Best Video Game Controllers

This is a list of my top 5 video game controllers of all time. I will be basing my choices on how I would perceive them at the time. This sounds kind of confusing, but I'll explain when it applies.

#5. NES Controller
The main reason for this controller being so amazing was the departure from the giant joysticks. This is what I mean by "perceive them at the time". The D-Pad was such a great improvement and made things incredibly simple. Instead of using your whole right hand to use a wooden stick with a plastic ball on the end, all you needed was your thumb. This is one of the things that made the NES way more accesible. The thing that holds this controller from greatness is the sturdyness of the buttons, if sturdyness is the right word. The buttons were a little weird to push.

#4. PS2 (Dual Shock 2) Controller
This is a great layout for games that require a lot of buttons. In the sixth generation of home consoles, there were three consoles: GameCube, PS2, and Xbox. If all the controllers were people, the GameCube and Xbox controllers would be normal weight, and the Xbox controller would be the Fat Albert of the bunch. Anyway, I am not impressed if there are a lot of buttons on a controller. However, the PS2 controller makes it all work. It's also the most durable controller other than Fat Albert. Now, my hands are rather tiny, and this controller makes it too difficult to do two things. First, it's too hard to reach and use the two analog sticks with ease. Second, your four main buttons are arranged in such a way that there isn't really an "all-purpose" button. I know that the X Button is the "all-purpose button", but it's not in a comfortable-enough position to be that.

#3. Sega Genesis 6-Button Controller
The NES's direct competitor the Sega Genesis went the same direction as Nintendo with the D-Pad. However, Sega makes the buttons on this controller so easy to press and so accessible that it beats the NES controller out of the water.

#2. Nintendo 64 Controller
The best controller for a first person shooter ever. This controller poignantly gives you the feeling that you are holding an actual gun. This is one of the reasons why shooters like Goldeneye 007 and Perfect Dark are the most critically acclaimed shooters of all time. The Z-Button (the first trigger on a main controller) is also the button used for Z-Targeting in The Legend of Zelda games and many games that force you to adjust the camera (Super Mario 64). The only thing that separates this controller from the top spot is that the controller is just a hair too big to reach the shoulder buttons. Now, there is a bit of negativity about the accesibility of the D-Pad. While this controller would be designed for "3-handed people", there really is never a need for the control pad when you are using the thumbstick and there really is never a need for the thumbstick when you are using the control pad.

#1. GameCube Controller
The two most important things to look for in a controller are functionality and accessibility. Now, most controllers are functional, so the great controllers are the ones that are also accessible. The GameCube controller is the single-most comfortable controller to use. The thumbsticks are amazing and the A, B, X, and Y buttons are more comfortable to use than the PS2 controller. You'll find that if you play a multiplatform game like Mortal Kombat on both these games, they use the same buttons. The key difference between A, B, X, and Y on the Gamecube and the four buttons on the PS2 is that on the Gamecube all you have to do is rotate your thumb to the correct position for the button. For the PS2, you have to physically move your finger to the right button, which takes more time and energy. The only miniscule gripe about this controller is the size of the D-Pad, although you rarely use it anyway.

Worst Controllers
Xbox, Dreamcast (Fatter Albert), Jaguar, Intellivision