10/11 Top-10 Retro Controllers

[GameGavel]

The October show is breathing with life and should be up and walking around very soon! In the meantime you can all see our top picks for best Retro Controllers. Vote for your favorite or tell us we completely missed an obvious choice! Oh, no, not the "What is Retro" Argument again

[wongojack]

I'm not sure how to vote, but I'm surprised to see the Gamecube controller on here.

Edit
Pretty convincing argument about the G'cube (and others) here:
http://www.mobygames.com/featured_ar...0/section,201/

[thedan]

I voted for the Vectrex controller because of it's simplicity, yet ability to shove "all the buttons you could ever need" onto it. I hate the Dreamcast controller because the wire comes out the bottom instead of the top, which ends up making you lose an inch or 2 of wire that has to backtrack to the console (a diagram would be helpful to demonstrate this.)

I also shot down the NES controller because obviously it wasn't good enough, since Nintendo (and third parties) kept releasing better/different styles of the controller.

[MrFrumble]

What a strange list, really all over the place. Given the choices, I had to vote for the NES controller.

My favorite controllers of all time are the Genesis 6-button and the Saturn (US Model 2 or JP) controller. They both have excellent d-pads and 6 buttons on the face. Perfect for 2d fighting games.

[TV's Mr. Neil]

My favorite controllers of all time are the Genesis 6-button and the Saturn (US Model 2 or JP) controller. They both have excellent d-pads and 6 buttons on the face. Perfect for 2d fighting games.

Seconded! I loved that Saturn controller. It was just like the Genesis six-button pad, but it had shoulder buttons.

Kind of surprised not to see the SNES pad, either. And for that matter, the Hori Digital Pad on Gamecube was AWESOME, because it was molded to resemble the SNES pad. Great controller to have if you have the Gameboy Player.

But overall, my favorite retro controller is... The ASCII Grip controller for SNES, Saturn, PS1, and PS2. It's a one-handed controller that works great for RPGs, puzzle games, point-and-click adventures, and even the occasional retro arcade title.

[itsreallykevin]

I chose the Playstation Dual shock controller, it's the only one in the listing which is currently used in modern gaming. The ergonomics, and response from this controller I believe blew gaming controllers of the time out of the water. The placement of the analog sticks is a natural location! I still use mine on my PC, I have a USB adapter to accept this controller interface. If you haven't noticed subsequent controllers across all consoles followed a similar design - that's gotta say something about the design for its time!

[GameGavel]

All who make a post in this thread discussing your favorite controllers will be entered into a drawing for a classic controller prize package!

Get your posts in by Sunday, October 16th - Midnight Pacific Time to be eligible!

If you have yet to regsiter in our forums, now would be a good time to do that and make your first post.

[retrogamefest]

What about keyboard & mouse or do they not count? I went for the Dreamcast controller with the Dual Shock as a very close second.

[RedWolfJC]

Had to go for the classic 2600 controller, only because being the first game system I ever had, I got used to the fire button being on the left of the stick. It took soooooo long for me to get used to having the directional control on the left and buttons on the right when the NES came out.
I love the 360 controller though, but I suppose that doesn't count.

How about a worst controllers top (or bottom) 10

[Burgertime]

The NES controller is just a classic, I'm used to the PS1/2/3 controllers, but oh man is the Gamecube controller comfortable to me.
Going to have to go with the NES controller. It's simple like the Atari joystick, but with the added buttons it takes the simplicity and adds more versatility.