To try and spice things up and also, for a bit of a change, we decided to round up some of the worst video game controllers of all time.
Below, you’ll find some video game controllers that, for some reason — developers will claim that it was in the name of “innovation” but these controllers look more like a sad and pathetic excuse for a product than anything else — are just plain bad.
“The Duke”
The original Microsoft Xbox controller was bad.
Like, really bad.
Compared to its more svelte and ergonomic contemporaries, such as the DualShock 2 for the PlayStation 2, as well as the default controller for the Nintendo GameCube, “The Duke”, as it has since been named, is more of a dupe than anything else.
The only thing royal about the original Microsoft Xbox controller is how it will go down as the king of worst video game controllers, and it’s not just because of how bad it is, but also because it was the default controller that the original Xbox came with.
Thankfully, Microsoft was smart enough to dial back on its design and release the “S” a few years later, which sports the same design philosophy that would be used later for the default controllers for the Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
Nintendo N64 Controller
Apparently, human beings have three hands. Or, at least, those that used to work in Nintendo when the Nintendo 64 was being designed two decades ago were.
Just look at it.
Who in the right mind would design a controller so cumbersome to use that no human with two hands would be able to reach both the analogue stick and the D-pad without having to contort their hands in a way that most humans never could?
If there’s any consolation to Nintendo releasing one of the worst video game controllers of all time, it’s that it really wasn’t bad enough to deter most people from buying themselves a Nintendo 64. But, then again, could you imagine just how much more the console would have sold if the controller was any better?
Sega Activator
For a team, it seemed as if like Sega could do no wrong.
Sales were going smoothly, and everything they released flew off of store shelves as quickly as they arrived. But, the success went to Sega’s head as they went and decided to release one failed idea after another, eventually releasing one of the worst video game controllers of all time in the Sega Activator.
In a way, the Sega Activator was ahead of its time.
With VR as big as it is today, the Sega Activator would probably fit right in with today’s tech, provided it was improved upon enough. But, back then, the novelty of having a “full-body game controller” that had you hopping around your living room just so you could try and make Sony run a single straight line just wasn’t enough to get people to buy the Sega Activator.
But, that’s not even the worst part.
The worst part about the Sega Activator is that it launched and died with zero games actually made to support it.
DualShock 3 / SixAxis
Speaking of launching a controller with features that no game ever supported, the DualShock 3 is another example of how even the most successful companies can launch a dud.
When it released, the Sony DualShock 3 was fresh off the heels of the Sony DualShock 2, which in itself was a massive improvement over the already excellent Dualshock for the original PlayStation that arguably started the current design trend of gaming controllers.
So, naturally, expectations for the PlayStation 3’s default controller were high.
Unfortunately, not only did the DualShock 3 fail to meet expectations, it was just a downright fail. Sure, the design was great. Nobody questioned that. But, by dropping the vibration feature and prioritizing motion-controls at a time when games very rarely supported the feature if at all, Sony stumbled upon one of the worst video game controllers of all time.
Perhaps it’s a good thing that the DualShock 3 came, however.
Arguably because of it, Sony had to redesign their controllers going forward, resulting into the near-perfect DualShock 4 that we all have come to know and love today.
ProController
The 80s and 90s was a weird time for video games.
With companies feeling each other out and treading uncharted waters, there were bound to be a failure or two. In fact, we’ve already featured a couple of them on our list. But, at least, with the Nintendo 64’s default controller and that of the Sega Activator, there was some sense to their failure.
On the other hand, the ProController for the Atari Jaguar is just .. bizarre.
We get trying to innovate and changing things up. That’s a risk you’d have to be willing to make in the gaming industry. However, design changes have to have some logic behind them, which the ProController severely lacked.
By adding a number pad into the ProController, Atari made the Jaguar’s gamepad unnaturally large, even for its time. The worst part? The pad had no use! Or, at least, not in the conventional sense. Atari thought that it was a good idea to put a number pad and not have it be used for writing numbers. Sure, games eventually made use of it, but who is here willing to bet that it was mostly because developers had no choice but to support such a bizarre-looking controller?
Weird times man. Weird times.
Intel Wireless Series Gamepad
Intel is one of the biggest companies around. Their reputation far exceeds that of the video game industry. But, even they aren’t immune to making questionable choices.
Case in point, the Intel Wireless Series Gamepad
Equal parts controller and equal parts neck support, this weird excuse for a controller promised a more “comfortable” way of playing video games, but failed to deliver massively because it was the exact opposite of comfortable to wear and use. Plus, in the off chance that you actually tried to make it work and download the drivers straight from Intel’s very own website, the Wireless Series Gamepad wouldn’t always work as intended.
Luckily, Intel was smart enough not to pitch the design as a default controller for a separate console.
Power Glove
How could a company fail more than thinking that gamers had three arms?
Well, release something before that utter failure of a controller that was the default gamepad for the Nintendo N64 and think that people would buy something that looked straight out of your favourite Super Sentai TV show — a genre of Japanese TV shows that inspired the likes of Power Rangers, among others.
One of the first wearable electronics ever released, Mattel’s Power Glove for the NES was way ahead of its time.
The Power Glove placed the NES controller’s buttons on your forearm and allowed you to control the screen using hand gestures. Plus, it had numbered buttons.
Basically, the Power Glove served as the inspiration for a number of controllers who unfortunately found themselves son our list.
The Dreamcast Controller
There are a lot of reasons why the Dreamcast failed as a console.
For one, it was way ahead of its time. Secondly, it went up against the PlayStation 2, which, by the way, went down as the best-selling console of all time. Lastly, the controller definitely did not do the Dreamcast any favour.
The bulky shape of the Dreamcast controller was probably even worse than that of the N64 that we featured earlier on our list, which is saying a lot. Not to mention, for how stocky the controller looked, it felt flimsy and cheap, with an unnatural feel when held that was a far cry from that of the DualShock.
Kinect
Do you know how to go down as the creatures of one of the worst video game controllers ever released? It’s simple. Force everyone to buy it!
Taking a queue from the Power Glove of yesteryear, Microsoft made a more modern version of Nintendo’s take on remote interaction and decided that it was so good that people had to buy it.
In a way, Microsoft did succeed. At least, in the remote interaction part. Because, as a video game controller, the Kinect will and has gone down as one of the worst if not the worst gaming peripheral of all time.
Everything that could’ve gone wrong for the original Kinect went wrong, including poor performance in low lighting conditions and lack of support from developers.
To say that the Kinect was dead just right before it released would only be fitting. But, for Microsoft, the Kinect’s failure only served as motivation, and come the release of the Xbox One years later, they decided to double down and justify the console’s price increase by including the Kinect 2.0, which has since cost Microsoft millions of dollars in sales as the price difference (among others) allowed the PlayStation 4 to leapfrog the Xbox One as the best-selling console of its generation.
You only need to look at the difference in sales numbers between the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One to know if the Kinect (or the Kinect 2.0) was worth the added premium.
Final Thoughts
Thankfully, these days, we’re spoiled with choices when it comes to video game controllers.
Because of how conscious companies already are with their releases, it’s highly unlikely that we’ll see one in the future make it into a list of the worst video game controllers released of all time. Besides, even if we do see a weird release, we don’t think that it’ll be as bad as the ones featured on our list.
But, then again, who knows, right?
Either way, you won’t have to worry about wasting your money on a dud with us.
Here are The Controller People, we pride ourselves with one of the best custom PS4 controllers around. Modded from the DualShock 4 to fit the needs of every hardcore gamer out there, our custom-made PS4 controllers are merely improved versions of what’s considered as one of the best video game controllers of all time.
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30 Comments
B
BillyBoner
Eh, not a well thought-out list. I know this is the obvious one to complain about, but… the 64 controller? Really? I have never in my life met anyone who hated it. It’s comfy and easy to use – what more do you want? As for the D-pad, it was never meant to be used in tandem with the stick – tbh, I don’t think I ever encountered a single game which required D-pad use at all… and I’ve played TONS of 64 games, certainly all the classics at least. I’d sooner say the original NES or SNES controllers were worse because they gave you “stiff hand” syndrome from clutching the controller after an hour or two (even then, those were still not “bad” controllers). The 64 controller was, for the time, a radically ergonomic design that allowed you to hold the controller without straining your fingers. Quite honestly, I’d rank it as one of the best controller designs ever.
Come to think of it, a few of the entries on this list are suspect. The original Xbox controller certainly ain’t pretty, and I wouldn’t call it good – but have you ever played a Sega Genesis? The OEM controllers were everything bad about the OG Xbox controller but even worse. It was huge, felt like holding a brick; the buttons were too raised and had stiff edges, leading to crazy blisters on your thumbs; the plastic was a very strange and uncomfortable material, and probably even more complaints could come to mind if I held one now. Anyone who would rank the OG Xbox controller below the OG Genesis controller is clearly not up-to-speed on their retro consoles.
Overall, this list is a travesty and should be redone with passion.
Indeed. Not sure how the N64 controller, the OG Xbox controller, and PS3’s controller can end up in the same list as the Intel Wireless and the Jaguar ProController.
Games didn’t use the d-pad and stick together because of the design of the controller, not in spite of it. If the design of your controller doesn’t allow the player to use all of the buttons, and therefore enable developers to make use of all of the buttons, then its a bad controller. Controller design has two considerations, being able to hold the controller comfortably and being able to use its buttons. The N64 controller does the first but fails at the second.
It doesn’t matter what corporation did what wrong. What does matter is how do I repair my Sony Controller from moving the curser all by itself? It’s a contant fight to get the cursor to go where I want. Its causing stress and not treating stress. I want to throw the Sony Controller and the replacement No Name Controller far, far away. However, I can soder as well as anyone, so how to repair? It is the Joystick that’s the problem? That’s my suspect in this detective exercise. Would a larger contact surface treat the problem? It’s best to DIY ninety-nine times out of a hundred. My Flux Capacitor is warming up.
You should try cleaning the sensors of the analogues. This is quite an easy fix and can buy you a little time before doing a more permanent fix. No soldering is required 🙂
The N64 controller is a pretty good controller. they weren’t thinking “do people have three hands?”, they were thinking about how to make it ergonomic and be used in various ways trying to bridge the SNES to a new generation of gaming (being it was the first controller with an analogue joystick.
One thing about the Dreamcast controller and why it was so large is because they again were ahead of their time. It wasn’t just a bulky controller of wasted space. They created a memory card that would be inserted into the controller that not only saved the game, but would allow you to remove the car and continue to play the game (or at least parts) on the card itself like a micro gameboy. if anything it was a revolutionary marvel. I would have probably put the “boomerang” controllers for n64 and PlayStation and the PS2 remote (the absolute worst “controller”).
God that fat bloated tub o’ lard that the Duke controller was – I took my XBox back and got a refund after trying to make that worthless thing work for 90 minutes. And then the ATI Radeon 9700 Pro came out… I have never looked back!
did you know that Nintendo made the first joystick sensing
controller?
but the Duke was hell. I got scars from that thing and if you bust it open and you use it incorrectly you could hurt yourself.just saying I think game controllers back in the day we’re so competitive and so bad at the same time.anyway have we even realized the PlayStation 5
I personally don’t think that kinect is THAT bad, sure it has some problems but overall is pretty awesome PS. I’m not an Xbox owner but I used to play on one and in my opinion kinect is better than a normal controller
Nintendo fan here. The N64’s thumbstick and d-pad were not meant to be used at the same time. For most games you use one or the other, or switch back and forth between them.
Well yeah, of course developers for the N64 weren’t going to make games that use both the d-pad and stick at the same time if the controller wouldn’t allow for it. But I think history has made it overwhelmingly clear that if developers can use both, they will.
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30 Comments
Eh, not a well thought-out list. I know this is the obvious one to complain about, but… the 64 controller? Really? I have never in my life met anyone who hated it. It’s comfy and easy to use – what more do you want? As for the D-pad, it was never meant to be used in tandem with the stick – tbh, I don’t think I ever encountered a single game which required D-pad use at all… and I’ve played TONS of 64 games, certainly all the classics at least. I’d sooner say the original NES or SNES controllers were worse because they gave you “stiff hand” syndrome from clutching the controller after an hour or two (even then, those were still not “bad” controllers). The 64 controller was, for the time, a radically ergonomic design that allowed you to hold the controller without straining your fingers. Quite honestly, I’d rank it as one of the best controller designs ever.
Come to think of it, a few of the entries on this list are suspect. The original Xbox controller certainly ain’t pretty, and I wouldn’t call it good – but have you ever played a Sega Genesis? The OEM controllers were everything bad about the OG Xbox controller but even worse. It was huge, felt like holding a brick; the buttons were too raised and had stiff edges, leading to crazy blisters on your thumbs; the plastic was a very strange and uncomfortable material, and probably even more complaints could come to mind if I held one now. Anyone who would rank the OG Xbox controller below the OG Genesis controller is clearly not up-to-speed on their retro consoles.
Overall, this list is a travesty and should be redone with passion.
Indeed. Not sure how the N64 controller, the OG Xbox controller, and PS3’s controller can end up in the same list as the Intel Wireless and the Jaguar ProController.
Games didn’t use the d-pad and stick together because of the design of the controller, not in spite of it. If the design of your controller doesn’t allow the player to use all of the buttons, and therefore enable developers to make use of all of the buttons, then its a bad controller. Controller design has two considerations, being able to hold the controller comfortably and being able to use its buttons. The N64 controller does the first but fails at the second.
I didn’t think the Dreamcast controller was all that bad, The N64 was terrible though the joystick would always break on them as well.
It doesn’t matter what corporation did what wrong. What does matter is how do I repair my Sony Controller from moving the curser all by itself? It’s a contant fight to get the cursor to go where I want. Its causing stress and not treating stress. I want to throw the Sony Controller and the replacement No Name Controller far, far away. However, I can soder as well as anyone, so how to repair? It is the Joystick that’s the problem? That’s my suspect in this detective exercise. Would a larger contact surface treat the problem? It’s best to DIY ninety-nine times out of a hundred. My Flux Capacitor is warming up.
You should try cleaning the sensors of the analogues. This is quite an easy fix and can buy you a little time before doing a more permanent fix. No soldering is required 🙂
🙂
you know they weren’t saying the N64 was bad, they just said that the controller look weird that’s all
What about the ooya
The N64 controller is a pretty good controller. they weren’t thinking “do people have three hands?”, they were thinking about how to make it ergonomic and be used in various ways trying to bridge the SNES to a new generation of gaming (being it was the first controller with an analogue joystick.
One thing about the Dreamcast controller and why it was so large is because they again were ahead of their time. It wasn’t just a bulky controller of wasted space. They created a memory card that would be inserted into the controller that not only saved the game, but would allow you to remove the car and continue to play the game (or at least parts) on the card itself like a micro gameboy. if anything it was a revolutionary marvel. I would have probably put the “boomerang” controllers for n64 and PlayStation and the PS2 remote (the absolute worst “controller”).
The first controller with an analog joystick was the atari 5200. It came out 13 years before the N64.
God that fat bloated tub o’ lard that the Duke controller was – I took my XBox back and got a refund after trying to make that worthless thing work for 90 minutes. And then the ATI Radeon 9700 Pro came out… I have never looked back!
The Duke was a brick, I’ll give you that BUT it did have the best layout ever, still the standard of choice
indeed
did you know that Nintendo made the first joystick sensing
controller?
but the Duke was hell. I got scars from that thing and if you bust it open and you use it incorrectly you could hurt yourself.just saying I think game controllers back in the day we’re so competitive and so bad at the same time.anyway have we even realized the PlayStation 5
And the kinect has problems but it pretty good nonetheless
The duke was sweet
THIS WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!THANK YOU!!!
OP made a second account to say this lol
I personally don’t think that kinect is THAT bad, sure it has some problems but overall is pretty awesome PS. I’m not an Xbox owner but I used to play on one and in my opinion kinect is better than a normal controller
The Dreamcast Controller was perfect for SOULCALIBUR and NFL2K infact it was the perfect fit for Dreamcast GAMES PERIOD!!!!!
Nintendo fan here. The N64’s thumbstick and d-pad were not meant to be used at the same time. For most games you use one or the other, or switch back and forth between them.
I love the N64 and I was born a decade after the relaease
Well yeah, of course developers for the N64 weren’t going to make games that use both the d-pad and stick at the same time if the controller wouldn’t allow for it. But I think history has made it overwhelmingly clear that if developers can use both, they will.