The greatest Controller of all time!

[Hot Heart]

Also, am I the only one who uses Real Triggers on PS3? Shit is cash for games that work well with triggers.

 

I had to buy them because the R2 and L2 buttons suck so much otherwise.

[TheMightyEthan]

>playing shooters

>on console

 

Well there's your problem.

 

Some shooters exist only on console. Halo, Killzone, Uncharted, etc. I play any shooter I can on PC though.

 

But the problem extends beyond shooters to any game that requires precision use of the sticks.

[deanb]

Talking of the 360 sucky d-pad. I've been playing a bit of FFX last night, what with the mention of PCSX2 (and recently finishing XIII-2). Aurons overdrive is

 

Well let's just say I fucked that one right up. I guess I could have a crack with motion joy again.

 

As for real triggers: I have some, lost them in my move though.

[madbassman39]

Also, am I the only one who uses Real Triggers on PS3? Shit is cash for games that work well with triggers.

 

I find the PS3 triggers to not be very good, they are squishy, and they don't quite have the feed back I am looking for.

Edited March 5, 2012 by madbassman39

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

Do you even know what I'm talking about when I mention Real Triggers?

 

But the problem extends beyond shooters to any game that requires precision use of the sticks.

 

I think it's fine for TPS. Anyways, I don't feel like using a 360 controller magically makes someone more precise. Also, what other genres are you thinking of? I like the sticks on PS3 because they work well with more genres, whereas the 360 sticks are much more focused on FPS's.

[Yantelope V2]

I feel like the sticks on the 360 are more precise, have better resistance and a smaller deadzone than the DS3. Even for non fps the 360 controller is superior to me. Forza controls feel way better than GT5 IMO.

[Strangelove]

As someone who doesnt give a shit about FPS, I love the DS3.

[TheMightyEthan]

But the problem extends beyond shooters to any game that requires precision use of the sticks.

 

I think it's fine for TPS. Anyways, I don't feel like using a 360 controller magically makes someone more precise. Also, what other genres are you thinking of? I like the sticks on PS3 because they work well with more genres, whereas the 360 sticks are much more focused on FPS's.

 

You're right, it doesn't automatically make people more precise, but the higher tension and smaller deadzone make it easier to be precise. As far as other genres, I guess what I was thinking of you could broadly call "platformers"; any game that requires either precise movement or precise camera control. Which yeah, largely tend to be platformers and shooters (both TPS and FPS).

 

It's just personal preference though. I'm serious when I say that I don't understand how people can use the DS3 for that stuff, but obviously they can so whatever.

[deanb]

Yeah 360 pad is decent for shooters. But it starts n stops there. The PS3 works great for a wide range of genres(especially racers and RPGs), and once you plop some Real Triggers on much of the disadvantage with shooters disappears.

[madbassman39]

Do you even know what I'm talking about when I mention Real Triggers?

 

 

yes, but that doesn't stop the feel of the triggers when you press them. They still are squishy when you press them, they don't quite have the feel of pulling a trigger, instead they feel like pressing a pedal. I like them for driving games, but not much else.

[Hot Heart]

I wouldn't say the L2/R2 combination is better than the 360 triggers for racers, that's for sure. Plus, the whole deadzone thing that Ethan has already mentioned.

Edited March 5, 2012 by Hot Heart

[TheMightyEthan]

How is the DS3 any better for racers and RPG's than the 360 controller?

[Yantelope V2]

The only thing the DS3 has over the 360 is the d-pad is a little better (still not SNES good though). Other than that it's outdated and antiquated.

[TheMightyEthan]

D-pad is definitely better on the DS3, no denying that.

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

How is the DS3 any better for racers and RPG's than the 360 controller?

 

There are only 3 genres of games apparently. Anyways, concave is only nice for games where your thumbs are always on the sticks. Since the PS3 sticks have less resistance they're also more ideal for games where you just want to swing around the camera real fast.

[TheMightyEthan]

I just turn up the sensitivity. I should say though, my main issue with the DS3's sticks is not the tension, it's the deadzone, I could learn to live with lower tension.

 

As for the concave/convex thing (which is an aspect I had completely forgotten about), I've never played a game where convex was superior. For games where your thumbs aren't constantly on the sticks then either one works equally well, and like you say for games where your thumbs are always on the sticks concave is better.

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

I find it much more comfortable for any third person game where you use it to control the camera.

[fuchikoma]

I never saw the need for concave sticks when the convex ones have a grippy surface. Playing games like Gran Turismo, there's no problem moving them as much or little as needed and I've never had a problem with slipping off. I think it's a psychological rather than mechanical thing.

 

I never properly gave a general answer to the opening question; I'll riff off P4's style since it was so readable. For me, the top modern controllers are:

 

DualShock 2 - Likes: Great ergonomics, quick positive action, very hard to drop, symmetrical sticks, pressure sensitive buttons Dislikes: Screw hole under d-pad can cause blisters when playing fighting games.

 

DualShock 3 - Likes: Same as above. Wireless. Battery lasts a long time. USB chargeable. Dislikes: Same as above. Triggers work, but don't inspire confidence. Li-Ion batteries have a nominal life of 3 years.

 

GameCube standard - Likes: Extremely easy to learn and remember controls. Fits hands well. Triggers "click" into fully-depressed position. Dislikes: Face buttons imply certain design (main, secondary, 2 options.) C stick has limited use.

 

XBox 360 first type - Likes: Has the usual post-SNES layout. Headset jack on controller. Not too big like last gen. Can use AAs, so it'll work long after it's unsupported. Triggers have long, even throw. Dislikes: Lopsided sticks for not-lopsided hands. Sticks lack deadzone - when they start to slacken, they flip out and the controller becomes useless. Battery gauge is bad with NiMH - can quickly go from "2" to "0" after showing "3" for weeks. Battery carrier has to be "cracked" open to dump rechargeables out. Buttons too domed for really fast use. D-pad lacks some accuracy. Fills my hands.

 

Wii classic controller - Likes: SNES pad. Dislikes: Wii remote.

 

PS Move - Likes: Very accurate 3D positioning. 4 main face buttons + "Move" and trigger. Accurate angular rate sensor is good for using XMB menus. Dislikes: No absolute yaw/pitch/roll sensing - can drift off calibration - I can't get any "light gun" games to work.

 

Wiimote - Likes: Dedicated power button can shut console off without seeing the screen. Perfect tracking of yaw, pitch and roll. Dislikes: Motion control is often vague. Can be hard to read depth. Shape is poor for most games. Not many buttons; "1 and 2" are only good when held sideways. Dead weight with classic controller. Has a speaker built-in.

 

SNES pad was great too, but IMO what strengths it has are a subset of the DualShocks or 360 controllers... apart from the ideal d-pad.

[madbassman39]

Dislikes: when they start to slacken, they flip out and the controller becomes useless.

 

This is a huge problem with the controller. I'm not easy on my controllers, and both my Playstation and 360 controllers have this problem, but it took me almost 3 years for the PS3 controller to break and less than 1 for my 360 controller.

 

Still the ergonomics of the 360 controller really are, in my opinion, the best.

[Strangelove]

I never quite got the concave/convex thing. My finger has NEVER slipped off my stick on any controller Ive used - 360, ps3, wiimote, nunchuk, classic controller, Move, etc....

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

Hey Fuchi, the screw thing can be fixed BY PLAYING FIGHTING GAMES WITH A GOD DAMNED ARCADE STICK LIKE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO!

[Strangelove]

God, I fucking hate the Gamecube controller. I thought the 64 controller could never get topped in it's absurdity, but along came the Gamecube controller. Those two controller have just never made sense to me. Its like they made it specifically to be different from everyone else, logic or comfort be damned.They really should have released the WIi classic controller instead.

[fuchikoma]

Hey Fuchi, the screw thing can be fixed BY PLAYING FIGHTING GAMES WITH A GOD DAMNED ARCADE STICK LIKE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO!

 

Haha... forget it! I grew up playing on a SNES and I'm extremely consistent with a d-pad. With a stick, it's straight back to baby steps (I need 8 unambiguous directions - why use an "analog" input method to press them, even if it really just clicks 8 microswitches? That's like eating pizza with a knife and fork.) I can't even imagine doing a move like 6412364 with a stick.

 

It doesn't help that any times I've tried a fighting game in arcades, the difficulty has been cranked way up (or it's just impossible to pull off a basic special move?) so I'd get destroyed right away and be out of cash. Then I'd rent the same game, take it home, and not be done with it until I could do literally every* move on demand.

 

The only reason I can think of for a stick is if I was hardcore into Capcom and their 6-button system, but I prefer SNK and ASW... (and Tecmo. *trollface*) My only specialty controllers are for Beatmania IIDX and Guitar Hero (and you know what? I'll play 5-key Beatmania with a DualShock 2 all day long! Wahaha...)

 

(* Ok - not Kano's finisher on MK1 for SNES. Never met someone who can do that. "Genesic Emerald Tager Buster?" (720 spin, C) no sweat - I've done it on the PSP.)

Edited March 6, 2012 by fuchikoma

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

Wait, you don't even like octogates? Also at the arcade you need to first identify what type of stick it is, and then from there know what you can do with it. So yes, you essentially do have to start over, but your skills end up being applied in the long run.

[TheMightyEthan]

My problem with the concave/convex thing isn't that my thumbs slip on the DS3, it's that if I am using it constantly (like running in Assassin's Creed) and changing directions on it my thumb will walk itself across the stick until it's just barely on the edge, then I have to let go and reposition my thumb over the middle. That never happens on the 360 controller.