controller makes you play a guitar for Guitar hero or physically bowl, then it’s a winner. It’s just so different.

  3. Nintendo 64
    Not the easiest to use perhaps but man, does that thing look awesome. Makes you really feel like you’re about to play a GAME. It also has huge nostalgia factor (I used to watch my cousin play theirs for hours, wishing I could get a go)

2 Likes
#2

  1. The Xbox One controller is my favorite controller. It sits comfortably in my hands for hours of play, the buttons are in easy to reach places and my dream is to own the pro version of the controller as I prefer bumpers to buttons.

  2. I honestly miss the Game Cube controller. I used to play Smash Bros all the time and I preferred the Game Cube controller to the Switch Joycons or Pro controllers. I liked the hand placement better and I felt like I tended to win more, but that might have just been in my head. :joy:

  3. I honestly would play with nothing but the Xbox controller if I had the choice. In third place, I’d probably mention the PlayStation controller. I haven’t played PlayStation since the PS3, so I can’t comment on the new controllers. Honestly, they are controllers that just work. They don’t feel amazing, but they tend to mirror the Xbox button format so there’s little confusion when switching between two consoles.

#3

  1. The Playstation DualShock for any of their systems. It’s a testament to the adage, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” I love that I can shift between my PS4 back to my PS2, and the controller will be fundamentally the same. Putting the analog stick parallel to the control stick is a tad odd, but it becomes second nature only after a short while. The only problem is transitioning to another controller after using the Dualshock for too long.

  2. Gamecube controller. The thing is simple, comfortable, and has so much character. The L+R triggers feel the smoothest out of any controller that has them, and it’s a shame that the system didn’t have an extensive library of shooters. In saying that, it’s no surprise that the few shooters on the system were some of its best games.

  3. SNES controller. The NES and SNES controllers harken back to when video game controllers were as durable as copper iron. You could fling the controller (even though it doesn’t come recommended) across the room a thousand times, and it would still work like a charm. You could probably run it over with a car, and it would brush off the weight like it was nothing. The SNES controller edges out over its predecessor because it has more buttons.

#4

I haven’t had a console ever so I haven’t used Xbox controllers or PS controllers, unfortunately. I always use generic controllers to play games like Elden Ring or Dark Souls. My current one is a Fantech Revolver GP12. It’s not much but it works.

#6 
  1.   Xbox 360

I know this one has been updated with the Xbox One and now the Xbox Series X, but when the 360 controller came out for the first time, it blew my mind. The colours, the shape, the offset analogue sticks… nothing could touch it.

  1.   Nintendo Switch

This is probably going to get me some hate but hear me out! I know about Joycon drift and I know it’s not the most comfortable to play with. Apart from this, I think the Nintendo Joycons are amazing. The fact they were able to fit all the motion sensors, rumble technology, etc into that tiny form-factor completely amazes me. I’ll never forget my first time taking my Nintendo Switch travelling and being able to go from playing Breath of the Wild single player, to detaching the Joycons from the Switch and playing MarioKart on the plane with my buddy. Magic.

  1.   SNES

Ok, this might be purely for notalgia reasons but I don’t care. The squishy colorful buttons, the simple, clean layout, and the fact that these could survive a nuclear winter, all contribute to what makes the SNES controller so special.

#7

You guys may not agree, but here are my picks!

Sega Dreamcast

It just looks like a cool video game controller. Functionally, it’s an improvement over the Sega Saturn controller (the one with the analog stick) but much less functional than PlayStation. I’m naming it just for the unique design.

PlayStation DualShock

The PlayStation DualShock was considered the standard video game controller for quite a few number of years - longer than any other controller on here. It lasted until Sony mixed (ahem, messed) the design up with PlayStation 4.

NES

Although many prefer the SNES controller due to its increased number of buttons, the NES is just plain iconic. Anyone who grew up in the '80s or '90s will instantly get nostalgia just looking at that controller. It’s an example of simplicity at its finest.