Hey guys, I'm relatively new to Smash (only about 5 months) and this is the first post I'm making–so keep in mind this is only my opinion, which I hope can help give you some insight on controllers.
The first controller I tried was the Wii U Pro Controller. I hadn't been able to get my hands on a GameCube controller just yet, so I went to Best Buy and bought one for the hefty price of 45 bucks.
The Pros (lel) are that it has digital shoulder buttons–meaning that you don't have to apply much pressure to send the input. This makes sure that there's no delay in clicking the shoulder buttons. There's 4 of them, which I'll touch on a bit later. I did find it annoying that the controller didn't have the hexagonal things around the sticks, which normally allow you to input neutral airs while still moving through the air, for example. I don't like having the hexagonal thing around the movement stick, though, so only the C-Stick equivalent was changed. The last thing that I really liked was how easy it was to slide your right thumb from the X button to the A button, allowing for very easy short hop aerials. The buttons are low and easy to press, meaning that you can easily slide your finger from the jump button to the attack. The one kind of annoying thing is that the B button feels a little far from the A button–but not really an issue when your muscle memory takes hold. I haven't played too much smash, so I can't say anything about how the Pro Controller's different stick placement affects muscle memory.
Grade: 85/100
After about a month or so of "maining" the Pro Controller (for lack of a better word), I managed to find a GameCube controller and the official adapter for Wii U. I was super excited, but honestly, I felt like it didn't quite live up to the hype. It was great, but not what I had expected.
For one, the shoulder buttons are ass. Only one digital button really annoys me, and I constantly felt annoyed with having to fully press down the triggers to shield or jump. I also felt like I didn't perfect shield when I wanted to–I had to resort to holding shield more, because I kept missing what should have been easy powershields.
The sticks were nice–only praise for the iconic C-Stick. Its hexagonal notches allowed me to input neutral airs and jab to tilt combos with ease. However, the movement stick did feel sort of annoying–I like the completely 360 range of movement that the Pro Controller provides–but only on the left stick. If there is a controller with a 360 left stick and a notched right stick, I would lose my ****.
But, my biggest complaint is the X and Y buttons. My god, are they annoying. The X button is basically off in China somewhere. It's so far from the B button, for example, and kind of hurts to reach over to hit. I eventually stopped using it altogether, which makes it seem like such a waste. It was even hard to input sliding my thumb over the jump button to the attack button, something which is extremely easy on the pro controller and even the 3DS... the god damn 3DS! Either way, I made quite a few annoying errors, and, at least for me, the GameCube controller essentially has 2 less buttons (one missing shoulder button and a hardly usable X button) than the Pro Controller. I did, however, feel that these problems weren't enough to make me hate it, and for a while, I used only the GameCube controller because I loved the feel of the C-Stick. Also, the B button's placement felt closer to the A button than on the Pro controller, which I appreciated. It also felt better to hold in my hand than the Pro Controller, which always felt a bit small and delicate (my hands are sorta big). The GameCube controller, despite never having used one before, felt natural.
Grade: 80/100
I was really annoyed, and couldn't decide what to do, then I found the PDP Wired Fight Pad. And let me say, I used that sack of **** for 3 days before I gave it to a friend. The buttons are annoying to press, the placement of everything is annoying, and the C-Stick and the movement stick are both so high, uncomfortable, and difficult to actually grip with the thumb. The button layout is the same with the GameCube controller, which is to say that it has a good distance between A and B, but a ****tily placed X button.
Grade: 55/100 (DON'T GET IT)
I did know, however, that there existed one more controller to use: the Hori Batlle Pad. As soon as I saw this thing on Amazon, I knew it was what I needed. GameCube's feel? Check! B button placement? Check! Weird X button placement? I can live with that, because it has an additional shoulder button that the GameCube controller doesn't have! All digital shoulder buttons? Check! Notched C-Stick? Check!
It combines everything I love about the C-stick, B button placement, and its overall feel. I could live with the X button–I just programmed the additional shoulder button to Jump, while having the others as grab, shield, and shield (spamming airdodge out of combos). The turbo thing is cool but I have no idea why it's useful, because it's hard to turn off in game. Still, I fell in love with the controller, and I've been using it for 3 months now with practically zero complaints. The sensitivity on it might be a bit lackluster with the left stick, but when I'm playing a character with which intricate inputs (like immediately turning around and down tilting) like Mewtwo, then I switch to the GameCube controller. Otherwise, I've had no other complaints. The stick's height was weird at first, but I got over it and my muscle memory has remapped.
Grade: 9.5/10.
In conclusion to this stupidly long post, the Hori Battle Pad and the Pro Controller are best for newer players like me who don't already have muscle memory so deeply ingrained in their brains, but for players who need a very sensitive or intricate controller, or who have been using the GameCube controller for 10 years, then that's the best controller for you. Having one less shoulder button certainly hasn't stopped the top professionals from doing what they do, so why should it stop you if you're used to it?
Thanks for reading, and I hope to hear your opinions!
The first controller I tried was the Wii U Pro Controller. I hadn't been able to get my hands on a GameCube controller just yet, so I went to Best Buy and bought one for the hefty price of 45 bucks.
The Pros (lel) are that it has digital shoulder buttons–meaning that you don't have to apply much pressure to send the input. This makes sure that there's no delay in clicking the shoulder buttons. There's 4 of them, which I'll touch on a bit later. I did find it annoying that the controller didn't have the hexagonal things around the sticks, which normally allow you to input neutral airs while still moving through the air, for example. I don't like having the hexagonal thing around the movement stick, though, so only the C-Stick equivalent was changed. The last thing that I really liked was how easy it was to slide your right thumb from the X button to the A button, allowing for very easy short hop aerials. The buttons are low and easy to press, meaning that you can easily slide your finger from the jump button to the attack. The one kind of annoying thing is that the B button feels a little far from the A button–but not really an issue when your muscle memory takes hold. I haven't played too much smash, so I can't say anything about how the Pro Controller's different stick placement affects muscle memory.
Grade: 85/100
After about a month or so of "maining" the Pro Controller (for lack of a better word), I managed to find a GameCube controller and the official adapter for Wii U. I was super excited, but honestly, I felt like it didn't quite live up to the hype. It was great, but not what I had expected.
For one, the shoulder buttons are ass. Only one digital button really annoys me, and I constantly felt annoyed with having to fully press down the triggers to shield or jump. I also felt like I didn't perfect shield when I wanted to–I had to resort to holding shield more, because I kept missing what should have been easy powershields.
The sticks were nice–only praise for the iconic C-Stick. Its hexagonal notches allowed me to input neutral airs and jab to tilt combos with ease. However, the movement stick did feel sort of annoying–I like the completely 360 range of movement that the Pro Controller provides–but only on the left stick. If there is a controller with a 360 left stick and a notched right stick, I would lose my ****.
But, my biggest complaint is the X and Y buttons. My god, are they annoying. The X button is basically off in China somewhere. It's so far from the B button, for example, and kind of hurts to reach over to hit. I eventually stopped using it altogether, which makes it seem like such a waste. It was even hard to input sliding my thumb over the jump button to the attack button, something which is extremely easy on the pro controller and even the 3DS... the god damn 3DS! Either way, I made quite a few annoying errors, and, at least for me, the GameCube controller essentially has 2 less buttons (one missing shoulder button and a hardly usable X button) than the Pro Controller. I did, however, feel that these problems weren't enough to make me hate it, and for a while, I used only the GameCube controller because I loved the feel of the C-Stick. Also, the B button's placement felt closer to the A button than on the Pro controller, which I appreciated. It also felt better to hold in my hand than the Pro Controller, which always felt a bit small and delicate (my hands are sorta big). The GameCube controller, despite never having used one before, felt natural.
Grade: 80/100
I was really annoyed, and couldn't decide what to do, then I found the PDP Wired Fight Pad. And let me say, I used that sack of **** for 3 days before I gave it to a friend. The buttons are annoying to press, the placement of everything is annoying, and the C-Stick and the movement stick are both so high, uncomfortable, and difficult to actually grip with the thumb. The button layout is the same with the GameCube controller, which is to say that it has a good distance between A and B, but a ****tily placed X button.
Grade: 55/100 (DON'T GET IT)
I did know, however, that there existed one more controller to use: the Hori Batlle Pad. As soon as I saw this thing on Amazon, I knew it was what I needed. GameCube's feel? Check! B button placement? Check! Weird X button placement? I can live with that, because it has an additional shoulder button that the GameCube controller doesn't have! All digital shoulder buttons? Check! Notched C-Stick? Check!
It combines everything I love about the C-stick, B button placement, and its overall feel. I could live with the X button–I just programmed the additional shoulder button to Jump, while having the others as grab, shield, and shield (spamming airdodge out of combos). The turbo thing is cool but I have no idea why it's useful, because it's hard to turn off in game. Still, I fell in love with the controller, and I've been using it for 3 months now with practically zero complaints. The sensitivity on it might be a bit lackluster with the left stick, but when I'm playing a character with which intricate inputs (like immediately turning around and down tilting) like Mewtwo, then I switch to the GameCube controller. Otherwise, I've had no other complaints. The stick's height was weird at first, but I got over it and my muscle memory has remapped.
Grade: 9.5/10.
In conclusion to this stupidly long post, the Hori Battle Pad and the Pro Controller are best for newer players like me who don't already have muscle memory so deeply ingrained in their brains, but for players who need a very sensitive or intricate controller, or who have been using the GameCube controller for 10 years, then that's the best controller for you. Having one less shoulder button certainly hasn't stopped the top professionals from doing what they do, so why should it stop you if you're used to it?
Thanks for reading, and I hope to hear your opinions!