The general consensus seems to be that the Xbox 360 controller is one of the best controllers ever created. It receives high praise for its ergonomic design. The controller feels great to use. That is especially true for more modern titles (I would argue that the Saturn model 2 is the best for most retro titles) and it is arguably the best option for PC gaming where a controller is preferred over mouse & keyboard. That's before anyone mentions that pathetic stock D-Pad and it ruins everything. Well almost... With 3 separate mods to the D-Pad, I think the 360 controller is now a contender for the best controller ever. First 2 Mods Found on Instructables: LINK 1. The DIY Fix of Sanding a surrounding gap along the circular rim to give the D-Pad more room. 2. The addition of a piece of plastic added to the underside of the D-Pad in between the membrane and the plastic underside of the D-Pad. You can use thicker plastic for a snappier response or skip this if you prefer the softer feel of the stock D-Pad. 3. Upgrade the stock D-Pad using the 3D printed Xbox D-Pad from Shapeways (search Xbox D-Pad mod on Shapeways) and the photo below is the end result: The D-Pad is incredibly responsive as all directional inputs register like nobody's business. Depending on the thickness of the plastic used on the underside, you receive a tactile/clicky response when the D-Pad springs back to neutral. All cardinal directions can be hit with ease and the ordinal directions register properly on a consistent basis. It is so much better. The 3D printed D-Pad can also be fitted on an OG Xbox S-type controller: I have also used a modified controller face from evilcontrollers and that too is a viable option: The issue I have with this one is the space between the D-Pad buttons make it hard to press 2 directions at the same time. Your mileage may vary there as my thumb may just be too small to be comfortable with the layout. Another issue is the XYAB buttons are a bit recessed into the controller face compared to the Microsoft manufactured controller: Truth is that no modifications should even be necessary for a controller to be considered the best. I recently purchased an Xbone controller for the PC and I plan to test that out more extensively in the weeks to come. So I may soon change my opinion on the matter as well! To wrap this post up, I'd like to hear from members about what they think of such a bold claim of "The Best Controller Ever" as I'm sure there is a lot that can be said to rebut such a claim!
Great mod, but still not my cup of tea. The Main reason I hate the Xbox controller is the abyx buttons. It feels like I’m pressing glass marbles not buttons. Other than that, I like it and a good option for pc gaming. Personally, I think gamecube controller is fantastic and ps4 feels pretty good minus the awkward capture and options buttons.
Awesome Mod and guide! I love Super Nes Controller cause the feel of wrapping my fingers over L and R was soothing. but XbOne for sure is my favorite, was 360, till xbox One came Out
On two controllers I use the simple plastic washer fix as shown -- cut from a lid. There's some debate if enlarging the hole is necessary. It's worth suggesting just try the washer first to see if that's enough for your unit / taste. Have an Xbox One. The 360 remains the best all-rounder because it has XP drivers.
It's a decent controller, but it isn't reliable at all. They all inevitably break if you use them for any amount of time. I have 4 of them, and of the 4, only the one I bought most recently doesn't have any problems - though it does have a noisy R trigger. I have controllers for many other systems that are much older that are still functioning perfectly. It's not a bad controller for PC gaming, but again, don't expect it to last for very long.
Just curious: analog or digital? I expect my simpler on-off switch controllers to last better. But do you mean versus your DC/GC/PSX/XBOX controllers?
Both. Almost any other controller on any other system has been more reliable than the 360 controller for me, except for the DS2. That controller is similar to the 360 controller in that it quickly breaks down under normal use. I have one Xbox controller that has a faulty R trigger (which I've had for 16 years), and for other systems I have one or two official controllers that were broken when I got them, and maybe one or two shitty 3rd party ones that had problems at some point. Other than that, all of the rest of my controllers - which includes most systems before the 360 and after then NES - are all working fine.
That does seem to be a common occurrence. I tend to go with the wired 360 controllers and stopped buying wireless. I've had stick drift problems with my wireless 360 controller that developed over time.
I like the PS4 controller personally. People don't like the DC controller but if it had a second analog stick then it would be up there for me. The 360 controller is certainly good but I can't say that it's my favorite.
I don’t like the Dreamcast controller because of the wire coming out the wrong end. Not sure what they were thinking there.. Also interestingly, Dc is the only console where I’ve preferred the madcatz version of the controller
I used to hold the 360 pad to a very high regard indeed, until I bought the 8bitdo N30 Pro, it's a godsend. The analogue sticks are the weakest points, but man did they get the other buttons right. In fact, I'd say retro controllers have received somewhat of a Renaissance considering solid offerings from 8bitdo, the new Duke for the XO, the successful N64 controller kickstarter and officially released Sega controllers.
All of mine are wireless, including the one I use for my PC. The main problems I have tend to be related to the shoulder buttons, and sometimes they seem to have connection problems - also, the analog stick on one of my controllers had a piece fall off of the edge of the stick. The latter is probably one of the first 2 I got for the 360.
I'd never heard of people hating the 360 d-pad until quite recently, like a year or two ago. Is it a new thing or have people always hated it? Everyone I know thinks it's perfectly fine, and I used to use it to play Street Fighter all the time. It's better than most d-pads to me.
It was pretty well known to be bad. The green pro evo controller had an improved dpad and is the xbox controller I had
Not being facetious, I really like the Jaguar controller. The grips are nice and sturdy with curved insets on the rear which naturally accommodate my middle fingers. The buttons are also nice and clunky with a solid click. It gets a bad rap, mostly from people who've never actually held one, possibly because the numeric pad is a bit of a dated idea and looks a tad silly contrasted to the modern gamer's conception of what a controller should be. It's become my go-to controller when emulating 8 and 16-bit era games which don't require analog sticks. I like the idea of the Dreamcast controller, and can easily get past the weird cabling, but holding it just feels awkward for me. The grips on the rear are far too narrow to be comfortable and my hands curl around them too much. I have a Mad Catz as well and it's a great improvement in that regard.
Haha so it’s not just me that likes the madcatz one. Seriously if madcatz switched the wiring I’d be a happy camper
Wow that's the first I've seen of that. It looks like it would be an awesome SNES style d-pad. Too bad they stuck with the more traditional design.
