The Video Game Revue

Controller Showdown: Part 1

Fritzkrieg got me thinking about which console has better controllers: the PS3 or the Xbox 360. My initial reaction to the issue was to declare that I prefer the 360 controller flat-out, but upon further reflection this isn't entirely true. Over the course of a few posts, I will share some observations on how the controllers differ and why it matters.

R2 vs RT

Consistent with the button naming convention started by the DualShock controller for the original PlayStation, the lower shoulder button on the right side of the PS3 controller (either the DualShock 3 or the regular Sixaxis) is called the R2 button. For the first time in the PlayStation line of controllers, this button has a great deal of analog range, which makes it consistent with the Xbox 360 contoller, which calls this same button the "right trigger" or RT.

Shoulder buttons have become a big deal. When they were popularized by the Super Famicom or North American SNES back in the early 90s, shoulder buttons were not widely used; some games flat-out ignored them, while others relegated them to seldom-used functions. Street Fighter II actually had use for 6 buttons, yet many players re-assigned the strong punch and attack actions to other buttons so as to minimize the use of the shoulder buttons. Simply put, the shoulder buttons didn't get much respect.

The N64, PSX, and Saturn continued to provide shoulder buttons, and the shoulder buttons continued to not be heavily used for the most part, even though the PlayStation decided to double-up the number of shoulder buttons to make four (L1, L2, R1, and R2). The tide began to turn when racing games like Gran Turismo and FPS games started using dual-analog functionality of the DualShock controller.

Normally when you use a gamepad style controller, your left thumb is on the D-pad and your right thumb is used to hit pad buttons. When you use a dual-analog controls, however, both thumbs are on analog sticks--so how do you hit pad buttons? The shoulder buttons solve this problem since you can hit then with your index fingers.

With the current console generation, the shoulder buttons have become some of the most widely used buttons on the controller--particularly the R1/RT button. The reason for this is simple: R1/RT is the gas pedal for most racing games and the gun trigger for most FPS games. There are notable exceptions to this rule (the default for gas in Gran Turismo 5: Prologue is still X), but you'll probably find that when you're playing modern console blockbuster titles, your right index finger is used a lot.

So which does a better job--the 360 or the PS3? I've found that the outward curved design of the 360 controller is easier to grip, which makes it easier to hold down over extended periods and somewhat easier to get a range of input out of (eg. only holding it half-way down versus holding it all of the way down). By comparison, I've heard comments that the PS3 R2 button feels "mushy," and this is fair to say.

In this category, I would award my preference to the 360 controller, but there is a trade-off: I find that the 360 controller's outward curved triggers wear on my index fingers after prolonged play. This is one factor (and not the only one) that contributes to the 360 controller tiring out one's hands during a marathon gaming session.

Coming up: talk about the analog sticks, vibration, motion sensors, and weight.

posted by Parappa @ 7:44 PM