My list may deviate from yours since this is my personal list, but here you go. These are my favorite controllers that I've gotten to play with.
5) Gamecube Controller
I normally dislike inverted analog sticks, but the Gamecube controller certainly gets a pass for that. Now if only the c-stick wasn't so small...
4) Sony Dualshock Controllers
I've dealt with a fair share of people that often crap on the controller for being small/"flimsy" (not how to use that word correctly), bad analog sticks, and having "the worst analog triggers ever." I, however, disagree. The triggers are angled strangely, but they're not "bad," so to speak. And the analog sticks are FAR better than the X360 controllers- more reliable, far grippier (the convex design compliments this), and don't wear down quickly. None of that can be said about the Xbox controllers' analog sticks (bar the XBOne). My personal issues lie in the d-pad, which is fine but I personally don't like, and the fact that the square button is right next to the fucking start button. Other than that, the buttons give a great press and the sticks are quite nice.
I'd have the Dualshock 4 controllers up here as well, but the analog sticks absolutely kill it for me. Holy shit, the DS4 analog sticks are fucking horrible. If you can, buy grips for it. And before you say it, if I had grips for it, I'd include it, but I don't, therefore I didn't. Simple.
3) Wii U Gamepad
There's only two things I have to give the Gamepad a thumbs-down for- its analog sticks and size. Yes, I know there's a big ass screen in the middle of the controller, so I understand why it's that big. However, it's still a big ass controller. It has weight to it and isn't cheaply made, but it's still big as hell. Quite clunky. Also, the sticks are hella slippery. If I play with the Gamepad for a while and my hands start to sweat, I will continue to slip off of the sticks. Even before that, if I hold the sticks in a direction for a while and/or quickly change direction, I'll slip off of them.
However, that's where my complaints stop. The buttons give a great press, the d-pad is Nintendo's standard, and the shoulder buttons are nice as well. Analog triggers would be nice, but I won't hate on the controller for what it doesn't have. Also, its bulkiness is deceptive; it's very easy (and comfortable) to hold. The back mold gives it a surface that's easy to grip, and that weird plastic bar underneath the triggers allows the controller to easily rest on my fingers.
I must point out something here. Something that would normally plague every modern controller in existance. Something that has annoyed me to no end recently, but Nintendo got it right.
The pause button is not next to other buttons. *80s slow clap* *transition into standing ovation*
2) Wiimotion+ Wiimote/Nyko Kama Nunchuck
I'm a Wii hater-turned-lover, and the crow is delicious.
I have the same blue Wiimote+ and Nyko Kama you're looking at (minus the two dots that are near the analog stick). The Nunchuck, to me, is way too small. Enter Nyko's Kama Nunchuck, which
rectified that issue for me. It has a larger area, so the Nunchuck's
easier to grip, and it has extra plastic on the bottom of the Z button,
so I was less likely to miss/slip off the Z button. It's also better
shaped imo.
My main problems with the Wiimote involve the button placement. Nintendo, would it hurt to have what would've been the face buttons next to each other and just put the trigger (where the B button is) as a separate button? The A button's placement forces me to spread my thumb over the empty space between it and the right side of the d-pad, which I don't like doing. Basically, I hate how spread-out the buttons are on the Wiimote. Also, waggle controls. No. There should be no instance where "waggling" should replace a button for any input.
With all of that said, the motion controls do work perfectly with this revision of the Wiimote. There's next to no input lag when pointing at the screen, and the Wiimote+ is very precise. In fact, it's much more precise than I recall the older controllers being. Also, something I must give Nintendo credit for is making whatever the start button is programmed to be (usually +, but sometimes 1 or 2) is far away from any other useful buttons. Another modern controller with the start button NOT being near other buttons?! *gasp* It's a Christmas fucking miracle!!!!!
When playing a game that's more laid-back and doesn't require pointing at the TV or motion (such as Xenoblade Chronicles), I find that I'm MUCH more comfortable than I would be playing something like Skyrim on the PS3 (which I do not recommend; get it on PC). This is a major selling point for the controller imo; it allows me to get in a more comfortable posture than I would be with any other controller. It surprised me how comfortable I was playing with it.
Besides that, the controller itself is not cheaply designed or built at all. ALL of the buttons give a good press, both the stock Nunchuck and Kama's analog sticks are very grippy and have decent surface area, the d-pad is definitely Nintendo's standard, and it works as advertised.
1) SEGA Genesis Six-Button Controller
I know what you're thinkin', and I'm gonna have to ask you to stop thinkin' it. No, this isn't my fave out of nostalgia. Hell, nostalgia played no part in this OP outside of ranking the controllers that I MYSELF have played with.
If the Wiimote+/Kama Nunchuck didn't have so many damned trade-offs, it'd probably be my favorite controller ever. Alas, it does. If the Wii U Gamepad's sticks were better, I would've considered having it at the top of the list. Alas, it does. Hell, if I had any of the good 3rd party Dualshock controllers, those would probably be near the top of the list. Alas, I never did.
I cannot find a single complaint about the SEGA Genesis 6-button controller. You might be wondering, "But, Boi, the pause button's right next to the X button, as well as next to the d-pad." Well, you're not wrong. However, the controller's design gives it a pass. See the bowls where the d-pad and face buttons rest? It's not easy to accidentally press the pause button while playing because of that. Plus, if I need to move my thumb quickly from the C or Z buttons to the A or X buttons, I won't completely miss either one of them and have my thumb spread enough to press the start button inadvertently.
The d-pad is awesome. I've heard many an Xbox fanboy compare it to the X360 d-pad, during which I wanted to go all Underworld on them. Both are a FAR CRY from each other. I can't even use the X360 d-pad for fighting games, much less platformers. The Genesis d-pad is perfect for both. Now, I never had the 3-button controller, but by the sounds of things from the internet, I didn't miss out on much.
It's comfortable, easy to hold, has great buttons, and an excellent d-pad. Greatness in simplicity. Love it.
====================================================
Honorable mentions:
SNES Controller
My biggest complaints about the controller involve how mushy the buttons are. I did open one of the SNES controllers laying around and I saw that the buttons are the cheap silicone domes that work as contact points. Even the shoulder buttons are (they masquerade as "hat switches" when configuring the input on computer software). However, they're comfortable and Nintendo's d-pads are always nice.
SEGA Saturn Model 2 Controller:
If I actually had a SEGA Saturn, this would take the #1 spot hands-down. It's everything I love about the Genesis controller, but somehow better. Better profile, better buttons, better d-pad, and better placement of the start button. Also, it even looks better! The 15 min I spent with this controller the other day gave me a very good impression of what it was all about.
What about your favorite controllers?
5) Gamecube Controller
I normally dislike inverted analog sticks, but the Gamecube controller certainly gets a pass for that. Now if only the c-stick wasn't so small...
4) Sony Dualshock Controllers
I've dealt with a fair share of people that often crap on the controller for being small/"flimsy" (not how to use that word correctly), bad analog sticks, and having "the worst analog triggers ever." I, however, disagree. The triggers are angled strangely, but they're not "bad," so to speak. And the analog sticks are FAR better than the X360 controllers- more reliable, far grippier (the convex design compliments this), and don't wear down quickly. None of that can be said about the Xbox controllers' analog sticks (bar the XBOne). My personal issues lie in the d-pad, which is fine but I personally don't like, and the fact that the square button is right next to the fucking start button. Other than that, the buttons give a great press and the sticks are quite nice.
I'd have the Dualshock 4 controllers up here as well, but the analog sticks absolutely kill it for me. Holy shit, the DS4 analog sticks are fucking horrible. If you can, buy grips for it. And before you say it, if I had grips for it, I'd include it, but I don't, therefore I didn't. Simple.
3) Wii U Gamepad
There's only two things I have to give the Gamepad a thumbs-down for- its analog sticks and size. Yes, I know there's a big ass screen in the middle of the controller, so I understand why it's that big. However, it's still a big ass controller. It has weight to it and isn't cheaply made, but it's still big as hell. Quite clunky. Also, the sticks are hella slippery. If I play with the Gamepad for a while and my hands start to sweat, I will continue to slip off of the sticks. Even before that, if I hold the sticks in a direction for a while and/or quickly change direction, I'll slip off of them.
However, that's where my complaints stop. The buttons give a great press, the d-pad is Nintendo's standard, and the shoulder buttons are nice as well. Analog triggers would be nice, but I won't hate on the controller for what it doesn't have. Also, its bulkiness is deceptive; it's very easy (and comfortable) to hold. The back mold gives it a surface that's easy to grip, and that weird plastic bar underneath the triggers allows the controller to easily rest on my fingers.
I must point out something here. Something that would normally plague every modern controller in existance. Something that has annoyed me to no end recently, but Nintendo got it right.
The pause button is not next to other buttons. *80s slow clap* *transition into standing ovation*
2) Wiimotion+ Wiimote/Nyko Kama Nunchuck
I'm a Wii hater-turned-lover, and the crow is delicious.
I have the same blue Wiimote+ and Nyko Kama you're looking at (minus the two dots that are near the analog stick). The Nunchuck, to me, is way too small. Enter Nyko's Kama Nunchuck, which
rectified that issue for me. It has a larger area, so the Nunchuck's
easier to grip, and it has extra plastic on the bottom of the Z button,
so I was less likely to miss/slip off the Z button. It's also better
shaped imo.
My main problems with the Wiimote involve the button placement. Nintendo, would it hurt to have what would've been the face buttons next to each other and just put the trigger (where the B button is) as a separate button? The A button's placement forces me to spread my thumb over the empty space between it and the right side of the d-pad, which I don't like doing. Basically, I hate how spread-out the buttons are on the Wiimote. Also, waggle controls. No. There should be no instance where "waggling" should replace a button for any input.
With all of that said, the motion controls do work perfectly with this revision of the Wiimote. There's next to no input lag when pointing at the screen, and the Wiimote+ is very precise. In fact, it's much more precise than I recall the older controllers being. Also, something I must give Nintendo credit for is making whatever the start button is programmed to be (usually +, but sometimes 1 or 2) is far away from any other useful buttons. Another modern controller with the start button NOT being near other buttons?! *gasp* It's a Christmas fucking miracle!!!!!
When playing a game that's more laid-back and doesn't require pointing at the TV or motion (such as Xenoblade Chronicles), I find that I'm MUCH more comfortable than I would be playing something like Skyrim on the PS3 (which I do not recommend; get it on PC). This is a major selling point for the controller imo; it allows me to get in a more comfortable posture than I would be with any other controller. It surprised me how comfortable I was playing with it.
Besides that, the controller itself is not cheaply designed or built at all. ALL of the buttons give a good press, both the stock Nunchuck and Kama's analog sticks are very grippy and have decent surface area, the d-pad is definitely Nintendo's standard, and it works as advertised.
1) SEGA Genesis Six-Button Controller
I know what you're thinkin', and I'm gonna have to ask you to stop thinkin' it. No, this isn't my fave out of nostalgia. Hell, nostalgia played no part in this OP outside of ranking the controllers that I MYSELF have played with.
If the Wiimote+/Kama Nunchuck didn't have so many damned trade-offs, it'd probably be my favorite controller ever. Alas, it does. If the Wii U Gamepad's sticks were better, I would've considered having it at the top of the list. Alas, it does. Hell, if I had any of the good 3rd party Dualshock controllers, those would probably be near the top of the list. Alas, I never did.
I cannot find a single complaint about the SEGA Genesis 6-button controller. You might be wondering, "But, Boi, the pause button's right next to the X button, as well as next to the d-pad." Well, you're not wrong. However, the controller's design gives it a pass. See the bowls where the d-pad and face buttons rest? It's not easy to accidentally press the pause button while playing because of that. Plus, if I need to move my thumb quickly from the C or Z buttons to the A or X buttons, I won't completely miss either one of them and have my thumb spread enough to press the start button inadvertently.
The d-pad is awesome. I've heard many an Xbox fanboy compare it to the X360 d-pad, during which I wanted to go all Underworld on them. Both are a FAR CRY from each other. I can't even use the X360 d-pad for fighting games, much less platformers. The Genesis d-pad is perfect for both. Now, I never had the 3-button controller, but by the sounds of things from the internet, I didn't miss out on much.
It's comfortable, easy to hold, has great buttons, and an excellent d-pad. Greatness in simplicity. Love it.
====================================================
Honorable mentions:
SNES Controller
My biggest complaints about the controller involve how mushy the buttons are. I did open one of the SNES controllers laying around and I saw that the buttons are the cheap silicone domes that work as contact points. Even the shoulder buttons are (they masquerade as "hat switches" when configuring the input on computer software). However, they're comfortable and Nintendo's d-pads are always nice.
SEGA Saturn Model 2 Controller:
If I actually had a SEGA Saturn, this would take the #1 spot hands-down. It's everything I love about the Genesis controller, but somehow better. Better profile, better buttons, better d-pad, and better placement of the start button. Also, it even looks better! The 15 min I spent with this controller the other day gave me a very good impression of what it was all about.
What about your favorite controllers?