After the SNES, Nintendo got really weird with their controllers. The Nintendo 64’s is possibly the most impractical looking one. It’s pretty rare to see a controller with three different ways to hold it. But as ugly as Nintendo makes controllers and handhelds sometimes, they’re always comfortable to hold at least.
In the last couple months, I’ve taken an interest in the Nintendo 64’s D-pad. Very few games use it since most developers just stuck with the analog stick. You could probably cut off the whole top left section of the controller and most games would still function fine.
What I found when going back to my Nintendo 64 controllers is that the ones I got earlier on with the system’s lifespan had better feeling D-pads. I’m curious if Nintendo recognized the lack of D-pad support and just reduced the build quality to save some money.
(Header Image Source: Tech Radar)
