The N64, IMO was a nice fresh concept with some very fresh feeling games. The PSX also felt very fresh with it being the first console to really use an optical disk medium in an effective way - the best it had been used for before were somewhat terrible interactive adventures that often used live recorded footage. As much as I liked RPGs before, there is no denying that Wild Arms, Suikoden, and Final Fantasy 7 showcases the next level; and if your tastes are like mine, Suikoden 2, FF Tactics, FF8, and Xenogears took it a two further. On the N64 side, Mario Kart 64 and Goldeneye 007 gave a nice glimpse of the future potential of multiplayer: expanded on by the really good wrestling games and more.

And now I’m ranting like an overtired madman who should have been asleep for hours...

I won’t call it the worst, but IMO the least enjoyable generation was the 128... I had a Dreamcast first, and most of the big experiences were done on that console first... and IMO best: Skies of Arcadia was the best RPG, Sonic Adventure the best platformer, Soul Caliber the best fighter, etc. Mostly everything on PS2 felt a little done by the time it came out... Gamecube was worse for me because I found Nintendo’s core franchises to all be less fun/creative than their first stab at 3D on the N64. I hate to sound negative... the PS2 generation DID offer the GTA games, which I know many here didn’t like, but I had a blast. I have to admit, I did spend most of the ten playing games on previous consoles and handheld.

Anyway, since I commented on a side part of your post for two paragraphs, it’s only fair I address the N64 controller: I liked it, BUT...
I damn near went through nine of them! I still have some extras unused because I knew if I wanted to play the thing in the future that all controllers had a lifespan. I never dreamed that they’d have something like the virtual console just one generation later... PLEASE BRING IT BACK NINTENDO! Anyway, I think the controller - while a good first attempt - should have:
A. added a second analog stick.
B. made more durable analog sticks

And the Switch doesn’t need a 3 pronged controller since even the N64 typically just used one prong or the other. They just need a classic style Joycon with that beautiful N64 style d-pad (NEVER AGAIN should they bring back that brutal, filthy, disgusting Gamecube one).

128, what?

Loved the N64 controller. That z-trigger was perfect considering N64 brought shooters into the console market and they were a major genre for the system. And the N64 controller brought a lot of modern innovation that we take for granted now - the idea of trigger buttons which has morphed from the z-trigger to just triggers directly behind the shoulder buttons, also brought rumble feedback, and of course the analog stick. I don't think N64 controller would do well now though. Two analog sticks beats one, and being able to use d-pad or analog stick without having to switch between prongs is better, although usually either the d-pad or the analog stick needs to be position awkwardly to make this happen.

The Dreamcast was said to be a 128-bit console.not for long tho as people didn't care about bits anymore by that time. That was the last time we heard "bits" when discussing new video game consoles

I never grew up with an N64(I have played it though). It was always a weird system to me. Nintendo did a good job with their games on using it but when it came to third party game it always felt "off". Like the game had to adapt to the controller rather than the other way around. Also out of all the Nintendo controllers, it was definitely the weirdest controller. If you look at the controller evolution from NES to GC. It seemed like the N64 controller was out of place.

Anyway I think the controller worked best with 3D platformers and rail shooters like Starfox.

if you stop at the GC that means you're comparing it to the NES, SNES and GC? The NES / Master system choice to go with a rectangle of pain was something I could never understand even at the time, it just so clearly should have been rounded off at the edges, they served no purpose other than to inflict pain.

But yeah if you compare it to basically the SNES and GC pads then the N64 one does stand out.... most certainly doesn't stand out when you add in the WiiMote or the WiiU Gamepad though, those things are far less traditional controller than the N64 could ever have hoped to be.

Hola!

If you wanna spend a little cash you know you can do just what you talk about here, go pick up a

https://www.ebay.ie/itm/Raphnet-tech-N64-controller-to-Wii-Gamecube-adapter-with-vibration/261822630924?hash=item3cf5d84c0c:g:~HMAAOSwDFNWEx5A

along with a

https://www.amazon.co.uk/GameCube-Controller-Adapter-Nintendo-Wii/dp/B00RSXRLUE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1536813626&sr=8-2&keywords=switch+gamecube+controller+adapter

and play away with your N64 pad on the Switch.

What are you doing? Squeezing the controllers really hard? =P

I never had issues with the NES controller except for maybe a few finger blisters from the buttons.

Personally, I prefer the rectangular feeling to the rounded countrollers; especially the Gamecube's which forces your hands to conform to something made for smaller hands, and it gets crampy on certain games, like Mario Kart.

intense sessions of California games required controllers to be held tightly to get that perfect Frisbee throw!

But in honesty yeah, the way I play I hold my hand around the edges of the pad, the NES has pointed edges and my hands don't have square gaps for that to slot into, the SNES pad was like heaven after the NES's non ergonomic pad for me.

Anyway, more on topic. I would also argue that Gamecube is the odd controller out as far as Nintendo goes. The reason is that each Nintendo controller added some kind of new feature that either hadn’t been done or hadn’t been popularized anywhere in the industry before. Gamecube was shockingly conservative compared to all the controllers before it, and all the controllers after it; it also highly resembled the Dual Shock controller with the exception of a much smaller D-pad, only 3 shoulder buttons, and the misshapen face buttons. The differences seem to be there solely for the purpose of not looking like a total ripoff, because none of the changes add any usability; it’s based on the dual shock, but ultimately less usable.