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Sadly, some video game controllers are just objectively terrible. Whether they offered unimaginable gimmicks, or simply didn’t work as advertised, there were so many failed control options for consoles. This has been a common occurrence since the dawn of modern video games, and doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon.
As such, there have been so many awful pieces of video game hardware that it’s hard to know where to begin. Since the Nintendo had so many - the U-Force and the Rollin’ Rocker are just two examples of this - I had to narrow it down to one.
A few honorable mentions, though - the Xbox’s Kinect was a wretched experience. The Nintendo Entertainment System’s base controller isn’t bad, but it is uncomfortable to hold, so it almost made the list.
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Note: This is the opinion of one writer, who has used or owned these over the years. Your mileage may vary. One or two might even be controversial.
What were the worst video game controllers of all time?
10) The Turbotouch 360 [SNES, Genesis]
Created by Triax, this third-party piece of device is a video game controller I was excited for when I was a young man. I was given this as a present for Hanukkah one year, for my Super Nintendo. Admittedly, it was useful when I was grinding through a variety of JRPG, due to the turbo function, but that was it.
It had the worst directional pad I have ever used on any console ever. A circular, 360-degree pad that, when you touch it, is supposed to move you in that direction. About a quarter of the time, it didn’t even register. I lost interest in it after about six months of use.
9) Dreamcast base controller
On a personal level, I adored the Dreamcast. It had the best, arcade-perfect port of Marvel vs. Capcom 2. It was the home of Soulcalibur, and a wealth of other brilliant games. The fact that you could easily pirate titles was the least of this console’s problems.
What makes a video game controller good? It needs to be comfortable to use. The Dreamcast controller was an awkward shape like the N64, with a weaker grip to boot. It was huge and unwieldy, but was otherwise responsive. This video game controller’s biggest crime was just being uncomfortable.
8) The Duke [Xbox]
The Xbox was a revolutionary console, of that there is no doubt. So why was it also paired with one of the biggest, clunkiest video game controllers in history? This one was so bad that Microsoft had to release an “S” version later. Big controllers were popular at the time with companies that weren’t Sony.
Like the Dreamcast above, the Duke's worst sin as a video game controllers was that it was massive, and the default for the console. It was hard for many gamers to use comfortably, which led to a second, smaller version being created.
7) Nintendo Switch Joycons
Another successful console with awful video game controllers. I haven’t used the Joycons on my Nintendo Switch in years. Even when I reviewed The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, I stuck to my Pro controller.
The Joycons as a video game controller hold a charge decently well, and have a dock you can hold, instead of wielding one in each hand. However, they suffer from intense drift. When Joycon Drift begins, they will act like they’re moving, even when nothing is going on.
It can ruin many of your best gaming moments. This alone is worthy of them being a terrible idea to use.
6) Gamecube base controller
Things are probably going to start getting mean after this entry. I understand that the Gamecube controller might be a controversial pick - it’s the preferred controller for Smash Bros. Melee players after all.
My problem with it is honestly just the buttons. The video game controller itself is comfortable to use, but why does it have three different button sizes next to one another though? It made no sense, and was pretty confusing as far as layouts go. It’s a good controller with an unfortunate layout, that's all.
5) Nintendo 64 base controller
While some of the above models were either clunky or uncomfortable, the Nintendo 64 video game controller did both at the same time. It was made by someone who didn’t understand what human hands were capable of. That person also didn’t know how many arms a person was born with.
It had three prongs to hold the controller, and the control stick was above the center prong. It had two different sizes of buttons, with one set being a second set of directions in many cases. There was also a button on the bottom of the model. While many have fond memories of the console, its controller was an abomination.
4) Atari Jaguar base controller
The Atari Jaguar controller is what happens when developers don’t learn from the past. It’s a weird blend of 80s Ataris controllers that was mixed with SEGA’s three-button layout. This massive clunker of a video game controller offered a number pad, alongside an A, B, C button layout. It was uncomfortable, ugly, and unresponsive.
Like the Dreamcast controller, this isn’t the only crime the Jaguar committed either. Most of the other controllers are just unacceptable options for an excellent system. This model makes a bad time miserable. The buttons hardly worked, and the layout made no sense. You can’t call a controller innovative if the design change isn’t useful for anything.
3) Wii-U Tablet
I would like to say that the Wii-U pro was outstanding. Over the past decade, Nintendo has tried to force a wide variety of gimmicks into its controllers. This one was a tablet and a controller at the same time. Some games required you to look down at the screen, instead of your TV.
It was large, consumed a charge at a high rate, and frankly, made no sense. It was incredibly uncomfortable to hold, and forcing players to use it for motion-control gimmicks was the height of foolishness.
It might sound like I’m dumping on most of Nintendo's controllers, but I’m a big fan of the company. It’s just a shame it tried to make so many “new” ideas. Most of them were pretty terrible.
2) SEGA Activator [Genesis/Master System]
The SEGA Genesis controller was very popular for its time. As a video game controller, it was fantastic, unless you were playing fighting games; then it was less ideal. However, the SEGA Activator was an attempt to make a hands-free controller. It was a really cool idea, in concept.
This was an attempt to let players kick and punch their way through their favorite games - that is, if it worked even half as often as it should. You could run, jump, and fight your way through your SEGA games. Or at least, it would, if it had even one game that was made to support it.
It was just a waste of plastic, time, and money. It felt like perhaps one of the biggest rip-offs of the era. It was close, but not quite the worst. One company released a controller that was worse than this, somehow.
1) The Power Glove [NES]
The Power Glove was pure marketing genius. You wear this awesome glove, covered in buttons, and program it to play all your favorite NES games. Designed by Mattel and released for the Nintendo Entertainment System, it was truly unique. You could control your games with button inputs and hand motions - if it worked.
There have been numerous videos made about this controller over the years. The sensors you had to attach to your TV were annoying and seldom stayed connected, and the games made for it were mediocre. It didn’t work as advertised, if it worked at all.
The only thing going for it was that it looked awesome. This video game controller could have been revolutionary. Instead, it was just a sweaty, weird gimmick that somehow made playing video games less fun.
These are far from the only bad video game controllers in existence. Each console has its own, whether first or third party. It’s important to know what works for you, and what doesn’t. Thankfully, not every controller is bad - you might even like some of these, and that’s perfectly fine. Use what works best for you.
