The ASCI SNES pad was f*cking great, as was the original Neo Geo AES stick...
I would have to disagree re the original Neo Geo AES stick. For the most part, I do love it, but I find the button layout awkward and conducive to cramping. I've often wondered why they went with that curved layout, which is not at all how your hand wants to rest naturally. Why not stick to the original arcade layout which was great, after all the AES was supposed to bring the arcade experience to your home, which it did but I can't see why the arcade button layout wasn't included in this.
You must have your hands on backward, or claws for hands, or something like that. The AES button layout is nearly perfect. Are you trying to use your index finger for A? If so, you're doing in wrong. The thumb goes on A, index B, middle C, ring finger D. Pinky is unused. This is exactly how a normal person's hand will naturally lay if you sit the controller on your lap with your left hand on the stick, and your right hand drawn close. Seriously, just put your relaxed mid-positioned hands out in front of you right now on your keyboard and bring your thumbs together on the space bar. Look at your thumb and first three fingers on your right hand, they describe almost the same arc as the AES button layout.
This is why I duplicated it for my home made stick:
The arcade layout requires that you cock your wrist/hand to the right to make it vertical unless your arm is straight out, which it won't be unless your left arm/elbow is much more crooked than your left. My only problem with the AES stick is that the buttons are kind of sloppy and loud and have that overly round shape and greasy texture. Other than that...fantastic, and pretty reliable.
SNES pads are great. Nice contour, comfortable to hold and 6 main buttons that are all easily accessible. No problems with Dragon Punches at all.
The standard SNES pad is pretty nice. After 300 hours the D-pad still works well, which is more than I can say for
MD/Genesis pads which have their d-pads go to shit rather quickly.
I'm specifically talking about the ASCII one. Because of all the room they need for the turbo switches the L and R buttons are at a ~ 15ยบ angle which means you don't have to curl your fingers so much to use them. This makes it a DREAM controller for Super Mario Kart. I wouldn't play fighters on any pad, let alone one where you have to use the shoulder buttons for 6 button games. There is a later ASCII SNES pad just for fighters with L and R on the face. Its not as good of a pad as the original, but at least you don't have to use the shoulder buttons.
I don't mind Mega Drive pads either
The 6 button is nice, but the 3 button really wears badly. They get so bad that when you want to go down you'll often get down/right down/left diagonals. That used to piss me off so much.
and the strange d-pad on the Saturn controllers is actually very comfortable to use.
I'm not sure what's strange about it. Both styles, the JP and early US, are pretty normal IMO. The JP one (also later US) is the best D-pad short of the Neo Geo Pocket ever made, and the rest of the controller is pretty ace as well.
One of the worst controllers that comes to mind is the original Xbox controller, the first one that came out before they revised it. It was huge and the buttons were crap.
What bothered me was that you had to push the buttons so damned hard to get them to register. Geez, my bones hurt! Same thing with the D-pad. It was almost non-functional unless you had super human strength and invulnerability. It probably would break in nice, but I've never known anyone to actually do that. The OG XBox in general was a complete travesty design-wise in almost every way anyway (ITS SHAPED LIKE A GIANT X AND EVERYTHING IS BLACK AND GREEN! EXTREME!) so I don't care about the controller. Its not like the Dreamcast where everything
but the controller is fantastic and the controller is just a piece of junk.
