Which video game console has the worst standard controller?

Other: Intellivision

Jaguar was pretty bad. Also:

the fat initial Xbox controller
CD-i
The N64 controller: I didn't mind how unique it was but that analog stick was going to disintegrate into white powder no matter what you did.
wiimotes: not only were they outdated after a while unless you bought an attachment, the dumb things would activate when someone breathed on it an drain those AA batteries like crazy.

That's the one I grew up with -- inexorably '70s faux-wood paneling and all!

I guess I don't remember that one negatively because I had so little a frame of reference back then that I couldn't appreciate how terrible it was. So, I nominate the Atari Jaguar:



I would point to the Atari 5200 and its non-centering joystick, only I never actually played one...which, alas, I can't say about the Jaguar.

The Jaguar actually fit really nicely in the hand and had me excited at first touch (it's molded on the back so it settles into your hands, for those who've never seen one). Turned out the D-pad really wasn't responsive though.

I didn’t play it much, but I never cared for the ginormous original Xbox controller. The Nintendo 64 controller is a bit awkward too.

To this day I still hate the PS3 controller. I'm sure it's not the worst of all time, but the worst in my recent history.

I can't remember a lot of the really old ones, with my first console being the NES. I'll go with the Wii U and their tablet thing. The Switch i'm more forgiving on because i'm impressed with the flexibility of them.

I prefer the Wii U tablet to the Switch joycon controls that's why I pretty much only play with the Pro controller.

The original X-Box or the Jaguar imho.

I used to not mind it, but the N64 Gamepad has aged horribly.

I might be misremembering it as being worse than it was. My best friend got it the day it came out, although I'd moved by that point and only played it briefly during a visit. My cousins got a Jaguar for $20 from a KB Toys cutout bin while I was spending the summer with them, although again, I don't think I spent more than a few minutes with it. My (possibly faulty after a quarter-century) memory is not being sure how to hold it while comfortably accessing the main buttons.

Yeah. I dreaded the Wii U tablet prior to launch, assuming it would be bulky and awkward, but once I actually got my hands on one, I loved it. The only time I ever use the joycons on the Switch is if I'm playing something where it matters (like ARMS) or if it's something with local multiplayer, since I only have one pro controller.

Oh man, totally forgot about those. They were AWFUL.

The Jaguar controller's awfulness is definitely magnified by the fact that the console and games were pretty horrible. But even if the controller was contoured, look at it, they basically just unnecessarily added a ton of buttons to a genesis controller and called it a day. Unless the Jaguar had some phone app that I've forgotten about, I don't even remember what those buttons were used for.

Perhaps this doesn't count because it still worked well for games that were designed for it, but playing Monster Hunter on the DS/3DS without a second analog stick was a terrible, terrible experience. People compensated by playing with what they called "the claw" but still, ugh.

Like the Intellivision, there were game-specific overlays. The functionality of the buttons varied by game.

I actually questioned whether or not I’d dislike the Switch due to the Joy Cons before buying it, but I don’t find them all that bad. Only complaints are that they’re slightly tiny and I wish there was a proper d-pad, but I find they work fairly well generally. Plus at least out of box you kind of get an option to make them into a regular controller with the grip (I did buy a Pro Controller though too).

My main problems with the joycons:
1) They are expensive. I realize that's because of all the tech in them, but they're still expensive. Not as ridiculously expensive as the standalone dock, though.
2) Their design is questionable. I'm not just talking about the bad right joycon that nintendo replaced for a lot of us, but the fact that dust can easily get into the little rubber flap and affect the stick is terrible.

Playstation

I've used the Switch a lot in handheld mode while travelling, so i've gotten used to the JoyCons. Only annoyance has been the precision of the left stick in something like Celeste. I give it a pass because it's half a portable device hence mentioning the functionality and flexibility of them, but if you're judging it solely as a standalone console it probably rates harsher.

The Wii controller was pretty awful for anything other the Wii Sports.

Thanks for all of the replies.

Considering the mixed response the Sega Dreamcast controller has received, I'm surprised it didn't get more votes.

Dreamcast is the only one capable of causing carpal tunnel, IMO, so it's hands down the absolute worst.

I enjoy the N64 pad. As long as you hold the middle prong it feels no different than most modern controllers. I'm baffled by those that hold the outside prongs and stretch their thumb to the analog stick.

What? who does that?

My main problem, which I mentioned before, is the disintegration of that analog stick.