Control yourself!

Controllers are obviously been the most important part of a console. Without one you wouldn't be able to interact with the console. So I'm here to summarize my favourite controllers that I have used over the last 13 or so years.

Megadrive was a great console with a relatively simple controller. The earlier versions only had A B and C which meant it was incredibly accessible with no complications arising. It didn't feature any shoulder buttons in the earlier or later versions, the later version only featured three more buttons in order to help with fighting games (Weak, Medium and Strong attacks)

Playstation had a pretty odd control design for the time and the original version was very similar to the SNES controller as it had directional buttons and 4 face buttons. It also had 4 shoulder buttons allowing games more buttons to use up. After the N64 was released, they added two analogue sticks which were pretty weird feeling and big. Overall a comfortable controller and great for lots of games. The later version had rumble built in as well.

N64 was in my opinion, the best console ever and the controller was as well great. It was the first controller to have an analogue stick and it was perfect for shoot-em-ups as the Z trigger felt like a gun trigger. The only problem was you had to have some weird or at least massive hands in order to reach both the face buttons, analogue stick and D-Pad, which meant game developers often left one or the other alone or gave them little use. The c-buttons also gave developers a lot of options as they meant more buttons. It also had a port on the back of it to allow rumble packs and memory cards

Dreamcast and N64 controllers were very similar in my opinion. They had odd shapes and yet were very comfortable. The Dreamcast had 4 face buttons, an analogue stick, 2 shoulder buttons and the normal d-pad. What was really unique about the controller was it had external port at the top of it, like the N64 controller, but it had two slots for either a VMU and/or Rumble pack. It also had a small groove type thing in near the VMU port so you could hold the wire there and save the wire wrapping around your hand or getting in the way.

X-Box was a hooooooooooooooge console and the controllers were no different. But apart from being big they were laid out well and were fine to use on the earlier games. The later controllers (S-Type or something) were a lot better and comfier as well as the black and white buttons being easier to use and reach. The only problem I found with the controller was really the D-Pad was bad for fighters, I think it's because it was only a 4-way D-Pad instead of the conventional 8-way.

The Gamecube had a very very very comfy controller that was incredibly similar to the N64 one. Yet again it was an odd yet satisfying shape. The shoulder buttons were the most comfy and easy to use on a controller and the while the layout was odd, the buttons were also very springy and nice. The C-Stick was, in my opinion, the problem. It just felt weird compared to the c-buttons of the N64 and felt chunky and impractical.

I can't really say much about the PS2 controller as it was the same as the dual-shock from the PS1. Very comfy with an OK D-Pad and works well for lots of genre of games.

The X-Box 360 controller doesn't look too different to the S-Type Xbox controller but it certainly is. The analogues feel much better, the black and white buttons are gone and replaced with another two shoulder buttons making it similar to the PS2 controller and best of all, it's wireless.

Nintendo are the king of controllers and it's no different with the Wii. Since the Wii is all about the controller it is important that it was great. It is. It's wireless, motion sensing and is quite frankly odd. It's a remote control for god sake. But it's brilliant. The button placement while odd works whichever way you hold it and while we are still yet to see the true potential of the Wii, the games have used it well so far. It links up with an analogue "nunchuk" which is very comfy and has a Z button well placed on the back of it like the N64. It also connects to a classic controller if you wish and that's very similar to the Gamecube. It's an awesome controller only beaten, in my opinion, by the N64's truly awesome controller.