The most important thing any gamer can hold in his/her hands is, of course, a controller. Here’s what I think are the five best controllers in video game history.
People say Nintendo’s newest controller is too gimmicky. To clunky. But I think it’s an amazing feature for a home console. The touch screen. The ability for off-screen play. The button layout. I think it’s a great addition to console gaming. I hope Nintendo don’t scrap the idea on account of the console’s poor sales. The only feature I think the controller is missing is analogue triggers
Sony got it right the first time with the PlayStation One controller. Using the classic button layout of the SNES but adding two extra shoulder buttons in order to help players navigate 3D environments. With the Analogue version of the controller, they added two thumb-sticks in the middle. This is an awkward place to stretch your thumbs too. But most people like it and Sony stuck with the layout for 4 consoles. While they have added new features the controller has not changed that much since 1994.
3. Keyboard & Mouse
2. GameCube
The Nintendo GameCube controller is not without its flaws; springy shoulder buttons and a nubby thumb-stick. But the button layout is ingenious. Most console controllers have four buttons under the right thumb, all of equal size. But with most video games there’s generally one primary button, one secondary button and the other two are used for tasks like reloading or melee attacks. With the Nintendo designed the GameCube controller with this in mind. I really hope the NX controller utilises this layout.
1. Xbox 360