What's the best Nintendo controller ever made?

Note: This can be different to your favourite controller.

i.e. If you think the NES controller is best as it's really where it all started, or if you think the Wiimote did so much to encourage other non-gamers to get into gaming.

Based on nostalgia I'd have said the N64 controller. It was just so fun!

Whilst it has it's problems now, it was all I really knew at the time, it was perfect for the games being released and built around it on the console.

It was really unique and novel in terms of the ways you could hold it, even if I think pretty much every game required the centre and right handles. The Z button was cool and even though I never used it as the trigger button in FPS' it was just so natural in the likes of Zelda.

Also... THOSE COLOURS!! I absolutely adore my yellow N64 controller!

However, I'd probably consider the Wavebird as the best controller Nintendo has ever made!

They led the first party way with wireless dammit!!

It wowed everyone who saw it for the first time, as everyone was so used to jumping/tripping over cables across the floor!

It had the cool little lights and receiver you plugged into the Gamecube, again, all just novelties for the time it was released.

But it also continued the comfortable design of the Gamecube pad.

The fact it's the controller/control scheme everyone still harkens back to now says it all.

And I'm pretty sure people mocked the large colourful buttons at the time, but I was reminded in that IGN video... the buttons on that controller aren't half useful at distinguishing themselves!

A big green A button doesn't half feel like it has more boost power behind it!

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

Wavebird it is!

Definitely the Wii-Mote and Nunchuck combo.

Not other controller ever lets you have the freedom to put your hands wherever you want when playing a game.

pardon the pic but you get the point

Everything else has felt like a step back to me.

Though the GameCube controller reigns supreme for me when it comes to lame two-hands-on-one-controller controller.

Maybe lump Wavebird/gamecube together? I voted gamecube since I never actually had a Wavebird, but the basic controller is the same. Such an awesome controller! The most comfortable one to hold. I'm sure they could take the shape of this controller but implement a more modern button layout, somehow. It was a lot more comfortable than the Pro controller.

Gamecube, easily. I rate it as the best controller ever, really.

If Nintendo would actually reuse their GC controller more often instead of asking 3rd parties to design a Pro Controller that looks just like the competition's...

(Smash showing everybody the light once again)

GameCube for me:

* Fits perfectly into your hands

* All the buttons you'd ever need (for Nintendo games)

* Wired

* Good rumble

* Doesn't need charging or batteries

I consider it to have only one flaw - a poor D-pad - but that didn't really matter in the days before Virtual Console. The best controller ever - bring it back, Nintendo!

That's a hard question. In the end, I went for the Wiimote and Nunchuk option. The ability to point at the screen (god tier controls for FPS), move your hands apart so that you're not tethered and the functionality of it make it in my top three at least. The N64 closely lost out, which I loooooove. Followed by the Wavebird controller for the GameCube.

The NES is too rectangular/square/too sharp on the corners to be totally enjoyable for too long and the SNES is just a bit on the small side for me. Plus, the lack of analogues in both.

As for the Wii U GamePad, I can't go for it as I can't confidently say that any game has truly made use of it. The Pro Controller is decent but nothing more. Feels quite plasticy to me, not as nice as the DualShock4, for example. Plus, no analogue shoulder buttons on either.

After re-organizing my old consoles a few months ago I have to say, to my own surprise, that the SNES controller wins out. The N64 is a beautiful piece of out-the-box design and the Wavebird is an old reliable but it's the SNES that wins out. There's something elegant about it, easily recognisable and intimately comfortable to hold and use despite (or perhaps because of) it's small dimensions.

Who voted Wii U Gamepad without a post? :p Any guesses?

It depends on the context (i.e. the kind of game you´re playing), however, I feel overall the Wii classic controller pro incorporates all the best aspects of previous controllers and is generally the best. However, I don´t think I´ve ever played FPS games with it, so in that context I suspect I´d rate the N64 controller and the Wii remote + nunchuck above it. If I´d have to rank them, the Cube controller would be at the bottom :p.

Who voted Wii U Gamepad without a post? :p Any guesses?

I'd be prepared to build a pretty solid case for it if required.

Does this really need a poll?

Who voted Wii U Gamepad without a post? :p Any guesses?

Ah, that'd be me. Didn't have time to write a post at the time, but decided to just throw my vote in there.

When it was first revealed, I was actually very sceptical of the Wii U GamePad... but the minute I had my Wii U all set up and started using it, I was sold. The screen which I initially thought would be one of the most useless features ever seen in a controller has changed the way I use a gaming console, and all for the better, too. Whether it's used for Off-TV play, as a complimentary second screen or just for touch controls, it has found a way to improve all of my gaming experiences to the point where I find it hard to imagine enjoying a console game without these features.

Also, it is the most comfortable controller I've ever used (which again I really didn't imagine possible until I held it in my hands), and the buttons all feel great. I've really got no complaints except for the obvious: it could really do with a matte finish. :P

In addition to being my personal favourite, I also feel it's the controller that has directly improved my gaming experiences the most, and that's why it got my vote.

Ah, that'd be me. Didn't have time to write a post at the time, but decided to just throw my vote in there.

 

When it was first revealed, I was actually very sceptical of the Wii U GamePad... but the minute I had my Wii U all set up and started using it, I was sold. The screen which I initially thought would be one of the most useless features ever seen in a controller has changed the way I use a gaming console, and all for the better, too. Whether it's used for Off-TV play, as a complimentary second screen or just for touch controls, it has found a way to improve all of my gaming experiences to the point where I find it hard to imagine enjoying a console game without these features.

 

Also, it is the most comfortable controller I've ever used (which again I really didn't imagine possible until I held it in my hands), and the buttons all feel great. I've really got no complaints except for the obvious: it could really do with a matte finish. :P

 

In addition to being my personal favourite, I also feel it's the controller that has directly improved my gaming experiences the most, and that's why it got my vote.

It's made me think how differently the Gamepad would be being received if the console was that bit more capable!? People say they don't need the Gamepad, but if the console was getting equal support I imagine it would be looked on far more favourably! And actually seen as far more of a USP.

Bit of a shame really.

I love the gamecube controllers. I found them really comfy.

Why is the Gamecube controller a separate option from the Wavebird? Who would ever pick the wired version over the GLORIOUS wireless edition!? What MONSTER would do that?

But it doesn't really matter because the real answer is the Wii Remote & Nunchuck. It's the most comfortable, the most versatile and it opens up so many new gameplay possibilities that can't be done with any other controller.

No brainer

Gamepad is second. It hasn't had time to bring about lots of new types of games yet (like how Nintendo Land showed what it could do), so that could change, but for now I'll stick with the Wiimote and Chuck as the winner so far

Why is the Gamecube controller a separate option from the Wavebird? Who would ever pick the wired version over the GLORIOUS wireless edition!? What MONSTER would do that?

RUMBLE I almost always use my white GC controller with Wave Race: Blue Storm because I miss the feeling of the waves when the rumble isn't there

As for the vote, I actually haven't cast mine yet because I can't really decide due to there being so many factors to consider!

For the console at the time, the SNES controller ticked every box, but I do find now that when I play Super Soccer with my brother, our left thumbs get pretty sore only a few moments after using the D-Pad. That may be largely down to the intense Super Soccer rivalry, even to this day

The N64 controller, however, is the one that I expected to come in and select straight away as the greatest controller of all time! It still feels brilliant to me with such a unique and revolutionary design, one that I was blown away by back in 1997. Even now, newcomers to the controller always hold it wrong and try the reach across from the left prong to get to the analogue stick in the middle. Idiots

That analogue stick, though, is probably one of the only things I can fault the N64 controller for When it is great condition, it feels really good! Years of gameplay, however, can leave it a loose, unresponsive mess. Unless they start releasing new and improved versions of these controllers for potential future VC use, you're going to be hard pushed to find one in decent condition in a few years time

The GC controller felt like an excellent upgrade at the time, improving almost every aspect of what had went before it whilst introducing those analogue shoulder buttons. The D-Pad wasn't seen to be important at the time, but there were certain times where you would be cursing how small it was.

After that came the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, probably one of the most impressive control setups of all time and one that is so unfairly ridiculed for its 'waggle'. The versatility of that particular combination paved the way for some amazing experiences on Wii and something that I would have been happy to have been the main controller on the Wii U, despite the lack of buttons making more traditional games difficult, if not impossible, in some cases. The ability to point at the screen can't be overlooked, though, as that really is one of the best features of the Wii Remote.

The only other controller that I really find myself considering, even a little, is the Wii U Pro Controller. It is almost without doubt the 'sexiest' controller I have ever seen and definitely very comfortable to hold. The placement and feel of the analogue sticks feels perfect and the buttons feel great. Apart from the lack of triggers, which I'm not that bothered about, my only real niggle is the Y and B buttons being slightly out of reach. X and A feel perfectly placed, but it can be a bit of a stretch for my tiny hands to comfortably press Y and B.

With a few tweaks, I actually feel like the Wii U Pro Controller would be my favourite. As it is, though, it is behind the N64, GC and Wii Remote & Nunchuk in my rankings. As I can't really decide an outright winner, I'll probably have to declare the N64 controller my favourite 'traditional' pad with the Wii Remote & Nunchuk being equally awesome, but in a completely different way : peace:

Nice bro that's very detailed and i feel the same about the nun chucks :P