Poll of the Day > Best Nintendo Controller?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Topic

I quite like the Switch Pro controller, but the GC button layout deserves special recognition, as does how comfortable it is to be able to hold my arms however I want with Wiichucks and separated Joycons (this is also handy for accessibility reasons). The WiiU Gamepad also has significant merits, though that's more for the extra functionality of the second screen. As a controller, it's not the greatest.

The GameCube controller was something special

GameCube Wavebird

Wii U GamePad, most underrated controller in all of gaming

I am beholden to the SNES. I just really like the layout. I use one of those 8bitdo ones with the added newer buttons for nearly everything anymore

G Other

Virtual Boy

NES, SNES, and the Pro Controller are about the only controllers they've ever had that I consider worthwhile at all.

I still say the GameCube controller is terrible, and the N64 controller is the worst controller ever made. I hate the Wiimote, not just for what it is, but for what it represents and what it encouraged in the industry (and the Joycons are basically just the next evolution of that). And the WiiU sort of incorporates a lot of that (motion controls), as well as an entirely new sack of bad (tablet and touch-screen tech).

Honorable mention goes to the NES Max and NES Advantage - neither were perfect, but the Max was an interesting variation on the NES controller while the Advantage was a fairly effective attempt to duplicate arcade-style controls at home. Dishonorable mention goes to things like the Power Glove.

(I'll ignore stuff like the Light Zapper and ROB because those are more specialty controllers.)

Ironically, in spite of the Virtual Boy being one of the worst things they've ever made as a company, the controller for it was actually pretty good in terms of design. If Nintendo had kept going down that road instead of going the N64 route, it might have become the core of baseline controller design, rather than it sort of defaulting to the PS/Xbox style.

Switch Pro Controller, with GameCube being a close second.

The Switch Pro wins because the D-pad and second analog stick are actually a proper size, plus the extra buttons. The biggest downside though is the Switch Pro D-pad has very poor diagonals and frequently misreads those inputs. The SNES controller is still the best for 2D games, although the Wii Pro controller could be a solid contender too (just a shame it has to be attached to a Wii remote to work).

Snes. I was gonna say it was the last controller they made that was good with third party games, but it sucked with fighting games having triggers.
otherwise though, that controller was near perfect and pretty "ordinary" for that generation.
Nintendo controllers are good for Nintendo games, but you get beyond that and some are not that great. Modern controllers have drift and that automatically makes them suck.

I might have to say the Gamecube with caveat; it's perfect for some stuff and mediocre at other stuff.

I can't even play Smash Bros. without one though; it's too foreign to me... but I'd never play a platformer with it.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/f/ff31bc35.jpg

Gamecube, although i've never used any after the wii.

Gamecube and then snes. Default switch controller is pretty not great. I don't even have large hands but i feel like it's too small for my hands

Switch Pro controller easily.

Second would probably be SNES I guess.

Dead last would be the Wii Mote.

Lokarin posted...

I might have to say the Gamecube with caveat; it's perfect for some stuff and mediocre at other stuff.

I can't even play Smash Bros. without one though; it's too foreign to me... but I'd never play a platformer with it.

The cube controller is amazing for some games, and trash for others. It's beautiful for Smash, I recall really liking it for RE4 as well. It was pretty sub optimal for a lot of genre staples though.

Nintendo 64.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/9/98d68adb.jpg

peak design

Questionmarktarius posted...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/f/ff31bc35.jpg

+1

Anyone who picks "Gamecube" is on crack.

It's my least favorite controller of all time, I absolutely hated the way it felt in my hands and overall design looked like an engineer's fever dream.

I love the Gamecube controller as much as the next guy and it feels amazing when it's an official Nintendo Controller (the 3rd party ones never feel as good) and the game is designed for it (The Wind Waker, Mario Sunshine, etc.). However, there's a fair amount of games where it's an active detriment. Soul Calibur 2 is my personal example, with the button layout making it hard to execute your moves and combos efficiently. I'm told Tony Hawk's Pro Skater was another series where the control wasn't ideal. There are other examples of this being the case.

It's a great controller, but there is a reason that the Diamond formation of the buttons became the standard. I'm going with the Pro controller. Feels amazing in the hands and I love the Gyro controls built into it. My only wish is that it were a bit heavier and (maybe this will be controversial) but for Nintendo to switch the places of X and Y and A and B because they're in the wrong spots! >_<

The only real deficiency of the GC layout is that B+X and B+Y are hard to hit simultaneously, as are any 3-button combos that use B. In practice, though, opposing pairs are also awkward to hit with a diamond layout (though not as awkward as B+X/Y on the GC) and most games will try to avoid that anyway (which can translate easily to the GC controller), so that really just leaves trios as the problem (and that's really niche).

adjl posted...

The only real deficiency of the GC layout is that B+X and B+Y are hard to hit simultaneously, as are any 3-button combos that use B. In practice, though, opposing pairs are also awkward to hit with a diamond layout (though not as awkward as B+X/Y on the GC) and most games will try to avoid that anyway (which can translate easily to the GC controller), so that really just leaves trios as the problem (and that's really niche).

I know some people were able to get used to it. Having put over a hundred hours into the PS2 version, it was difficult to adjust to playing the Gamecube version when I had a chance.

I do stand by that the Nintendo Switch Pro controller is their best. Besides the better button layout, it actually has a usable D-Pad as well.

Switch pro controller feels the best, but I will say the wiiu pro controller also feels great, and has crazy long battery life.

Switch joy cons are great to use when relaxing since you can put your arms anywhere when they are separated.

The GameCube controller .. feels like an extension of your body..

I have massive hands and it fits snuggly

I like the rankings right now:

1. Switch Pro Controller
2. SNES Controller
3. Gamecube Controller

Switch Pro Controller, hands down.

I don't have any nostalgia for the GC controller so the layout just felt bizarre to me when I used it the first time. Never tried a SNES one.

Switch 2 Pro Controller, the sticks are the best.

I really liked the Wii Remote with Nunchuk. It was just so much more flexible than other controllers.
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/6/633d5ffa.jpg
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/7/732bef3e.jpg

Wii U pro. Amazing battery life.
Predictably, it's not an option on here

Switch Pro Controller for sure.

captpackrat posted...

I really liked the Wii Remote with Nunchuk. It was just so much more flexible than other controllers.

Objectively, wiichucks were a really limiting controller because it was difficult to translate multiplat games' controls onto them (particularly lacking a second analog), but they really were quite comfortable, both to hold and because your hands could go almost anywhere. Joycons capture the "hands anywhere" thing even better and don't give up any functionality compared to a traditional controller, but aren't nearly as comfortable.

I really like the Wii U Pro. The Switch Pro is pretty nice too, I just wish the dpad didn't suck so bad.

SNES +NES have the best controllers. With the Wii third.

Yeah I went with the SNES but I think it's between Switch Pro Vs. SNES. I probably should have gone with the Switch Pro, but also think how much just about every controller now has pretty much taken what made the SNES so great.

Stuff like N64, GC and Wii controllers tried to do something different. But the format that was starting with the SNES pretty much perfected a console controller for all types of games.

It's true that in some games however like Smash Bros or even Zelda games I think the gamecube was best.