And thats the main point.
Controllers, then, are a big deal.
These are some of the best.
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It added two extra face buttons and a pair of shoulder buttons.
It also was indestructible, bouncing off thick CRT TV screens unharmed.
Ask me how I know.
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These were both mounted on the center prong of the three-pronged controller.
It looked weird but felt great and made the iconic Goldeneye shooter game possible.
You also could buy an optional Rumble Pak that slotted into the back and added vibrations.
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The analog stick also made 3D games likeSuper Mario 64possible.
It also had two shoulder buttons and two analog triggers for pressure-sensitive control.
Unlike todays rechargeable controllers, the 360 controller used AA batteries or a rechargeable battery pack.
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Wii Remote or Wiimote (2006)
The Wiimote allowed Nintendo to introduce motion-controlled games.
Nintendo Joy-Con (2017)
These little controllers unclip from the ends of Nintendos Switch.
When mounted on the Switch, theyre not too bad.
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When detached and slotted into the supplied grip, theyre acceptable.
But when used alone, either singly or in a pair, they are ridiculously bad.
You also can turn one Joy-Con sideways to use as a regular controller.
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This is great in principle, because it lets you play against another person without buying a second controller.
In practice, though, theyre too small for most adult hands.
This thing was a wrist breaker.
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Special MentionXbox Elite
The Xbox Elite is the ultimate evolution of the influential Xbox 360 controller.
Pretty much everything on it is adjustable, customizable, or replaceable.
Pro gamers can tweak thumb-stick tension, swap out both sticks and paddles, and more.
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Microsoft
It also looks pretty neat, in a black-Cordura-nylon-Dell-laptop-bag kind of way, and amazingly comfortable.
But when it comes to exciting control methods, it brings nothing.
Thats cool, but its hardly the stuff that entertaining best-of lists are made of.
Nopparat Jaikla/EyeEm / Getty Images
So, the best game controller ever?
N64, no question.
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