The other day I was thinking once again about how much I dislike the N64 controller. A month ago I hated it so much that I wanted to discontinue my collection of N64 games. At first, my negative feelings towards the controller were due to the design itself. Three handles, two short ones on symmetrical sides with a longer one in the middle. The spaceship feel to the controller should have been awesome, but what ended up happening was a laboratory experiment with no room for your hands. Shigeru Miyamoto himself later admitted the reason the controller was so awkward was because of his own uncertainty. He wasn't 100% confident the 3D axis in gaming would be well received.
LoL.
Do you guys know how awesome the 8-Directional pad on the N64 controller is? When you hold it via the two short handles on the side, it's better than the PS1 analog controller. Speaking of Sony's controller, which came out in 1998 (three years after the PS1's release, and four years after the N64's), that one's awesome. The analog sticks are soft and rubbery, as opposed to the N64's molded plastic one, which makes it really easy to grip with your thumbs. Not only does it have good grip, but the rotation of the stick itself actually lasts. Good N64 controllers can be tricky to find because of how easy it is to wear down the thumbstick.
