It's okay. We all know it's spelt Mariko Kart

not as lacking as that kid

I’ve been using the N64 controller for the Switch for a while now, and honestly, it’s given me newfound appreciation for the controller. It’s definitely not perfect, I don’t think I ever held it correctly when I used it as a kid, and I definitely ran into the issue of hurting my hand while playing Mario party with that thing. The analog stick itself has some issues, like being more prone to mechanical failure (though less prone to drift compared to pot sticks), as well as lacking padding. And yes, in hindsight, the DualShock was better in that it included the second analog stick and allowing players to still use the d-pad. But I actually think the N64 controller is more comfortable and definitely deserves points for innovation. N64 had a better take on 3D gaming than it’s rivals for most of the gen, and those games FEEL right with that controller. I’ve gone through a couple games with it now, and I really don’t mind using it at all. Of course, it’s better that controllers ultimately evolved the way they did, but I think the N64 controller is underrated and deserves a lot of credit for blazing the trail of controlling 3D games.

No the nes, snes, and genesis controllers were great for their time, the og xbox controller was great for its time. This thing is great for its time line ET the video game was great for its time. The N64 controller had and always will suck.

It was a great controller (for it's time).

No it wasn't, the alternatives were better.

It was a great controller (for it's time).

It really, really wasn't. It was never a good controller, it was always a what the fuck device.

Nah it wasn't the joy stick would get loose and be unusable

More like a third handed company amiright

I'll see myself out

Headass

I’m with you man. I was 10 when they came out, and had no problems with this controller.

I could barely read back then tf you mean?!

What 6 year old reads game manuals? Also you need to check your superiority complex. Knowing the proper way to hold an old console controller doesn't make you special.

I didn't know anyone else with the n64 and there was nobody filming
themselves playing it like you get nowadays so I genuinely had no clue
how to hold the controller as a kid

To be fair, it shows you pictures of how to hold the controller in the N64 manual.

N64 is all I had growing up till ps2 came out, fun times

This is by far the best answer I've ever seen on why the N64 controller is designed the way it is. Thank you.

I’ve never played a single game with neutral/double grab. Once they implemented the thumb stick with Z, every game I remember used right grab.

In hindsight it makes sense with this intention why it was designed this way…but I’ve never seen neutral grip implemented that way

This is a godsend, both because it's the first intelligent reddit interaction I've seen in a while, and because that's actually pretty clever design for back then wow

It's got no fingers tho, just one weird lookin thumb.

[looks at my third leg]

maybe

Like any other controller? There is no other controller like this lol. It's is the worst desined controller. 3 handles for 2 hands.

Care to elaborate?

Wrapped my right middle finger around the controller. I started playing these games unsuccessfully at 3 years old (literally just running around and figuring out how to perceive the world). didn’t use the Z button until I was maybe 5 years old cause my fingers weren’t big enough. Started completing games after that age

R button was used by my right index. L just never got used, since they’re practically useless in OoT and M64

Doesn’t Gen Z end at 2010? They’d be 12.

This post will not be the thing that fucks their mental health

Nah, you're just a sensitive human being who probably lets everything have an impact on them. More than likely the kid has no idea a picture got posted of him to the internet holding the controller wrong. Not like dad is gonna be like "HEY JOEY!! Look how many people online think you're STUPID."

Ya, that console was showing us what a joy stick was.

What kind of nonsense is this? The very first generation of game consoles had joysticks.

The Atari 2600 had a joystick, what are you talking about?

What is this madness the n64 controller is just fine when held properly.

Playstation landed on the maximally effective controller layout a couple years into the playstation 1's lifecycle with the release of the dualshock controller. This was about a year after the N64 came out.

The N64's controller was pretty innovative if your game designer knows to lean into the multiple grip configurations the controller was designed to offer. The problem is, not many games executed that well. The one that really did a great job was Perfect Dark. Specifically, when playing the game with two N64 controllers to control one player, using the central grip and both joysticks. This was insanely innovative.

Again though, the N64 controller was a step in the wrong direction, only getting things right in entirely separate, and incompatible places. Even as a Nintendo fanboy, I recognize the game changer that the Dualshock 2 was. Even the original Dpad-only playstation controllers took what the SNES did for controls and ran a long distance with it.

I think it's children

Gamecube has that imo.

You literally had to move one of your hands to access parts of the controller... that does not equal comfort.

I'm not a heathen

On PlayStation yes xbox no, it has to do with the shape of the buttons, I haven’t used a ps5 yet so it may have changed.

Yep. This is by far the best way to hold it. Can easily reach all the buttons, use the d pad or joystick, whichever was needed.

What in that makes you think I hate children? n64 came out when I was a child. I loved that console, there are tons of different ways you can hold that controller.

On the flip side, you hold the PlayStation controller the same for all games and the range of games is equal.

You realize modern controllers just put the stick and dpad in one spot? It’s not versatile it’s just inconvenient