Why we hate the N64 controller ;)

[SlowCoder]

I thought I'd bring this up in a new thread, rather than carry on off-topic in the original thread.

 

I don't understand what is to hate about the N64 controller. I love it and have never has even the slightest issue with it...unless your talking about worn out thumbsticks. I got replacement 3rd party thumbsticks on Ebay and gaming is a joy. I don't mean to detail this topic, but a few breif comments about why you guys hate the controller blended in with your response to the topic would be greatly appreciated.

I don't have too many problems with the way the N64 controller plays. It's fairly comfortable for long play, and for the most-part, durable.

 

Not really a complaint, but I can't think of any time I've actually utilized the left D-Pad for anything useful. Typically directional control is handled by the joystick. In fact, I think there are very few games that actually utilize most or all of the buttons on the controller. Seems a bit like overkill for the console's generation.

 

As far as the joystick itself, I'd say about 1/3 of the controllers I've gotten have at least semi-worn out joysticks. The sticks are wobbly, which isn't necessarily a problem for gameplay, except that when they wear out, they also feel gritty and uneven, even when they've been completely cleaned and lubricated. This is something I know you, as a guy who's always refurbishing CV controllers, wouldn't care for either. If it ain't perfect, we're not happy. Now, sure, I can pay $10 for a new joystick, but why should I have to in the first place? These controllers are the only ones in the lots of consoles I've rebuilt where there is always question about the longevity, and the feeling that I should limit the amount of playtime if I want my joysticks to last. My PS2 and PS3 controllers all have multi-thousands of hours of play on them, and are still tight. If they were built with N64 sticks, I'd be in a lot of trouble.

 

Coming in a close 2nd to the longevity issues would have to be the Atari CX40s, with the weak plastic ring that over flexes and deforms when pushed hard.

[LidLikesIntellivision]

I also like the N64 controller, to be honest, I like it very much.

And yes its longevity is a downside but yet a good controller if you don't play too much.

 

If I'm not derailing the thread I'd like to ask how the N64 longevity and repair compares to the 5200's.

I know very well the N64 but never had a 5200 in my hands and its fragility is holding me from acquiring an Atari 5200.

[+Yurkie]

I know you, as a guy who's always refurbishing CV controllers, wouldn't care for either. If it ain't perfect, we're not happy. Now, sure, I can pay $10 for a new joystick, but why should I have to in the first place? These controllers are the only ones in the lots of consoles I've rebuilt where there is always question about the longevity, and the feeling that I should limit the amount of playtime if I want my joysticks to last. My PS2 and PS3 controllers all have multi-thousands of hours of play on them, and are still tight. If they were built with N64 sticks, I'd be in a lot of trouble

 

I will not use something that is kind of ok. I bought 3 or 4 N64s and all the thumb sticks on all the controllers where basically junk. Therefore I didn't have a bit of a problem buying 2 $10 replacement thumbsticks for my N64 controllers. They are smooth really well made, and I bet would hold up 10 times longer than the Nintendo originals. My theory on classic gaming hardware is that I usually have to buy several systems, mix and match, clean and repair and basically spend a fair chunk of money to get things the way I want them.

[SlowCoder]

If I'm not derailing the thread I'd like to ask how the N64 longevity and repair compares to the 5200's.

I know very well the N64 but never had a 5200 in my hands and its fragility is holding me from acquiring an Atari 5200.

Derail away. I've heard the same about the 5200, but I've never had one. The 7800 controllers are pretty bad also. Now that I remember, they actually trump the CX40s in wear problems.

[+Yurkie]

I was looking on Ebay and all replacements may not be created equal. The one on this link looks like the ones I used and they are fantastic. This seller even has an install guide video embedded in the auction.

 

eBay Auction -- Item Number: 380435295000

[LidLikesIntellivision]

I was looking on Ebay and all replacements may not be created equal. The one on this link looks like the ones I used and they are fantastic. This seller even has an install guide video embedded in the auction.

 

eBay Auction -- Item Number: 380435295000

Thanks for the info. I might use it some day.

[Austin]

I like the Nintendo 64 controllers. It would have been nicer if some of the buttons were slightly larger (the C-buttons), but it's not a big deal.

 

The setup can be a little awkward for games that might need every button on the controller (including the d-pad), but it's not a huge deal. Games that are particularly problematic like Quake, Doom 64, and Hexen, have customizable controls for the most part, so with a bit of tinkering anyone should be able to find a setup that works well enough.

 

For games that revolve around it, I think the dead-center analog stick, with the Z-button on the back, is great. I like the balance of pull-and-tug on it. It's not too loose like the PS2 analog sticks, and it's not so large it's inaccurate, like the Saturn 3D pad analog stick. It makes for brilliant play in games like F-Zero X and Wipeout 64. If there is any stick I will take over any other for racing games, it's the N64 stick.

 

Directional pad-based games, there's actually more of them than people seem to think. Most if not all of the fighting games (sans Smash Bros.), the 2D platformers (Kirby, Mischief Makers, etc.), some of the 2D-based arcade ports (NBA Hang Time, Rampage World Tour, etc.), the retro compilations (Namco Museum, Midway Arcade Hits), the retro remakes (Asteroids Hyper 64 and Robotron 64), and the list goes on. Even some of the first person shooters support it, like Hexen (the way I prefer to play it is by mapping the movement to the d-pad, and using the shoulder buttons for strafing, much like with DOOM on the PlayStation).

 

All right.. Now, the biggest issue most people have is reliability. Here's a golden rule for those having problems with that: Don't play Mario Party. Period.

[SlowCoder]

I was looking on Ebay and all replacements may not be created equal. The one on this link looks like the ones I used and they are fantastic. This seller even has an install guide video embedded in the auction.

 

eBay Auction -- Item Number: 380435295000

Good info to know! Thank you for sharing.

 

When I've got more "disposable" cash, I may try to get a couple for my most played controllers.

 

All right.. Now, the biggest issue most people have is reliability. Here's a golden rule for those having problems with that: Don't play Mario Party. Period.

Haha ... Mario Party 3 is one of the favorites in the house on N64. It's one of the very few games my older son and I get to play together on that system. I do know what you're saying. It seems that game was born to destroy joysticks.

[+Yurkie]

I think you guy really should try the replacment thumbsticks. I think you will be amazed, I know I was.

[Atariboy]

I never even held the controller correctly and I still liked it (I never held it by the center prong).

 

I think that's one reason I'm not so fond of the Wii's nunchuck. I don't like the analog stick being centered above my hand. I like it a bit further to the right like it would be positioned on a gamepad.

[doomwaves]

My primary complaint just a matter of preference.

 

I would rather the joystick & the dpad be on the same section. I don't care for it having 2 places the controller to be held. Seems to me, it would make more sense if all the buttons were easily pressed without moving one's hand to a different location. While I understand that most games, if not all of them, do not require both the dpad & joystick to be used at the same time..

 

It feels sort of cramped for me too.

 

I did not have an n64 as a kid, so it is very new to me & i am so used to the ps2 & xbox/xbox 360 controllers & other simple controllers like the NES & Atari joysticks that it is hard for me to make the transition to n64 & dreamcast for that matter..

 

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the n64, but the controller is pretty far down on my list of favorites..

[LidLikesIntellivision]

I remember playing Duke Nukem and it was great. Yes, I had to move my right hand to press the L Trigger to activate the jetpack but it was very cool and you used that just a few times.

 

Duke Nukem also used down and right of D-pad to select some items but I could do with my thumb and it wasn't that bad. I don't remember another game that used all buttons.

[Reaperman]

For me it seems like the controller was designed by committee--they didn't know what to do so they tried everything. Actually my thoughts on that transfer to many post-snes nintendo systems. We wound up with a controller that was held in a silly way for 90%+ of the n64 library.

 

My least favorite n64 feature was the swapping of rumble packs and memory cards. Fantastic, and the cards somehow always seemed to corrupt themselves. Someday, I'll buy one of those combo units. I have the 3rd party one where the memory card fits into the rumble pack, but that's an even worse than the controller was.

 

The controller was also poorly equipped to handle the 3d conversions of many of the platforms titles. It was obvious that that was what the N64 was to be about, but it failed with me, and I stuck to 3rd party racing games (many of which were very nice). From n64 on I became pretty much a racing game player, and I really came to dislike most of the first party nintendo titles, from that generation through today.

 

That said, I've never had mechanical issues with any of my n64 controllers. The sticks are all fine, with zero maintenance, but I refuse to play n64 games like mario party that were designed entirely to drive new controller sales.

Edited September 9, 2012 by Reaperman

[+swlovinist]

Fan of the controller here. The replacement sticks are AWESOME. I don't have issues with the controller.

[shadow460]

If I'm not derailing the thread I'd like to ask how the N64 longevity and repair compares to the 5200's.

I know very well the N64 but never had a 5200 in my hands and its fragility is holding me from acquiring an Atari 5200.

Derail away. I've heard the same about the 5200, but I've never had one. The 7800 controllers are pretty bad also. Now that I remember, they actually trump the CX40s in wear problems.

Broken 7800 sticks are easy to fix with a screwdriver, scissors, and some thick cardboard. The CX-40 definitely doesn't seem to be designed to last 30 years. That's why I much prefer CX-10s and the flashback 2 sticks.

 

I have two of my original N64 controllers that I purchased in 1997. They work flawlessly and have never been worked on in any way. There have been times when I lived on N64, particularly while playing games like Zelda and Perfect Dark. I've used the D-Pad occasionally in Goldeneye and Perfect Dark, and used it a lot with Pokemon Stadium 2. (yes, for a while this manly man couldn't live without his cutesy little pocket monsters!) In addition, I have purchased two more controllers and replaced the stick in one.

I think what it boils down to is how you use the controller. I broke quite a few within weeks or even days when I first got the system, then I started being kinda gentle with them. That found its way into my playing habits and these days I have few reservations about playing any system with a rare or valuable controller.

I don't use the stock controllers for racing games. They're not well suited for that. Instead, I use the Ultra Racer 64, which feels to me much like an Atari paddle controller. Why change the formula that Atari got right in the seventies? Granted, there's a big difference between Street Racer and San Francisco Rush, but I love the way a paddle style controller works for such games.

The complaints I have with the N64 controller stem from the packs they use. The rumble pack puts a slight bit of torque on the controller when it vibrates. It's enough to throw my aim off in Perfect Dark or Goldeneye. It also pulls the front of the controller downward, which causes my wrist to cramp when I'm holding the middle handle. The Transfer Pak is much worse about cramping my wrist because it's so big. I left it plugged in after linking Perfect Dark up and tried to play a level or two on the N64. The combination of Transfer Pak and Game Boy Rumble Cart was just too much to hold up. I did notice, though, that when holding the outer handles, I could barely feel the weight of the Transfer Pak. The controller as a whole felt quite natural while playing Pokemon Stadium 2 with the Transfer Pak and any of half a dozen Game Boy Pokemon carts plugged in.

[HatefulGravey]

My problem with this controller is my hand doesn't fit well on the center grip. So games that use the center stick and Z button (and that seems to be most of them) are very hard for me to play for any length of time. There was a third part controller I had when the system was new that I loved, but I haven't bothered to buy one of those since I started collecting again. The N64 is pretty low on my list of systems to collect for if truth be told.

[Metal Ghost]

I gave my opinion in my own thread here: http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/156876-n64-joystick/page__hl__%2Bn64

 

Basically it's my least favorite controller. Now, I find it more useable then other controllers, for example the 7800 hurts my hands after longer gaming sessions, and the 5200's controller simply dies with disuse and is almost unusable with some games given the non-self centering nature of the joystick. Yet I still find those controllers more, I don't know, elegent than the N64's. And the N64 joystick nub hurst my thumb more than any other 'modern' controller. Eh, just my opinion.

[HatefulGravey]

That is the controller I had when I had this console new. It is much easier for me use, and I should be picking up some of them right now but I'm not because I already have too much stuff I want and no where to put any of it right now .

[doomwaves]

That is the controller I had when I had this console new. I is much easier for me use, and I should be picking up some of them right now but I'm not because I already have too much stuff I want and no where to put any of it right now .

 

Yea.. This is the one that I want to invest in as well.. The layout just makes more sense to me... I'll have to nab one of these myself, because I do love the small collection of n64 games that I have.

[AtariLeaf]

I've never been a big N64 fan, in fact I've bought and sold the system so many times I can't remember, always in an attempt to like the system but other than Robotron 64 and a couple of the racing games I can't really get into it. However, to the point at hand, I've never had a problem with the controllers. I'm not in love with them but I think they work fine.

[Pixelboy]

I'm firmly in the camp of those who can't stand the N64 controller, for just one single reason: The sensitivity of the Z button. It was an analog button, if I remember correctly, and playing Super Mario 64 was a chore for me because whenever the action got hectic, I would press the Z button ever so slightly (and quite unintentionally) and Mario would end up doing something else than what I wanted him to do at the worst possible moment. That single flaw in the controller turned me off to the N64 entirely.

[NightSprinter]

HatefulGravey, I have the other version of it (SharkPad 64 Pro). The dome is a big downfall of the N64 controller's thumbstick. I even had a controller refurbished with a GameCube's thumbstick, and it was quite difficult at times to aim in GoldenEye 007.

 

Yurkie, those thumbsticks seem to be the ones I referred to. How well do they control for FPS, and stuff like Rush 2049 and StarFox64?

[shadow460]

I had a SharkPad 64 of some sort. It was easy to use, but the analog stick wasn't very accurate. Unfortunately, it was made of brittle plastic and the center handle shattered one day when I dropped it by accident. I went back to using my first party red and green controllers and my Goldeneye game improved. Those are the two controllers for the system I've kept all these years, and they come out when I get the urge to play.

[Shannon]

Sometimes I wonder if the N64 controller was designed mostly to just play Super Mario 64 and not much other thought was given to how other games would fair on it.

 

However Nintendo did pioneer a few ideas before Sony took all the good ones and made the Dual Shock 2.

[Mxyzptlk]

I have owned or at least played just about every system out there, and I would have to say that the N64 (other than the 2600's) joysticks are the best, user friendy, and simplest that I have ever used so far.