For as long as I can remember (which, in gaming terms is a pretty darn long time) I’ve had a borderline obsession with controllers.  In the beginning, it was definitely a negative preoccupation: Why is this ColecoVision joystick so stiff? Why do these gamepads have to hurt my thumb so much?  Why is this cord so short?  Even at an early age, I was hoping for something better.

In time the gaming public would be introduced to not only to better options but a much greater variety of peripherals.  Sure, even in the days of the aforementioned Coleco there were wheels, ‘Super-action controllers’ and pseudo arcade-sticks, but few if any of these devices made a compelling case that they legitimately added anything positive to the gaming experience.  From my personal experience, they often did the exact opposite and managed to make a middling game even worse.  The first time I picked up the NES Zapper however I became aware that something that looked like little more than a chintzy plastic imitation of a gun could in fact deliver a new thrill.

It’s difficult to get across to a gaming generation used to powerful gaming consoles and computers capable of easily handling state-of-the-art graphics that in fairly recent history it was impossible to fully recreate the arcade experience at home.    Personal videogame devices were limited in terms of their internal hardware and games were, by necessity, dumbed-down and often simplified as a result.  The NES and Sega Master system may not have had the grunt of coin-op machines, but, with the option of mass-marketed light guns, at least one facet of arcade game-play was available.  I doubt there has been a more successful side-peripheral in gaming history than the NES Zapper but if that was the high-water mark for the industry it was merely the planting of a seed for yours truly.

Bane of ducks everywhere.

While I quietly yearned to indulge my growing interest in other types of gaming controllers, even occasionally borrowing one off a friend, it wasn’t until adulthood and an increase in my personal disposable income that I could really cut loose.  By then, I was almost exclusively a PC gamer, though I kept an eye on developments like the N64 controller, my first hands-on experience with a proper analogue stick for a home console.  Pandora’s Box truly opened for me with the purchase of my first Gravis PC GamePad – suddenly all the benefits of console style controls were at my fingertips on a computer.  Fast-forward nearly ten years later and I had purchased almost every derivation of gamepad that Gravis had produced, right up until the USB age.

Other peripherals inevitably caught my eye.  I had played the venerable Red Baron game by Dynamix using the keyboard (shudder) but it was X-Wing and later Tie Fighter that would prompt me to invest in a flight-stick.  Three sticks later and I never regretted a penny spent – you haven’t really played a flight-sim (terrestrial or space) until you’ve played with a stick.

Things didn’t stop there.  A primitive 6-button lay-out gamepad designed with Street Fighter in mind unlocked an interest in “proper” fighting game controls.  I would spend hours enjoying classics like X-Men: Children of the Atom on my PC while simultaneously being frustrated with the pokey feel of Virtua Fighter 2 on a Gravis Advanced.  This and other frustrations would eventually lead me back into the arms of a console, specifically the Dreamcast, which only served to fuel my peripheral obsession further.  Two arcade sticks, four light-guns, two wheels and countless controller extension cables later and my descent was complete.

Have stick, will travel.

My aim with these stories from my past isn’t merely to paint me as the obsessive that I undoubtedly am, but to examine why I found the “right” controls so necessary.  I have consistently seen that a better controller that feels right and fits the game-play in question improves the gaming experience immeasurably.  Additionally, it can even provide an appreciation for a genre of games that the user may not otherwise have found previously compelling.  To the first point, I need look no further than my first purchase of an arcade-stick for the purpose of enjoying fighting games the way they were meant to be played.  Suddenly those fireballs, dragon punches and spinning pile-drivers that I struggled with at times were straight-forward.  My reactions could be as lightning-fast as the limits of my nervous system would allow, never to be held back by the pathetic input speed of an ill-suited gamepad again.  To paraphrase Winston Zeddemore, I had the tools, I had the talent.  Well, to be fair the jury is still out on how talented I ever became at fighting games but I could at least say I had the tools.

To the second point, I can recall that at one time my feelings toward racing/driving games ranged somewhere between complete disdain and mild apathy.  I had played a bit of R.C. Pro-Am back in the day and enjoyed Mario Kart as well but I had little interest in exploring the genre beyond that.  Experiences with Virtua Racer, Daytona USA and later Sega Rally 2 in the arcade began to slowly open my mind.  I realised that what had held me back was how unsatisfying race controls were with a digital pad or even a standard analogue stick.  The feel of a steering wheel was what was needed to make controls seem correct and responsive.  Not long after my acquisition of a Dreamcast, the purchase of my first Thrustmaster product followed.  To this day, apart from the kart-racing sub-genre I rarely go anywhere near a driving game lacking a quality wheel, with paddles or pedals.

Remember that NES Zapper I mentioned earlier: it was gone, but not forgotten.  Again, it was a few amazing arcade experiences, primarily with House of the Dead (boy, Sega sure have a lot to answer for in this story, don’t they?) that inspired me to pick up a light-gun once again.  Next thing I knew, I had not only added shooting games and weaponry to my Dreamcast library, but also bought a Saturn and PS1 both with relevant guns to explore the genre on those systems as well.

The endless search for the right feel, more precision and more accuracy wasn’t limited to gaming alone.  I’ve bought more mice for my PC’s over the years than I can count to add extra buttons, wheels, optical, cordless, laser and Bluetooth features in the pursuit of the perfect pointing device.  For every keyboard I ruined by spilling food or drink on another two were turned over trying to find a more comfortable typing position or more satisfying ‘click-clack’.

Yeah…they can’t all be winners.

Today, gamers and technology consumers alike take for granted the wide range of choices at their disposal.  If you wanted to elevate your gaming experience there is a device out there somewhere that will match your predilections.  True “twitch” gaming didn’t exist in the days of the Atari 2600, unless you include all the spasms from the nerve damage those brutal controllers probably caused.  My advice to anyone looking to expand their digital horizons beyond the genres and styles they know best is to consider investing in suitable peripherals.  You’re not going to extract the most fun from a driving game by wagging a tiny analogue stick side to side – your brain knows it takes a steering wheel to control a one-tonne vehicle hurtling around a racetrack.  Take it from someone who’s tried in vain to enjoy a watered down experience (like a light-gun port on the PC where you use a MOUSE to shoot…ugh), it’s better not to bother at all.

Worst case scenario is you’ll end up with a few devices you don’t want, or perhaps one or two that are just too weird – in a world of eBay and other selling avenues it has never been easier to take a chance a flip a controller later if you don’t like it.  Best case scenario is you open your eyes to new or improved gaming experiences you never realised were there before.  Happy hunting!