there’s an art to crafting good
controllers and these designs missed the
mark I retired of it in glory welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top 10 worst
video game controllers for this list
will be scouring gaming history for the
most atrocious and low quality
controllers known to the public with a
particular emphasis on controllers that
are universally panned what the heck is
going on here we aren’t including
knockoff budget versions of official
controllers our focus is on unique
controllers that had interesting ideas
but fell short of their promise super
scope 6 only for Super Nintendo now
you’re playing with power super power
number 10 the Duke Xbox controller the
design here was driven by spending time
with gamers sometimes it takes a few
tries to get things right a concept
Microsoft knows all too well when the
original Xbox console launched in
November 2001 it came packaged with a
proprietary controller known for one key
quality its size the back says Xbox game
controller but it should say fat Xbox
game controller the controller’s here
bulkiness earned it criticism as well as
the nicknames fatty and Duke that was
one of the big pieces of feedback over
time the duke controller was phased out
in favor of the smaller controller s a
decision we imagined was greeted with
praise number 9 alpha grip a g5
controller let me show you how it works
computer controllers certainly have
their place but this is far from ideal I
mean just just look at this name
developed by the company alpha grip in
corporate the ag5 is a handheld keyboard
built in the shape of a controller in
theory this device would be optimal for
both gameplay and typing in practice
however the device is party to a steep
learning curve and lacks the precise
controls best suited for fast-paced
games and it looks quite posh in a desk
as well from an awkward layout of keys
to a noticeable in-game slowness there’s
no shortage of issues with the ag5 and
the genius thing about this is when
you’re holding it like this you’re using
the now since the check ball is
announced and you can access all these
and access these as well with your
thumbs number 8 rollin rocker this thing
is the biggest biscuit I’ve ever
seen when people say they want a rock
and roll this isn’t what they had in
mind the rollin rocker was built as an
accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment
System the idea being that players would
tilt on the device in order to control
in-game movement and stand on it go left
and right forward and up and that’s
basically it while an innovative idea
the device came under flack for failing
to work properly with NES titles and for
having a tendency to malfunction facing
criticism and even an alleged lawsuit
the device’s creator LJN toys promptly
discontinued its production each game
responds differently but none of them
work Adventure Island keeps walking
right Excitebike keeps going down skater
die goes in circles number 7 you force
honestly you could get more responsive
reaction by putting the controller cord
in your mouth and trying to chew your
way through a game speaking of the NES
there were many peripherals to be
associated with the famed console one of
the most infamous devices was the u
force especially made controller by
brøderbund you
and again the game
it’s gimmick was the use of infrared
sensors to detect hand movements which
would then translate into controller
commands actually succeeded in finishing
level one one by some miracle thus
proving the justice of our culture or
something
one two kicked my ass though all well
and good except that the you force was
found to be in precise in its reading of
hand motions to the point of not
functioning at all with certain games
such a shame you force
number six the Sega activator you got a
knife sharks run praise the almighty
octagon is what one might say if this
darn thing worked built for the Sega
Genesis the activator controller was as
creatively ambitious as it was visually
fascinating an eight-sided device which
sat on the floor it fired infrared beams
that would theoretically interpret the
player’s kicks as in-game actions
pitched as a viable substitute for a
traditional control pad the activator
was instead criticized for its
inaccurate motion sensor technology and
its tendency to make games unnecessarily
difficult not to mention it really makes
you look like an idiot mm-hmm how about
it you gotta walk up here Roger
oh I’m cut number 5 the Philips CDI
controller try me babe I know about the
baby I got the phillipses proprietary
console didn’t lack for questionable
controllers the one that came standard
with the system just boggles the mind
it’s all worth it just to play such
classics as sticky bear reading
lambchops play-along designed more like
a remote with its infrared input this
particular peripheral had a simple
interface with a number of buttons and
an awkward directional pad trying to
play the games with this is a bad idea
unfortunately the controller’s overall
awkward shape made it uncomfortable to
use earning it a lot of criticism over
the years given that the production of
the CDI was discontinued in 1998 we
assume that this controller died with it
yeah it horrible number for the Atari
Jaguar controller you want to play yeah
complexity does not always equate to
success take the controller for the
atari jaguar which was notable for using
a 12 button keypad and three action
buttons
17 but you’re saying control in your
hand yeah
what Atari didn’t count on was the
general public calling the Jaguar
controller overly complicated and
shoddily designed with much of the
negativity aimed at the central keypad
the button placement is actually the
real complaint here a redesigned
controller with six action buttons
called the pro controller was eventually
released but by that point the damage
had been done
Oh Bob you remember that won’t you Bob
yeah yeah I’ll remember number three
Connect I’d like to show you something
that my family and friends think is
absolutely amazing if motion control is
the dream of game designers this is
another stumble on the road to success
originally released in 2010 for the Xbox
360
the Kinect promised gamers a full motion
controlled gameplay experience
you simply had to stand in front of your
device’s camera and use your hands to
perform on-screen tasks however despite
early enthusiasm the Kinect’s poor
implementation of games and spotty
motion tracking ensured its legacy would
be one of failure Xbox play music all
right all right so now I can listen to
Justin Bieber number two
Atari 5200 controller the non
self-centering
analog joystick button breaking piece of
junk
Oh Atari you had such good intentions
with the release of the 5200 console in
1982 atari touted an analog joystick
with more control than that of the 2600
console with a controller so advanced it
plays arcade sadly the joystick based
controller Atari packed with the 5200
didn’t quite raise the bar instead it
fell victim to the limitations of its
design from a stick that didn’t Center
to keypad buttons made from weak
material this is the reason the system
failed this as you can imagine caused
many of them to break down altogether
and become fully useless by 1984 the
5200 and its various peripherals were
all discontinued this summer the really
hot video games come from Atari before
we unveil our top pick here are a few
honorable mentions and depending on the
game you would I be use the keypad or
just disk or both put it on look through
the crosshairs at the picture and give
it a voice command come on fire the
trackball itself is somewhat small and
when you play centipede you don’t get
the feeling that it’s a real arcade
introducing superscope 6
remote powered and laser accurate number
one power glove everything else is
child’s play as the saying goes I love
the power glove it’s so big
made famous by the 1989 film The Wizard
Mattel’s glove shaped peripheral for the
NES caught everyone’s attention with his
combined controller keypad interface and
the promise of hand motions to control
on-screen characters unfortunately the
glove soon got attention for different
reasons it was found to be difficult to
use with imprecise controls and lacking
information on how to interpret the
keypad you’re gonna need to know what
the program codes are yes that’s right
you have to put in a different code for
each game that you play in the end the
glove sold less than a hundred thousand
units viewed as a loss and proving its
inability to engage yeah well uh just
keep your power gloves off her pal huh
do you agree with our list not bad for a
novice what’s your least favorite video
game controller for more well-designed
to top 10s published every day be sure
to subscribe to watchmojo.com that
button is your future go ahead press it
you
controllers and these designs missed the
mark I retired of it in glory welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top 10 worst
video game controllers for this list
will be scouring gaming history for the
most atrocious and low quality
controllers known to the public with a
particular emphasis on controllers that
are universally panned what the heck is
going on here we aren’t including
knockoff budget versions of official
controllers our focus is on unique
controllers that had interesting ideas
but fell short of their promise super
scope 6 only for Super Nintendo now
you’re playing with power super power
number 10 the Duke Xbox controller the
design here was driven by spending time
with gamers sometimes it takes a few
tries to get things right a concept
Microsoft knows all too well when the
original Xbox console launched in
November 2001 it came packaged with a
proprietary controller known for one key
quality its size the back says Xbox game
controller but it should say fat Xbox
game controller the controller’s here
bulkiness earned it criticism as well as
the nicknames fatty and Duke that was
one of the big pieces of feedback over
time the duke controller was phased out
in favor of the smaller controller s a
decision we imagined was greeted with
praise number 9 alpha grip a g5
controller let me show you how it works
computer controllers certainly have
their place but this is far from ideal I
mean just just look at this name
developed by the company alpha grip in
corporate the ag5 is a handheld keyboard
built in the shape of a controller in
theory this device would be optimal for
both gameplay and typing in practice
however the device is party to a steep
learning curve and lacks the precise
controls best suited for fast-paced
games and it looks quite posh in a desk
as well from an awkward layout of keys
to a noticeable in-game slowness there’s
no shortage of issues with the ag5 and
the genius thing about this is when
you’re holding it like this you’re using
the now since the check ball is
announced and you can access all these
and access these as well with your
thumbs number 8 rollin rocker this thing
is the biggest biscuit I’ve ever
seen when people say they want a rock
and roll this isn’t what they had in
mind the rollin rocker was built as an
accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment
System the idea being that players would
tilt on the device in order to control
in-game movement and stand on it go left
and right forward and up and that’s
basically it while an innovative idea
the device came under flack for failing
to work properly with NES titles and for
having a tendency to malfunction facing
criticism and even an alleged lawsuit
the device’s creator LJN toys promptly
discontinued its production each game
responds differently but none of them
work Adventure Island keeps walking
right Excitebike keeps going down skater
die goes in circles number 7 you force
honestly you could get more responsive
reaction by putting the controller cord
in your mouth and trying to chew your
way through a game speaking of the NES
there were many peripherals to be
associated with the famed console one of
the most infamous devices was the u
force especially made controller by
brøderbund you
and again the game
it’s gimmick was the use of infrared
sensors to detect hand movements which
would then translate into controller
commands actually succeeded in finishing
level one one by some miracle thus
proving the justice of our culture or
something
one two kicked my ass though all well
and good except that the you force was
found to be in precise in its reading of
hand motions to the point of not
functioning at all with certain games
such a shame you force
number six the Sega activator you got a
knife sharks run praise the almighty
octagon is what one might say if this
darn thing worked built for the Sega
Genesis the activator controller was as
creatively ambitious as it was visually
fascinating an eight-sided device which
sat on the floor it fired infrared beams
that would theoretically interpret the
player’s kicks as in-game actions
pitched as a viable substitute for a
traditional control pad the activator
was instead criticized for its
inaccurate motion sensor technology and
its tendency to make games unnecessarily
difficult not to mention it really makes
you look like an idiot mm-hmm how about
it you gotta walk up here Roger
oh I’m cut number 5 the Philips CDI
controller try me babe I know about the
baby I got the phillipses proprietary
console didn’t lack for questionable
controllers the one that came standard
with the system just boggles the mind
it’s all worth it just to play such
classics as sticky bear reading
lambchops play-along designed more like
a remote with its infrared input this
particular peripheral had a simple
interface with a number of buttons and
an awkward directional pad trying to
play the games with this is a bad idea
unfortunately the controller’s overall
awkward shape made it uncomfortable to
use earning it a lot of criticism over
the years given that the production of
the CDI was discontinued in 1998 we
assume that this controller died with it
yeah it horrible number for the Atari
Jaguar controller you want to play yeah
complexity does not always equate to
success take the controller for the
atari jaguar which was notable for using
a 12 button keypad and three action
buttons
17 but you’re saying control in your
hand yeah
what Atari didn’t count on was the
general public calling the Jaguar
controller overly complicated and
shoddily designed with much of the
negativity aimed at the central keypad
the button placement is actually the
real complaint here a redesigned
controller with six action buttons
called the pro controller was eventually
released but by that point the damage
had been done
Oh Bob you remember that won’t you Bob
yeah yeah I’ll remember number three
Connect I’d like to show you something
that my family and friends think is
absolutely amazing if motion control is
the dream of game designers this is
another stumble on the road to success
originally released in 2010 for the Xbox
360
the Kinect promised gamers a full motion
controlled gameplay experience
you simply had to stand in front of your
device’s camera and use your hands to
perform on-screen tasks however despite
early enthusiasm the Kinect’s poor
implementation of games and spotty
motion tracking ensured its legacy would
be one of failure Xbox play music all
right all right so now I can listen to
Justin Bieber number two
Atari 5200 controller the non
self-centering
analog joystick button breaking piece of
junk
Oh Atari you had such good intentions
with the release of the 5200 console in
1982 atari touted an analog joystick
with more control than that of the 2600
console with a controller so advanced it
plays arcade sadly the joystick based
controller Atari packed with the 5200
didn’t quite raise the bar instead it
fell victim to the limitations of its
design from a stick that didn’t Center
to keypad buttons made from weak
material this is the reason the system
failed this as you can imagine caused
many of them to break down altogether
and become fully useless by 1984 the
5200 and its various peripherals were
all discontinued this summer the really
hot video games come from Atari before
we unveil our top pick here are a few
honorable mentions and depending on the
game you would I be use the keypad or
just disk or both put it on look through
the crosshairs at the picture and give
it a voice command come on fire the
trackball itself is somewhat small and
when you play centipede you don’t get
the feeling that it’s a real arcade
introducing superscope 6
remote powered and laser accurate number
one power glove everything else is
child’s play as the saying goes I love
the power glove it’s so big
made famous by the 1989 film The Wizard
Mattel’s glove shaped peripheral for the
NES caught everyone’s attention with his
combined controller keypad interface and
the promise of hand motions to control
on-screen characters unfortunately the
glove soon got attention for different
reasons it was found to be difficult to
use with imprecise controls and lacking
information on how to interpret the
keypad you’re gonna need to know what
the program codes are yes that’s right
you have to put in a different code for
each game that you play in the end the
glove sold less than a hundred thousand
units viewed as a loss and proving its
inability to engage yeah well uh just
keep your power gloves off her pal huh
do you agree with our list not bad for a
novice what’s your least favorite video
game controller for more well-designed
to top 10s published every day be sure
to subscribe to watchmojo.com that
button is your future go ahead press it
you
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