Currently Online 
The PS2 wasn't easy to program for either, it's the best selling console ever, so that wouldn't have held things back. The N64 just needed Nintendo to compromise on the CD issue and it would sold at least double the units IMO.
N64 controller was amazing for its time when you consider it was blazing new ground. Getting the Rumble Pak the first time was a very cool sensation.
It's easy now with hindsight to point at its faults when it did most of the heavy lifting of being the first controller that was really properly designed for 3D games and every other controller basically copied off that.
To be honest, fragility of the analog stick aside, there's a lot I like about the N64 controller over even the GameCube pad. The d-pad is much better, making fighting games better, playing Killer Instinct or Mortal Kombat 4 on the N64 pad was fine.
I also loved the Z-trigger underneath the analog stick, was perfect for first person shooters.
GameCube controller had a shit d-pad and a laughably stupid design for the Z-trigger, they obviously just tacked those two things on at the end. To be honest too the "bean bag" button layout was trying to be cute for the sake of being cute. It didn't really make games any easier to play and made some games (like fighters once again) fairly awkward with a weird layout.
