What are your favourite controllers?

My favourite controllers are still the official Xbox controllers because of Xbox Design Labs. I like to have my controller look the way I want. And also they seem to be the only controllers that can still be powered by 2 plain rechargable AA batteries.

Edit: Here is my design for anyone curious:

Steam controller obviously (for everything other than retro gaming which often requires a dpad).

The steam controller. I love the trackpad!

I always thought the GameCube controller was ridiculously comfortable and ergonomic, so that's my choice. The C stick might not be for everyone though.

Any Dreamcast fans here? Those controllers had similar ergonomics in the hand, although the lack of a second analog stick was a pretty big drawback in hindsight.

DualSense is the best right now IMO due to the features. If you don't believe me, actually play Astro's Playroom.

But I love the Steam Deck's layout (so I guess I'd probably like the Steam Controller as well). A lot of that has to do with Steam Input being fucking awesome, but it's also possible to get relatively good at using the touchpads as mouse, and the "touch right stick to enable gyro" is an awesome feature that has made FPS games playable on console for me.

Steam Controller is of course an unbeatable classic, almost it's own category with the weird but charming touchpads.

Of the more conventional controllers I'm a big fan of my current Gulikit KK3 Max. I was looking for a controller with Hall-effect joysticks, and this one looked like one of quality, so I decided why not eh. Feels like a good controller when I use it, so I'm content with it.

The 8Bitdo Pro+ has been great - works really well with my Steam Deck and Switch. Sounds like the Pro 2 is the superior version with hall effect sticks.

The Switch Pro controller has always been good too. And the DualSense is really neat with the haptics and adaptive triggers - expensive, but not that much more than a Pro controller surprisingly.

I quite like a good ps4 controller

Given that the only console games I play are old Nintendo platformers, I'm gonna have to go with the NES Controller.

Trying to play Megaman 2 with analog sticks is an exercise in anger management. XD

PS2

• best d-pad ever made
• comfortable to my big hands without being uncomfortable to friends’ regular-sized hands
• pressure sensitivity all over the place, even if that did get underutilized
• versatile design that’s equally comfortable to use for 2D and 3D games and doesn’t specifically favor a small number of genres
• smooth, strong, and yet quiet rumble
• good heft
• uses a cord so no fucking around with batteries
• sensibly named and located Start and Select buttons (Everyone‘s been dropping the ball on that front, lately. Sony most of all.)

8bitdo ultimate. Already lasted more than a couple of months, as opposed to the last two Xbox controllers I had. I just wanted hall effect joysticks and Xbox layout.

I'm a big fan of the 8bitdo Ultimate C, but my favourite may well be the GameCube controller

• 8bitdo SN30 Pro
• GameCube controller
• Nintendo Switch Pro Controller
• Super Famicom controller (mainly the face button colors and layout)

Keyboard and mouse... but the Steam Controller is cool too.

Other than that, any PS clone. The long thin horns fit my hands better than others.

I really liked the wavebird for the gamecube, unfortunately mine went into the aether on my last move, got bluetooth adapters to pair modern controllers with it but the wavebird was really cool at the time, was really amazing to not have to be tethered to the console and it being first party, though at the time the madcatz stuff was decent.

For recent controllers, I've been using a knockoff 360 controller for moonlight recently and after a lot of back and forth I really think MS nailed the controller setup back then (OG Xbox being decent but not a preference, I hated the duke, s controller was solid though), I like the xbone controllers as well, but IMO they're just iterations on the 360 controller, easily my preference as an all rounder controller layout.

I have a steam controller, used it for a while but it's been some time now, had some really great ideas, I'd totally go for an updated steamdeck style layout on that, probably a second for me.

I've had so much drift issues with ds4s that I personally don't reach for a ds4 or dualsense for non playstation games, I like being able to swap batteries and the Xbox/Steam controllers all seem to have way better battery life in general, I keep a stock of rechargeables around so not generating piles of waste.

I'm still using an old PS4 Dual Shock, as I prefer its ergonomics to the Microsoft one... But I have to say the rechargeable AA's of Microsoft are a big plus.

I do not know what the industry wide obsession is with connected D-pads, but my chunky thumbs do not appreciate it.

And with that in mind, the Playstation style of controllers are the closest thing to my ideal controller currently on the market.

Also, I prefer thumbstick under D-pad just in case I need to hit one of those buttons regularly I have a few options.

Steam Controller.

It's big enough for my long hands. And it has a ton of features and customizability.

What I don't like is the right track pad when games expect a joystick. Depending on the game controls, it can be suboptimal. (configurable to a degree with center deadzone)

N64 controller. It's insane, but I love it.

PC game for decades with a recent (5 years?) Switch purchase. I was never a fan of controllers and still aren't for anything to do with aiming, but the Switch Pro Controller impressed me as a real nice piece of hardware. Battery life is phenomenal too.

I really enjoy the Gulikit King Kong Pro 2 (and would assume the 3 is better) because it all runs on firmware. No software to install, it just works as it should. Also works on Linux without fuss.

On its functionality side it has hall effect triggers and joysticks plus nice buttons.

PS5 controller. Bought a broken one to fix and replace my xBox 360 controller I'd been using and it feels so much better. The trackpad is also useful for games with partial controller support like My Summer Car.

I'm using a Thrustmaster Eswap X Pro. The joystick and dpad modules are hot swappable and can be put in any orientation you prefer. They sell replacement joystick modules for $20, which is nice because you don't have to replace the whole controller if one gets stick drift.

Steam Controller is a flawed masterpiece that I wish we had gotten another iteration of.

Also, speaking of the 8bitdo Pro 2 line, the wired Xbox version of the Pro 2 is pretty great. It's similar to the regular Pro 2, but it has analog triggers, uses Xinput, and has Xbox coloring and branding. It's like they took the best parts of Xbox, SNES, and Playstation controllers and mushed them all together.

I recently upgraded my XBox 360 Wireless controller and got the Flydigi Vader 3 Pro. Hall Effect Sensors trigger guard. Picked it up for und er 50 bucks on Aliexpress. They are available on Amazon US, but not in Europe.

Really happy with it so far.

I hated the Xbox controller when it first came out, probably because my child-sized hands couldn't reach the buttons comfortably. So it was Playstation style for a long time.

Now as an adult I've switched over to the Xbox style (easier to plug and play for Steam gaming) and I like it a lot. It feels a lot more durable than any other controller I can remember using. Though I feel the size and weight of the controller makes it slightly more difficult to use the bumper and trigger buttons compared to PS controllers, it's not a big deal because I'm not playing FPS these days.

PS3 (that’s the Dualshock iirc?), Steam Controller, and the Wii U Pro Controller (I quite like the two analog sticks at the top). In that order probably.

Also using 8bitdo Pro 2, I like it. Bluetooth connection is somewhat crusty -- for some reason, games think that I'm holding LT, despite me not pressing it. Maybe it's a Linux Mint thing, I dunno. Works perfectly wired, though

Another vote for the steam controller - it's versatile enough to work comfortably with every game I've wanted to play.

Not practical with anything else, but the Gamcube controller was so comfy. Def part of the 8bitdo ultimate gang now.