Stick or pad

[Shatterhand]

To its defense, there are two games that I play using its pad, even though the analogic stick could be used.

Winning Eleven (Pro Evolution Soccer for our European friends), as I ALWAYS played it with the pad since Goal Storm 97 on PS1.

and Rocky Legends, that I've been playing lately, just because by the way I hold the controller while playing it, playing with the analog stick would be impossible.

Obviously none of those games are playable with an arcade stick. I tried with Winning Eleven once for fun, though.

[angrycoder]

It was better than it's shitty pad.

I always get the feeling that that broken cross was never intended for use in actual gameplay. Just for scrolling through menus and whatnot.

Seeing how the've had the same pad design since the PS1 (pre-dual shock), I highly doubt that.

[Pirate1019]

It was better than it's shitty pad.

I always get the feeling that that broken cross was never intended for use in actual gameplay. Just for scrolling through menus and whatnot.

Seeing how the've had the same pad design since the PS1 (pre-dual shock), I highly doubt that.

Regardless of how long it has or hasn't been around, it's still a shitty D-Pad that they should have fixed, or better yet, never designed in the first place.

[Frederik]

Sony hates you using the d-pad. The whole broken cross concept was just to not look to similar to the Nintendo ones I bet, but it doesn´t make any sense playwise. That they carried the whole controller design over THREE console generations doesn´t mean it´s good. It´s pure stubborness. I really dislike the Playstation for exactly this reason. The Gamecube controller is a piece of ergonomic art, and I remember playing Ikaruga on that tiny d-pad, which was, while a bit painful after a while, at least accurate and picked up diagonals.

[sfried]

It was better than it's shitty pad.

I always get the feeling that that broken cross was never intended for use in actual gameplay. Just for scrolling through menus and whatnot.

Seeing how the've had the same pad design since the PS1 (pre-dual shock), I highly doubt that.

I actually prefer GameCube's analog stick when playing Ikaruga. Somehow, they got it to feel right.

[Pirate1019]

I actually prefer GameCube's analog stick when playing Ikaruga. Somehow, they got it to feel right.

It feels right because the stick doesn't spin in a circle like the PS2 controller, it has the 8 points around the edge which help it feel more accurate.

[cody]

The Gamecube controller is a piece of ergonomic art

This is a joke, right? Or else you have the shoulder width and thumb size of a 5 year old. . . besides the tic-tac sized dpad, the gamecube controller's handles are nearly parallel to each other, which pretty much ensures that your wrists are bent back at a decidedly non-ergonomic angle. The only less ergonomic semi-modern controller is the dreamcast's.

[Pirate1019]

Seemed comfortable enough for me. The Xbox controller was way more fucked up. Even the smaller one was too big. The dreamcast's controller was retarded though. Whose idea was it to make the cord come out of the controller towards the player?

[sfried]

The Gamecube controller is a piece of ergonomic art

This is a joke, right? Or else you have the shoulder width and thumb size of a 5 year old. .

GC controllers feel pretty tactile to me.

[cody]

I'm not saying its unusable, I'm saying that claiming that it's ergonomic is silly. Touch your fingertips together with your arms at waist level - notice the angle between your hands is nowhere near parallel, and that your wrist is mostly straight w.r.t. your arms. Move your palms until they are parallel, notice that your wrist is now hyperextended. Hyperextended != ergonomic.
The only way your wrist is going to be neutral when holding handles that are parallel is if your shoulder width is comparable to the width of the controller.

This is why actual ergonomic controllers have handles that angle outwards.

Sort of on topic, ergonomics are one reason i prefer pads for longer play sessions - wtih a joystick, the forearm of your button hand is pronated.

[angrycoder]

I always get the feeling that that broken cross was never intended for use in actual gameplay. Just for scrolling through menus and whatnot.

Seeing how the've had the same pad design since the PS1 (pre-dual shock), I highly doubt that.

Regardless of how long it has or hasn't been around, it's still a shitty D-Pad that they should have fixed, or better yet, never designed in the first place.

Thats not what you you said or meant in your original post. Saying it was not designed for use in actual gameplay is 100% false, because that shitty dpad is all the PS1 had for directional input.

[EOJ]

I quite like the PS2 controller, I find the dpad really accurate. It's my fave controller since the SNES days. The Xbox and X360 controllers are complete shit in comparison.

The gamecube's dpad is pretty damn accurate too. If it allows me to No-miss ALL Ikaruga Normal mode, then I'd say that's accurate enough.

[tviks]

I still use my 10 years old psx dualshock. It's better than the ps2 dualshock because the d-pad is digital, thus it is more accurate. The psp d-pad is a horrible piece of crap though. And I can't imagine how anyone could play shmups with an analog stick.

[Pirate1019]

Seeing how the've had the same pad design since the PS1 (pre-dual shock), I highly doubt that.

Regardless of how long it has or hasn't been around, it's still a shitty D-Pad that they should have fixed, or better yet, never designed in the first place.

Thats not what you you said or meant in your original post. Saying it was not designed for use in actual gameplay is 100% false, because that shitty dpad is all the PS1 had for directional input.

I know it's not what I said or meant. It's a different line of thought completely. I know you were right so there was no point in arguing it further. Instead I decided to say that whether or not I was right doesn't change that it was a terrible idea.

[EOJ]

I still use my 10 years old psx dualshock. It's better than the ps2 dualshock because the d-pad is digital, thus it is more accurate.

You know, the PS2 dualshock's dpad is digital as well. Every dpad is digital.

[Twiddle]

later make ps2 dpads have a tougher press to "allow" "better" use of the analog function of the dpad used in some games

this also makes them absolute shit for games that absolutely require frame-perfect precision

[EOJ]

That's weird. I've never played a game that used the dpad with an "analog" function.

[tviks]

You know, the PS2 dualshock's dpad is digital as well. Every dpad is digital.

Last time I checked it was analog. The d-pad's analog functions just aren't used in every game. In any case, the d-pad in my psx dualshock feels better and is more responsive.

[EOJ]

You know, the PS2 dualshock's dpad is digital as well. Every dpad is digital.

Last time I checked it was analog. The d-pad's analog functions just aren't used in every game.

Well, if you can turn off analog and/or not use its analog functions, wouldn't you be using it as digital?

In any case, the d-pad in my psx dualshock feels better and is more responsive.

Well, whatever works for you. I think they're both great, I don't have a real preference.

[sfried]

Nothing still beats the Hori SNES pad.

SNES Controller = Mother of all controllers. (I especially dislike having two sets of shoulder buttons. Makes the thing feel bulky.)

Still, if I had the choice, I'd go for stick.

[Frederik]

The Gamecube controller is a piece of ergonomic art

This is a joke, right? Or else you have the shoulder width and thumb size of a 5 year old. . . besides the tic-tac sized dpad, the gamecube controller's handles are nearly parallel to each other, which pretty much ensures that your wrists are bent back at a decidedly non-ergonomic angle. The only less ergonomic semi-modern controller is the dreamcast's.

I only play for three hours at Mariokart sessons max every two weeks or so, so it´s not like there is much health concern anyway. I just like the feel of it. So "ergonomic art" was maybe a bit of a stretch

On a sidenote, I wish they would release click-on grips like they did for the GBA and SP for the DS Lite, too. Doesn´t matter that this would make it less portable and/or look retarded, I loved it on my SP.

[system11]

The Dreamcast and Gamecube controllers are designed to make people hate games.

[Turrican]

The Dreamcast and Gamecube controllers are designed to make people hate games.

Agree.

[sfried]

The Dreamcast and Gamecube controllers are designed to make people hate games.

If you dislike the button layout, I'd see why.

DC's controller feels plasticky to me, with a sticick that can potentially chip your thumb.

[DEL]

If you're used to Pad or Keyboard - What happens when you enter a Japanese arcade, or one of the rare Western arcades?

[Twiddle]

I play only slightly worse initially if I'm playing the same game, but I end up playing roughly the same after a bit.

[Sonic R]

If you're used to Pad or Keyboard - What happens when you enter a Japanese arcade, or one of the rare Western arcades?

I fail

[DEL]

Twiddle wrote; ^

I play only slightly worse initially if I'm playing the same game, but I end up playing roughly the same after a bit.

That's good news. I don't think I could do the same if it were the other way around .

[Zebra Airforce]

If you dislike the button layout, I'd see why.

Bad d-pad, crappy analog sticks, terrible shoulder buttons. The best feature might actually be the button layout. It made many button combinations in Soul Calibur 2 much easier.
As for the dreamcast controller, I remember really liking it when I used to play, but going back to it I was a little dissapointed. It also caused my hand to smell like cream cheese.
PS2 is definitely my favorite for its superior d-pad (although it did make my thumb sore during marathon SFIII sessions.)

I always get the feeling that that broken cross was never intended for use in actual gameplay. Just for scrolling through menus and whatnot

As someone who's spent nearly his entire life playing with a d-pad I can't possibly understand how you could feel this way.
XBox is definitely the worst, though. Everything about it. Piece of shit. You can't play anything on it! I couldn't even select my fighting style in Jade Empire correctly.

[Pirate1019]

PS2 is definitely my favorite for its superior d-pad

You're joking right? We are talking about the broken cross d-pad, right?