It does n’t matter if you ’re playing thebest plot of all - timeor one of the big if you ’re take a frightening controller . These are our gateway into the reality of gaming , and calculate on how they are plan can totally commute how we look at a console . Thebest NES gameswouldn’t have taken off if it were n’t for its controller , and we ’ve only been iterate on them since then . Graphics are important , but thebest console of all - timewouldn’t have succeeded without a with child controller . Let ’s go back through the ages and pick out the best controllers we ’ve ever held .

Atari 2600

We have to hand it to Atari for keeping it simple-minded but functional ahead of time on . A lot of vie consoles around now prove to get crazy with controllers , adding things like number pads and spinning dials . This control stick and button is about as limited as you’re able to get for a accountant but is more than enough for the eccentric of games that were come out at the clock time . It serve as a great starting detail to establish off of .

NES controller

Nintendo basically set the measure for all consoles going forward up until the 3D earned run average with the NES controller . Its D - stamp pad was a revolution that we still use to this day , and the simplicity of the two - push button layout was rude without commence too complicated . The form factor is a bit small , and its edges are a small incisive , but is otherwise about as close to hone as you’re able to get for 2D games .

N64 controller

What is left to say about the three - tined N64 controller ? It process well enough holding the plaza and good handles , but that D - pad and depart bumper were efficaciously useless base on the design . The Z button was the first trigger button we ’d seen , and that alone give it major points , but this is n’t a controller we ’re eager to pick up again .

Sixaxis

The PS3 contemporaries was easy the big stumble Sony ever had , and the launch controller was only part of its woes . Rather than deliver the DualShock 3 like everyone expected , PlayStation shook things up by … removing rumble . The Sixaxis sacrificed any haptics in exchange for gawky and hardly - used movement controls , convex stick , and mushy trigger buttons that mat up terrible for shooters .

Xbox Duke controller

We have no approximation what Xbox was thinking found its first console table with a controller as big as the Duke . That size is the controller ’s only fatal flaw because its double thumbstick , gun trigger , and push are all howling . The black and white push were an odd choice to try out and differentiate itself , but it got enough right that it was able-bodied to compete with Nintendo and Sony .

GameCube controller

This is what the N64 control should have look like from the commencement . The sticks make gumption , there are ample clit , and the triggers thick and satisfying to pull . It just has a few odd quirks , like the C - stick being a nubble and there only being one bumper button , but it hold up well enough that people still utilise them to this day .

DualShock

The original DualShock might as well be the design for every advanced comptroller . We have two sticks , a D - launching pad , four face buttons , two triggers , and two bumper . With the exception of back release , there ’s not much conception to be had from here that made any meaningful impact on play .

Xbox 360 controller

The 360 edges out the DualShock strictly establish on nuance . Some mass prefer the offset sticks , but there ’s no denying that the curved triggers were a unclouded advance and the slightly rounded buttons mat great to press . The only flaw is that the D - launchpad is mushy and imprecise .

DualSense Edge

The latest andbest PS5 controlleris the high - death DualSense Edge . It has all the functionality of the launch DualSense , such as tactual feedback , adaptive triggers , and motion controls , plus programable back paddles and easily swappable parts . It looks and feel like a high-pitched - end merchandise , but sadly has a battery life that leaves a lot to be desired .

Xbox Elite controller

After the Duke , Microsoft has only made good andbetter Xbox controllers , and the top of them all is the Elite series . Much like the Edge , you may cut almost every part of this controller to your liking , plus even design its color scheme however you want via the design science lab to make it completely personalized . It is easy , has all the buttons and paddle you want , and is about as nigh to perfect as a controller can get within the advanced design . It will cost you extra , but it is more than deserving the Mary Leontyne Price if you ’re a serious gamer .