[Controllers Over The Years] [A review on New gen controllers]

[I'm a console gamer, and this is no secret. Over the years, I've used damn near every controller ever made for something that even looks like a gaming console. I've seen a lot of ugly, and a lot of beauty within the plastic casing of the devices we palm in our daily lives. I am here to review the 360, PS3 and Wii/Gamecube controllers, and discuss the finer points of each, along with the lame points, and will chose my favorite from there. Of course, I have known my favorite controller for years, but stating it right away wouldn't be any fun, now would it? And here we go. Read on, if you're of mind]

DURABILITY

[This is something that comes to mind when speaking of console controllers almost as quickly as the comfort of the controllers themselves. For durability, let's look at the Wii Remote. Compact and tight, just like most TV remotes. The Nunchuk leaves a lot to be desired though; it's light as a feather, has a terrible analog stick that can wear down easily, and you could crush the thing with one hand easily if you wanted. Durability for the Wii Remote is a 5. The Remote part is durable enough, but the Nunchuk is the weakest controller part I have ever held]

[Now, the Wii sorta sucks in Durability, but can the Gamecube, it's older counterpart, back it up and save the day? The Gamecube controller is remarkably durable. I've thrown these fuckers, swung them by the cord until they busted and even bit the analog stick bumper off. The analog stick, while resistant to wear and tear, is not completely invincible, and once it starts to show deterioration, it accelerates at an alarming rate, eventually becoming a floppy piece of crap. The B button is also very vulnerable to becoming hard as a brick, so make sure to not 'mash' this button with long taps. The B button is much stronger on the Wavebird models than the corded, as a sidenote. B button and Analog stick aside, this controller has some serious balls. I give it a 7 out of 10 for durability]

[Now for the 360 controller. Durable? Bet your ass. The plastic casing is so heavy duty it amazes me. But casing isn't everything. The buttons, while very stiff and weird, do hold up pretty well. The shoulder buttons work beautifully, and the analog sticks are pretty solid. The ABYX buttons are still a little vulnerable to sticking though. 9/10 for this bad chad]

[Ah, the PS3 controller steps up to the plate. Sturdy? Fuck yes! <3 Alright, first we have the Triangle, Circle, X and Square buttons. I wish every time I play a console game that other controllers built their buttons like Sony builds theirs. The TCXS buttons have NEVER grown hard on me. Not once. Nor have they become 'sticky.' It just hasn't happened, and I have a habit of sliding roundish objects, like lighters, across my buttons very harshly when racing Hippaul's fatass on Final Fantasy IX. I declare the TCXS buttons invincible. Seriously. However, the PS3 uses a much lighter casing than previous PlayStation controllers do, and while it makes me sad [I love having the weight of a PS2 controller press into my hands] it doesn't lower the durability, unless you wing the controller across the room. Then it's going to break. I don't have to test this to know. Also, sidenote, you make me wanna cry Sony, every time I have to buy one of your damn controllers. 55 bones is expensive you rich assholes! Ahem! Anyway, the shoulder buttons seem to be a durable as ever, and the analog sticks are amazingly resistant to wear and tear. I've only had one PS controller ever have sticky analog sticks, and that was from my VERY VIOLENT useage of them while playing Budokai 3 for my PS2. 10/10. So, the PlayStation wins this round]


[That's all for now. I will post the rest of this review later, when I am well rested and have eaten. The rounds to follow: comfort, and button design/placement]

Thanks, As always great non biased review and about the cost of the controllers for ps3 they are the same for both the other systems and now you can buy them with great games for only 4$ more.. at least on this side of the border

[Round two anyone? Today, we will focus on what is possibly the most important factor when choosing a controller; the comfort! Let's get to it]

COMFORT []round two[]


[Let's start with the Wii. Prepare to be ripped a new asshole Wii. First of all, a controller designed like a remote control is NOT very practical for reaching all of the buttons easily when positioned up and down. However, the controller is VERY comfortable and nice when used in the left and right position, but sadly most Wii games do not do this. I hate mandatory motion control, and I HATE the Nunchuk for it's strange shape and design. It is very hard to position the analog stick underneath the middle of the underside of my thumb, and the oval shape makes it difficult to keep a good grip in place. This controller design fucking sucks. 3/10, and it only gets that because of the few games that use the left and right design for the Remote piece of the controller. Fuck you Nintendo Wii, fuck you]

[So, will the Gamecube controller save it this round? The Gamecube is a much better controller, so you bet! Comfort is something I've always admired the GC controller for. The button placement, while strange upon first glance, is actually VERY comfortable. Also it one of few controllers where I actually have my fingers curved around the shoulder buttons at all times. Really great design here. However! There is a big shortcoming. The analog sticks are, in my opinion, terrible. The left analog stick has a small base and a small top, meaning less control. Sure, you can get good with this, but use a 360 controller every day for a month. Then use the PS3 controller every day for a month. The transition between them will be seamless. Then, when you've done that, pick up the Gamecube controller. There is an IMMEDIATE discomfort when using the analog stick. This is about the only way I can describe the 'small base' design and how it affects you. Then we have the right analog stick []>_>[] fuck that thing. Seriously. I appreciate the C buttons became a second analog stick, but it's unbelievably tiny. Also, let us not forget the horribly tiny, sorry ass excuse for a D-pad the GC controller has. Very tiny. Why does this matter? Try NOT hitting the D-pad diagonally. Doesn't happen very easily. Bottom line? These short comings really drag down the comfort at times, but the controller is so damn nice otherwise, that I give it the benefit of a 7/10]

[PS3 up to the plate. Comfort? Well, let's say comfort was an intelligent, funny and all around awesome girl. The PS3 would be a goddess! We have the weight of the controller mostly resting right in the handles of the controller, which makes it rest comfortably in your palms. The dual analog sticks are AMAZING. I love them. Seriously. You reach a little for them with your thumbs, sure, but you get used to it rather quickly. It's like riding a bike as well. Once you get used to the sticks, you're always used to them, no matter how many other consoles you use you'll always have a comfy return to the PS controller. The PS3 controller actually makes a few minor, yet nice modifications to the famous PS design. Besides the PS button addition, you have the modification of the analog sticks themselves. While the cushion-y pads have been drastically hardened and cheapened []T_T[] the stick bases themselves have been narrowed considerably. Normally, this would be a bad thing, but since the analog sticks have such large bulbs underneath, narrowing of the base provides enhanced control and smoothness, which Is very easily noticed. Amazing modification to an amazing controller. Also worth mentioning is the modification to the R2 and L2 buttons, which are now triggers instead of shielded buttons. This will fuck with long time Sony fans at first, but I must say after a bit of use, I think it's much better than the original design. The shoulder buttons needed a tweak. Good job Sony, even though you are just copying Nintendo and 360's pressure sensitive shoulder button design, I still love you Final verdict? 10/10]

[And now we have the 360. How could it possibly combat a 10/10 rating? Let's keep this short, considering the PS3 has already swung some hard punches. This controller gets a 9/10 for comfort. The shoulder buttons are worth mentioning as the most comfortable shoulder buttons I've ever used. The 'triggers' are fucking awesome, and it is considerably easy to apply small amounts of pressure to them, unlike the PS3 and GC's trigger designs. The ABYX buttons are a bit tacky, but still comfy enough. Analog sticks are pretty solid and easy to use, though not perfect when considering control over them with a thumb]

[Winner of round 2? The Sony PS3 controller, but not by too much. The 360 definitely gave it a run for it's money, but dammit we're talking about a controller that has largely stayed the same for a decade against a controller that's only been out a few years. Stay tuned for the final two rounds! I will try to make them shorter]

dude 360 is waaay comfier than ps3 -_-. i hurt my hands trying to curve them round its girlishly tiny features and its way to light. i get very pissed off during games and throw at high speed and force my controllers around i went through countless ps2 controllers and they felt more sturdy than the ps3 model, the amount of times i have thrown around a 360 controller and broken or even had a hint of damage on it ? none. amount of times i have hurt my hands trying to hold onto the controller? none. the only bad thing i would say about the 360 controller is this...... it is shit for fighting games. i tried playing soulcal 4 on it and it was damn near impossible. plus the fact they removed 70 percent of the combos -_- awful game seriously awful everything good about 3 they took out of 4 -_- try again namco i hear they also destroyed tekken 6 but alas i digress basically i preffar the 360 controller i think the 360 the 10 and the ps3 the 9.

I have little girly hands so XP haha, but I like the N64 controllers best I think. Very comfy after you get used to them.

The 64 is one of the worst controllers ever.

[I would have to side with MOsEs on that. When I was a kid, I loved the N64 controller, but after using newer system controllers I went back to play some 64 games, and realized how terrible it was. Also, the stick was far from durable. There are still some websites floating around that offer 15 and 30 packs of replacement joysticks for N64 controllers]

Wellllll you were asking for opinions and that is mine, I'm not trying to convince anyone else that they're good, but I like them. Maybe you shouldn't play so much and so hard with your joystick AT9? lol jk

[I do believe that was a dirty joke! Pika, you've grown lol. And I'm not ripping on your opinion, just casually discussing. We're all video gamers here, we love to discuss stuff. It's all in good fun]

Lol. Ik you're all just casually discussing, don't think I was offended or anything otherwise I wouldn't have thrown in that part about your joystick. Hehe joystick ^_^ haha

Vibration is the best gamepad feature ever.

ohhhhh "rumble paks" and their vibrationingness

So far from what I myself have witnessed... I side with Sam. 360 controllers are better than PS3. Sure, I've played games on the 360 controller for about half a year now, but I've grown up with PS and PS2... and I have played on a PS3 as well. Don't get me wrong though, I love the PS and PS2 controllers, but the 360 one is better. (even though the Xbox, not 360, controller sucked *****). The PS3 controller is just too light and small =(

And yeah, the N64 controller is wacked =P and it broke in two seconds!

While it may be lighter, I personally find the sony controller easier to use. Even the second model original/360 controller are to big for my hands.

You must have really cute hands! =D <3

>_>

[I definitely cannot talk badly of the 360 controller. It's comfortable and durable IMO, but I prefer the PS3 controller. Anyway, this review was designed to be objective. I should have said this earlier. While I am giving my preferences, I am also stating the strong and weak points for each controller, to keep it all fair]

Yeah, it was obvious from the start that you were taking sides, not just actually reviewing. But still, I like reading your reviews (and poems for that matter), and I think I've read all of the ones you've posted so far, this one is no different, even if I disagree with you :3

And I'm probably going to buy a PS3 early next year, and also be legal with it (anyone wanna play with me then, just hollar! =D), so we'll see if I'll start to like the PS3 controller. There is a chance, I'm an old PS and PS2 player afterall =)

I'll haveta go with Moses here. If I knew how to do combos in Soul Caliber or any Xbox 360 game that needed combos for example, I know that I wouldn't be able to press the buttons fast enough to complete them very easily cause they're pretty spread out. It does work well for COD though, but you don't haveta hit the buttons here as quickly as may be required for combos. So for this i like the ps2 controller better (although the spinney-windey-duel-stick-action thinggys do confuse me sometimes oftenly... especially with cameral control where you just spin them both and go weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee... ... ummm right).

Also, the middle button is very easy to press accidently in button-mashing when you are challenged to a game (usually fighting) that you have no idea to play or if you just freak out in general and causes a few seconds delay as you return to the game from a pause sooo that can be annoying if you have occasional non-experienced-super-omega-awesome-game-winning freakout moments =]

lol pika. yea its true the 360 controller wasn't made for beat em ups but then again all the combos have been removed from soul cal on 360 dont know about ps3 but it was a major disappointment for me having played the original soul edge soul cal soul cal 2 and soul cal 3 seeing the game grow and grow it was at its pinnacle in soul cal 3 then everything tht was good about the game was removed and instead you have a game thats worse than the original soul edge game 0_0 (hold on a minuet next gen you say? lets go back to the very basic bog standard fighting game which has less fighting moves than a ps1 fighting game and stick loads of shiny graphics on it but not even have ending videos for each character instead you will just have to read it...... yea that will totally work -_-) fucking idiots i swear. but alas i digress basically the 360 controller was made for everything but fighting games. but as far as silly little me knows there rant that many fighting games out there on these consoles anyway.

hmm for some reason my computer decided not to log me in when i came here so that last rant was mine sorry.

I gotta give it to the 360 controller for the triggers. Awesome invention!

Excuse me, I'm gonna have to say that the GC had is the most comfortable controller of all time!! the left and right trigger were curved to fit your fingers and the button layout couldn't have been earlier, and its a lot like the xbox controller just smaller.

meh i used the Gc a few times couldnt rely get used to it to be honest