{"id":8681,"date":"2017-08-10T10:45:04","date_gmt":"2017-08-10T18:45:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/2017\/08\/10\/news-2454\/"},"modified":"2017-08-10T10:45:04","modified_gmt":"2017-08-10T18:45:04","slug":"news-2454","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/2017\/08\/10\/news-2454\/","title":{"rendered":"The Nintendo 64 Controller: GOOD or BAD?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Credit to Author: Jason Koebler| Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2017 18:12:01 +0000<\/strong><\/p>\n

A just-announced redesign of the iconic Nintendo 64 controller has just been successfully Kickstarted, which raises the question: Why? Is the Nintendo 64 controller GOOD or BAD? Two Motherboarders duke it out. <\/p>\n

The Nintendo 64 controller is BAD<\/b><\/p>\n

I’m all for nostalgia in video games. Nothing takes me back quite like playing the mini-games in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards<\/i><\/a> on my friend’s limited-edition Pikachu Nintendo 64. But I also believe some things should be locked away and forgotten forever. <\/p>\n

I know that it’s got a strong fan following, but there’s no other piece of hardware I’d like to personally put out of commission than the N64 controller. It’s a three-pronged monstrosity with colourful buttons and a joystick that Nintendo released in 1996, to the confusion of two-handed children around the world. <\/p>\n

Most of my issues lie with its trident-like design. Having to move my hands around depending on whether I need the d-pad or the joystick feels wrong, like biting into a hotdog from the middle. Playing Mario Party 2<\/i> or the mini-games in Pok\u00e9mon Stadium<\/i> (I stand by mini-games as the greatest loss in modern gaming) in the early 2000s felt like I was trying to operate a greasy Bop It!.<\/p>\n

But, 20 years later, we now have a solution. Retro Fighters, a company that previously created a modern take on the NES controller, has more than doubled their goals on a Kickstarter since launching August 9 to make a more ergonomic version<\/a> of the N64 controller for the growing number of gamers returning to old titles. They hope to begin shipping in November for $20 apiece.<\/p>\n

Read More: <\/b> Why You Should Build Your Own Video Game Controller<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Gone is the hellish mould that couldn’t be properly played without a second, prosthetic thumb<\/a>. This controller actually fits to your hands and has a joystick that won’t cut you<\/a>. <\/p>\n

I have to acknowledge that Nintendo’s controller designs have always been fresh and original, and the N64 controller did go on to inspire the GameCube’s responsive, bubbly design\u2014still my favourite, I keep a couple of these for Smash Bros. <\/i>and Mario Kart <\/i>marathons. But it’s time to stick the N64 controller in a museum and move on. <\/p>\n

-Jacob Dub\u00e9<\/i><\/p>\n

The Nintendo 64 controller is GOOD<\/b><\/p>\n

For an eight-year-old kid who spent years blowing in NES cartridges at friends houses and playing a hand-me-down Super Nintendo (great system!), the release of the Nintendo 64 was a revelation. <\/p>\n

No other video game console launch\u2014no other tech<\/i> launch\u2014has ever made such an impression on me. At the time, I remember thinking Sega Saturn and its blocky approximation of 3D was for weird older brothers; I didn’t even know the PlayStation existed. The Nintendo 64\u2014and Super Mario 64<\/i>‘s more-or-less open world\u2014redefined what a video game could be. <\/p>\n

Core to this revolution was the Nintendo 64’s controller\u2014its alien-like, three-pronged handles, myriad colors, and joystick signaling that this was indeed a console from the future. Simply put: Fucking with the design of the original N64 controller is disrespectful and I won’t stand for it. <\/p>\n

I will admit that the analog joystick took a little while to get used to and its accuracy and ease-of-use pales compared to modern controllers. But the Nintendo 64’s joystick allowed for true 3D controls and the kind-of-wild C-buttons provided rudimentary methods of looking up and down in first person shooters. <\/p>\n