[Multiplatform] Nintendo 64 controller versus psx dualshock

It's a bit of both, really. N64 controller was generally excellent, my only complaint was the loose dpad which was far bigger than on the SNES (and then they proceeded to shrink it to ridiculously small sizes from there on). Button placement was excellent and the best games designed for the system made great use of the layout. Sure, it probably sucked for Mortal Kombat, but if you're a dullard who wants to play Mortal Kombat on the N64, you're.. a dullard. It's still the best analogue stick on any controller. My stick never became loose (still using the first controller I had years ago), I've no idea how badly you people abuse your controllers.

The PS1 controller, or dual shock generations altogether. They have the best dpad of the past few consoles, even though by any other standard the dpad is pretty bad. Yet the other dpads on offer are even worse. GC dpad had the best shape, but small size combined with awful placement made it largely unusable for long periods of time.

Dual Shock's layout was a direct ripoff of the SNES pad, indicative of just how awesome that controller still is. You had two sticks instead of one and no one really had a clue what to do with the other one. These days outside the FPS they still don't seem to, but luckily most third person games have eased us into the need to directly control the camera.

I just wish they'd make proper use of the analogue sticks. Nearly every third person game, even today, only has run, walk and stop as speeds, instead of proper analogue movement like in Mario 64 or Halo. Most of the time the deadzone for stop is far, far too big and the zone for walk around it is really tiny (see Tenchu Kurenai). Manhunt was one of the few PS2 games to make great use of analogue movement.

I'm probably one of the few who thought the Dreamcast's controller was and is an awfully uncomfortable piece of design, even though the analogue stick is good and it gave us triggers. The dpad is a good shape but it protrudes from the controller far too much making it painful to use.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

By DS he meant Dual Shock. But the N64 dpad is still slightly bigger.

As for the pad layout and holding dpad + analogue stick, it was intended to be used by flight simulators and such, but they didn't really make any. Bangai-O was played like that, which was made all the more clear in the DC version (though still playable).

As for the whole playing N64 games on the Dual Shock, that'd feel as uncomfortable as playing SNES games on a keyboard for me. A lot of emulator dudes are fine with it, but it reeks of compromise and it makes me retch. The best games make the best of their hardware and design their controls around the controller. This is why Goldeneye and Ocarina of Time and halol and Viewtiful Joe are so thoroughly excellent. They were built around the interface and work so well.

Sure, you can play Ocarina of Time on a GC pad, and probably on a PS1 pad, just like you can play PC FPS games on a console controller. But it's a compromised solution, a flawed experience. Ocarina playing on the GC pad felt terribly awkward and compromised. Making it an annoying chore to get over with, instead of the natural feeling instrument playing it was in the original.

Same way with most console FPS games. They just lazily dump PC keyboard + mouse controls on the two sticks of a control pad and to a degree it works. You can play it. But it doesn't mean it doesn't still feel horribly awkward, disorienting and floaty most of the time.

This is what I was aiming at with the Mortal Kombat comment, Spark. I didn't mean MK specifically, I meant wanting to play a game not designed, nor suitable for the controller and therefore the hardware.

There's nowhere I can't reach.