squidget

everybody has been gripping about how uncomfortable the xbox controller is, but not one word has been mentioned about the gamecube controller. maybe its just me, (most of the time it just is) but i don't like the offical gamecube controller. it doesnt fit in my hands right, the analog stick is a little too loose for my taste and when playing SMB i get a bad case of nintendo thumb. so this past sunday i went controller shopping, i picked up the mad catz cubizon(or whatever) and the pelican g3. the madcatz one i like. its slightly bigger than the nintendo one and analog has a nice feel. but like nintendo the analog is hard plastic. the pelican controller is a straight copy of nintendo same size but there analog stick is covered in nice soft rubber, (like the ps2 analog) making those monkey races so much easier. are there any other controllers out there for the game ube that combine the size of the madcatz and the rubber analog of pelican? or am i being to picky and need to deal?

joltaddict

I was thinking the same thing. The Box controller feels awkward as hell, like youre holding some sort of alien technology but even after many many consecutive hours of use I never got cramped. Cant say that about the GCs. I thought it might just be that Rogue and Melee take more button pounding than Halo but SMB doesnt even use the button in the main game.

I dont like the pelican g3 at all though and I havent played with the Madcatz yet.

But youre not picky Ive felt the same "Nintendo thumb".

Aghama

I think the control stick is way more comfortable than the N64 one, which I also loved. It took me a while to get used to the "looseness", but it's still very accurate (as evidenced by SMB). Maybe my thumb has finally learned it doesn't need to press so hard on the stick, I dunno.

squidget

i'll give u that. the n64 stick was murder. but i think it might have been the location on the n64 controller ? i dunno. im thinking of putting the foam ear bud cover from my head phones on the control stick..

mrglass

Hate it. Hate it. Hate it. I, too, get "nintendo thumb" after playing SSBM for about 15 minutes. Thanks for the heads up about the Pelican controller...I'll have to check it out.

Soybean

Interesting. I think the GC controller is sheer perfection. It melts right into my hand. The analog stick isn't hard plastic at all. The surface is rubbery. Perhaps not quite as rubbery as the Dual Shock 2's analog sticks, but rubbery nonetheless. Everything's just wonderful except for the damned Z button.

Kellehair

Until this thread I had never heard a complaint about the Gamecube controller.

mljones99

I think the gamecube controller is the best controller out there. with the dualshock 2 in a close 2nd.

Lethal Nemesis

2 things I don't like about the GC controller: the D-pad and the Z button.

darkside

My favorite controller is the official GC one. It fits my hand perfectly.

Josh H

I love the GC controller. I've never had a single cramp, but then again, the most I can stand to play a game in one sitting is 3 or 4 hours and usually not even that long, which is why I stopped playing RPG's. I've only used the X-box contoller for maybe a total of an hour and I hated it. It reminded me a lot of the Dreamcast controller, except much worse. Not horrible, I'm sure I'd get used to it if I ever find a reason besided Halo to get an X-box, but it's simply too bulky for my tastes. The GC controller just fits my hands perfectly. I'd say I have average size hands, I can palm a basketball as long as it has decent "tread" on it.

Get Me Coffee

I agree about the Z Button!!!!! It's like they forgot about the Z button and then decided heck just put it there.

happypants

reverse the positions of the left side analog stick/dpad, & you pretty much have yourself a PS2 Dual Shock.

Except the Dual Shock doesn't have a left over Z button.

Well, maybe, if they put it at the end of one of the two "wings", that would be the same

Kellehair

The Dual Shock is just a collection of buttons. The Cube's controller is a system. You'll see once more developers take advantage of the Cube controller's unique design.

mmconhea

true, the dual shock is a modified SNES controller (as the PSX, was initally a SNES add on) that jumped on the n64 bandwagon when Nintendo came up with anolog control. It was not designed perfectly for gaming. I feel the cube has a great controller, designed with gaming in mind. The large A button and analog triggers with clicks will prove very useful in futurr games. The z-button is questionable, but can be ignored. The analog stick as well as the c-stick is rubberized on the Nintendo Cube controller. Check again- stab a tack into it. I bought a pelican g3 controller and it works a lot better for bigger hands. The Mad Catz one is okay also, but the analog stick isn't very sensitive.

squidget

maybe my hands are too big. i know i have long fingers, hell the gamecube itself fits in my hand with some room to spare. the offical nintendo controller just doesnt fit. (sucks) the layout doesn't bother me just size and control stick. i think im going to pick up a joystick, that might help in the long hours of monkey ball

lordzeppelin

I feel exactly the opposite as most of you. I think that the Xbox controller is near perfection, and that the GC controller is WACK. It's so damn small, the buttons are all funky, I hate the D-Pad, and so much more. And I really tried to like it, because it's a totally different design than anything else out there. I can't wait to actually get my hands on a Japanese Xbox Controller, as they seem like they are going to be the best...

einTier

I'm with lordzepplin. The first time I picked up the XBox controller, I thought, "wow, it's really big." But, after playing with it fairly extensively, there's no buttons or controls that are hard to reach, and the controller, while big, fits in my hands just fine.

The GC controller, on the other hand, I just can't get comfortable with. I love the trigger buttons with the added "full stop" button, but everything else is definately subpar.

I also don't understand why Nintendo gets credit for the best controllers on the market. The original NES controller blew chunks, it was small, hard, square, didn't fit in the hand, and it took some time to get used to the d-pad (which I still do not prefer to a good joystick) and the two buttons were not placed well either. Before this time, joysticks were usually of the "bigger is better" variety. The SNES was an improvement, but I still thought it was difficult to use the L button while using the d-pad. I actually liked the N64 controller, though some buttons were unreachable depending on how you held the controller. It was probably the best console controller after the 2600 until the XBox controller came out. One out of four controllers is not a good track record.

Kellehair

Sure, in retrospect most old products seem crappy. The NES controller was great back in the day though. The SNES's was, and still is, awesome. The N64 controller was the best of all time...until the Cube's came out. I don't see how so many people can complain about the Cube's controller. Not only does it not hurt my hands, my hands actually feel better when they're holding the controller.

einTier

Here's my new hypothesis. I think it depends on how you like to hold your controller. I like my controller to sit well back into my palms so that I can get a nice, firm grip on it. I find that if I hold the GC with my fingertips, so to speak, it's more comfortable to hold -- but never feels natural to me. It's the same reason I can't use all four shoulder buttons on the PS controllers or the L button on the SNES pad.

...and I still think that now or in it's day, the NES controller was a horrible controller. The only thing extra it brought to the table was an extra button. I would have preferred an old 2600 joystick, or even better a Wico Command Stick. I eventually had to go purchase one of the NES Advantage joysticks because I had such a hard time learning the d-pad (though I have no real problems with it today, other than thinking a joystick is still better). Holding the NES controller always made little angular indentions in my hands as well -- which no other joystick before or since has done.

IIG

The Gamecube controller to me is easily the best of the next, next generation systems (the X-Box's is like a grainy cinderblock with spaced out buttons, and I've never liked Sony's controller since the orignal PS). The N64 pad is still the best controller of all time in my opinion, though...

Get Me Coffee

What stop me from buying a PS2 was the controller. Next time Sony come up with some new $hit!!! BORING!!!!!