Post by: MarioLinkSamus on December 10, 2004, 08:49:40 AM
Any self-proclaimed game-aholic should know that game controllers don’t last a lifetime - but maybe it’s time to ponder whether or not they actually should.
Dust off your old NES controller for a sec.
The “B” button is alright, but the “A” button is atrocious. It’s been mashed to an oblivion leaving absolutely no give to it when pressed. You know what I mean – they’re all gooey and what-not.
Okay, so technology wasn’t the greatest back then – it’s forgivable.
Now take a gander at your SNES controller.
Although maybe not to the same degree, a tap of “L” or “R” buttons will reveal the same problems as its predecessor - mushy buttons with no give.
Alright, so they improved a little bit, but it wasn’t perfect. Perhaps they’d get it right on the next one, right? Wrong.
In terms of quality, the N64 controller is arguably the worst controller Nintendo has ever released.
Go ahead, dust off the controller for yourself – literally. Make sure to blow out all those mini, white crustaceans formed from the joystick’s wear and tear.
Okay, so Nintendo maybe didn’t know what they’re doing making a stable joystick capable of lasting normal use. I guess that merits some forgiveness…
Now finally, look closely at your GameCube controller.
Hundreds of fans complain of the same problems that plagued the NES and SNES controllers – squishy, soggy, soft buttons – in particular the “B” button. But most complain of loose joysticks that have seemed to lose their buoyancy, so to speak.
What gives? The big N has had time to master their design with multiple consoles – you’d think they’d get it right for once, right?
After 20 years, it’s time to take a stand. We deserve better than this.
How often have you had to purchase another controller just because it was worn out from simply normal game-play use?
Shouldn’t game pads last at least the existence of the console’s life? Are we being doped into purchasing poorly created controllers that Nintendo knows we will have to replace after a certain amount of use? Is Nintendo sacrificing quality for quantity just to save a buck? Why can’t Nintendo’s hardware retain the same high standard in quality as their software?
- MarioLinkSamus
Post by: Ian Sane on December 10, 2004, 08:59:17 AM
I do agree that a controller should last the length of a consoles life. My black controller that came with my Cube doesn't work correctly anymore. The C-stick doesn't calibrate correctly so the game always thinks I'm pushing very slightly in one direction. It doesn't affect all games but it's still pretty crappy and it's totally unusable for Pikmin.
Still I don't think Nintendo is sacrificing the quality of their controllers jus to save a buck. At least not compared to the competition. Just be glad that Nintendo's worst hardware is their controllers which are relatively easy and cheap to replace. With Sony it's the consoles themselves that break down. I'd rather have a near indestructable console with slighty-crappy-but-still-really-good controllers then a system that needs to be replaced every few years.
Post by: Bill Aurion on December 10, 2004, 09:01:48 AM
My SNES controllers still work perfectly after 12 years of use...
My N64 controllers have loose joysticks, but only thanks to the first Mario Party...
My Gamecube controllers work perfectly fine...
I guess you lose...
(And seriously, there isn't a single controller out there that isn't subject to wear...It's just not possible to avoid it, ok?)
Post by: King of Twitch on December 10, 2004, 09:23:02 AM
Post by: MarioLinkSamus on December 10, 2004, 09:39:57 AM
ALL my comrads' and my controllers work fine (just like yours), but they're no where near the condition they once held. Yes, I know all controllers won't retain their "new" condition, but we'd all like them to last at least the existence of the console's life. Don't get me wrong, I love the controllers - I just want them to last longer.
- MarioLinkSamus
Post by: SgtShiversBen on December 10, 2004, 09:51:32 AM
Post by: Hostile Creation on December 10, 2004, 11:19:08 AM
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on December 10, 2004, 12:22:31 PM
Never play Super Smash Bros. Melee if you care for the life of your controller. I'm on my 6th controller.
Post by: StRaNgE on December 10, 2004, 01:25:04 PM
if you want it to last forever then every 3000 miles ya gotta bring it in to get serviced.
it's like anything else, when you use it it will wear. without upkeep or maintinence it will oneday fail.
that's Life, nothing ya can do about that, the human body is the same way too.
Post by: kirby_killer_dedede on December 10, 2004, 01:43:50 PM
If you really want something to complain about, go buy a Sony controller. Or a Sony freaking memory card.
Then you tell me that Nintendo controllers suck.
If I did the Macarina until you were able to make a comparison in Sony's favor (hardware), I'd be doing the Macarina for a very, very long time.
Post by: kennyb27 on December 10, 2004, 01:51:10 PM
Post by: Bartman3010 on December 10, 2004, 02:07:53 PM
I do not understand your logic...
Post by: Pale on December 10, 2004, 02:17:17 PM
Post by: Mario on December 10, 2004, 03:45:57 PM
Post by: UncleBob on December 10, 2004, 04:51:47 PM
Post by: odifiend on December 10, 2004, 04:59:11 PM
QuoteHere, here. Fifth. It isn't an inability to take care of stuff- the GCN controller is by far the most sensitive of all the Nintendo controllers- in both a good and a bad way. I don't really agree on the other controllers though. "No give" happens with anything and though my control stick on my 64 controller was loose, it didn't do half the sh!t my GCN controllers do. I honestly wouldn't be so bitter about it if the GCN standard controllers weren't so expensive. They were 30 freaking USD until only recently and 25 is still kind of pushing it. Lowering prices would be more sensible than better quality or a warrantee.
Originally posted by: Professional 666
Nintendo's GCN controllers break down because of SSBM (and MKDD to an extent). Never play Super Smash Bros. Melee if you care for the life of your controller. I'm on my 6th controller.
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on December 10, 2004, 05:25:18 PM
What Nintendo should've done was use a more durable material, hopefully metallic, for the radial shaft of the main analog stick. What always happens to mine was the plastic radial shaft slowly got chipped away by the parallel strips that hold in place in axis origin (i opened one up to see). It's like chopping a tree down at the trunk, caused by the endless amount of back/forth directional changes that can be involved in a SSBM match, or trying to get the boosts from your Mario Kart DD power slides.
Post by: KDR_11k on December 10, 2004, 08:34:21 PM
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on December 10, 2004, 08:59:43 PM
And then find something else to complain about, which probably wouldn't be so bad, like a deflated button.
Post by: Infernal Monkey on December 11, 2004, 02:38:13 AM
Quote
If you really want something to complain about, go buy a Sony controller. Or a Sony freaking memory card.
My PS2 controller and memory card are four years old, and the joooooooysticks have held up better than my second Wave Bird, which is a year and a half old. The buttons on the PS2 controller still work perfectly, unlike my default GC controller, where the A button is pretty much stuffed. The PS2 memory card hasn't formatted twice like my memory card 59 did for no reason.
Nintendo's quality control took a gigantic drop the second they hurled those crappy N64 controllers at consumers.
(drama)
Post by: KDR_11k on December 11, 2004, 05:13:14 AM
Post by: BlkPaladin on December 11, 2004, 05:46:11 AM
Imagine the news story, local resident dies when his controller goes up in flame.
Post by: Bloodworth on December 11, 2004, 11:03:16 AM
Post by: JGarcia050 on December 11, 2004, 06:24:31 PM
Yes it is sad that i get that mad when i lose in a video game.
Post by: The Omen on December 11, 2004, 08:18:16 PM
Quote
How often have you had to purchase another controller just because it was worn out from simply normal game-play use?
Not once, in 20 years of Nintendo gaming.
Post by: enigma487 on December 13, 2004, 05:22:30 AM
seriously. NES, SNES, N64, GC. never had to purchase a new controller. the only problem is with one N64 controller. the one that was ALWAYS plugged into port 1 when my brother played Perfect Dark for 6 hours every night for like 3 years. the analog stick got kind of grainy and you can see white dust that has worn off the stick itself. wait, maybe that white dust is the crack that MarioLinkSamus is smoking.
with a name like that, how can you be so negative.
Post by: vudu on December 13, 2004, 08:59:19 AM
Is this Nintendo's fault? Nope. It's my friends'. And Super Smash Bros. But mostly my dumb ass friends. (If you couldn't guess, one of them always uses the C-stick to smash attack. Don't ask me why.)
