>My pick for best controller would have to be the Genesis 6 button pad. It's
>not perfect, but IMO, the D-pad on it definately is. Smooth, responsive,
>doesn't need a ton of pressure, etc... And I've been told that the Saturn
3D
>pad has the same D-pad on it, which intrigues me.
Amen brother! The Genny 6-button pad rocks :) It's perfectly
shaped to fit in your hand without causing discomfort, is nice and
light, and the buttons are easy to reach and responsive. The D-Pad is
just about perfect, too :)
But, I do prefer the (2nd model, "Batman-shaped") Saturn pads.
The D-Pad is slightly better designed than the Genesis pad - less sharp
so it doesn't dig into your fingers as much, and a tad bit more
responsive (I think!). The "hair-trigger" shoulder buttons and nice
comfortable grip make it just about perfect!
I've never found a better controller - in fact, I've hacked up
Saturn pads to work with most of my consoles. It makes a huge
difference! PSX games that I used to hate due to severe pain in the
thumbs are now a joy to play.
I'm not too fond of the 3D controller. It's nice on analog
games, but it's very awkward to hold when you're trying to play
something digital.
Also, the NES 2nd model "dog-bone" controllers are great too.
They're easy to hold, the D-Pad is nice and doesn't wear your thumb
out, and the buttons are easy to reach. A nice change from those
evil brick-shaped original NES controllers.
I can't stand Playstation controllers - the overall shape is
nice, but who in their right mind decided to make the D-Pad into those
ridiculous little nubs? The Dual shock pad is nice on analog games,
but digital control is not fun.
As far as Turbo pads go (to stay on topic!), the most
comfortable controller is by far the Duo-RX pad. It's really nice
and easy to hold. The D-Pad is kind of wonky, though, and doesn't
work well with shooters. It's wonderful on RPGs and platformers,
however!
Aside from this, I think the standard Turbo Pad has to be
the best Turbo controller out there. The Avenue Pad 3 is a little
on the big side, and hard to hold, as is the Avenue pad 6. I
haven't found any knockoff pads that are better than the stock
one :(
The Turbo pad sure could use some improvement - it's like
an old NES pad, only a bit bigger. Hard on the thumbs after a
while.
Matthew