Designing a good controller is all about genetics.
The best controllers will look at what’s worked in the past and build on it. The worst will try desperately to reinvent the wheel. That said, here are seven of the very best – and three of the very worst – controllers ever made.
We’ll just be talking about first party controllers here, so no U-Force or Wu-Tang Clan PlayStation controller in sight. Maybe another time, yeah?
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The Best Controllers Ever Made…
7. Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
Kicking off our list is the original Mega Drive controller, released with the console in 1990 in Europe (and in 1989 in North America, where it’s of course known as the SEGA Genesis).
It’s a fairly chunky beast, designed to be held on to and never let go of. But if you happen to have shovel hands it’s also remarkably comfortable. The A, B, C face buttons aren’t too bad either, being responsive if a little gluey. But couple them with a decent d-pad that accentuates diagonals and you have a solid controller for the 16-bit era. Having the word ‘TRIGGER’ around the face buttons is also oddly adorable.
Only having three face buttons might seem a bit paltry these days, but SEGA had always marketed the Mega Drive as bringing arcade titles right into your home. As a result, the controller is a deliberate attempt to mimic the JAMMA arcade standard of three buttons. It’s not just a controller, but a statement of intent.
Of course, if you must perform E. Honda’s 100 Hand Slap in Street Fighter II: Championship Edition without having to change the controller configuration first, Sega did release a redesigned six-button controller for the console in 1993.
If you have a Switch and have bought in to the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack, you can actually pick up the three-button model for use with the Mega Drive portion of the set for £39.99 direct from Nintendo’s online store.
6. NES
Released along with the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985, this is the grand-daddy of all video game controllers.
Based on the original Famicom design from 1983, the boxy, oblong re-design for the NES controller eschews ergonomic comfort in favour of function and practicality. While its squared corners can make it a touch uncomfortable with prolonged use, and we lost some Famicom features during the re-design process, this controller largely helped salvage an entire industry following the video game crash of 1983.
Although the A and B, Start and Select have become staples in their own right, it’s the d-pad where this one really shines. Designed in-house by Gunpei Yokoi for Nintendo’s earlier Game & Watch series, the d-pad became so ubiquitous in video game controllers that even today, they’re still designed to include one. And it all started here.
The NES controller has also become something of a symbol for Nintendo, having been featured on mugs, t-shirts, and coasters over the years. There was even a special edition Game Boy Advance featuring a design and colour scheme inspired by the controller.
It’s distinctive and instantly recognisable, and for our money NES games don’t really feel the same way when …….
Source: https://www.gamespew.com/2021/12/best-worst-controllers-ever-made/