Best video game controllers of all-time, ranked

We have to hand it to Atari for keeping it simple but functional early on. A lot of competing consoles around now tried to get crazy with controllers, adding things like number pads and spinning dials. This joystick and button is about as limited as you can get for a controller but is more than enough for the type of games that were coming out at the time. It served as a great starting point to build off of.

Nintendo basically set the standard for all consoles going forward up until the 3D era with the NES controller. Its D-pad was a revolution that we still use to this day, and the simplicity of the two-button layout was natural without getting too complicated. The form factor is a bit small, and its edges are a little sharp, but is otherwise about as close to perfect as you can get for 2D games.

What is left to say about the three-pronged N64 controller? It worked well enough holding the center and right handles, but that D-pad and left bumper were effectively useless based on the design. The Z button was the first trigger button we’d seen, and that alone gives it major points, but this isn’t a controller we’re eager to pick up again.

The PS3 generation was easily the biggest 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 clunky and hardly-used motion controls, convex sticks, and mushy trigger buttons that felt terrible for shooters.

We have no idea what Xbox was thinking launching its first console with a controller as big as the Duke. That size is the controller’s only fatal flaw because its dual thumbstick, triggers, and buttons are all fantastic. The black and white buttons were an odd choice to try and differentiate itself, but it got enough right that it was able to compete with Nintendo and Sony.

This is what the N64 controller should have looked like from the start. The sticks make sense, there are ample buttons, and the triggers thick and satisfying to pull. It just has a few odd quirks, like the C-stick being a nub and there only being one bumper button, but it holds up well enough that people still use them to this day.

The original DualShock might as well be the blueprint for every modern controller. We have two sticks, a D-pad, four face buttons, two triggers, and two bumpers. With the exception of back buttons, there’s not much innovation to be had from here that made any meaningful impact on gaming.

The 360 edges out the DualShock purely based on refinement. Some people prefer the offset sticks, but there’s no denying that the curved triggers were a clear improvement and the slightly rounded buttons felt great to press. The only flaw is that the D-pad is mushy and imprecise.