all Nintendo controllers suck hard, with a noble exception of the holy SNES pad

This a thousand times!!! You said almost everything to the word what I was thinking, particurlarly the bit about the D-pad, almost as if you were reading my mind...

Just to calm down the spirits, every Nintendo controller was great, some less great than anothers, from less great to greatest:

_NES (not very ergonomic)

_Original Wii Classic controller (with horrid cable in the bottom)

_N64 (great for that time, but the fragile analog & bulky construction didn't age well)

_Wii Pro classic (very ergonomic but a bit too light)

_Snes (just plain great)

_Wii remote + Nunchuk (the uniqueness trumps the defaults: A-B buttons)

_WiiU Gamepad (great ergonomy, all the sensors, cam, mic & glorious touchscreen that enables off-tv gameplay)

_WiiU Pro controller (one of the best modern classic controllers)

_Gamecube, just melts in the shape of your hand, this controller would be the king if it wasn't for its wireless twin...

_Wave Bird, hail the King, the greatest controller of all time!!!

GC worst N64 best.

N64 was absolutely perfect for 1st person shooters (with Turok style Goldeneye 1.2 settings), and for Fighting Games like Killer Instinct, the 6 button layout was optimal. Zelda OOT also plays 100 times better than on GC.
The only big issue was the durability, but on ebay you can find GC-style replacement analogue sticks that do not wear out.

The GC controller was a complete failure, the different button size made 3rd party titles like Soul Calibur 2 or TimeSplitters 2 and 3 hard to control. D-Pad and B-Button were too small, the A button too big. The Z-button just felt awkward to use and the yellow C-stick was not precise and much inferior to the N64 c-buttons. The LR-buttons had a bad feeling too and it was impossible to quickly press them multiple times. Worst controller ever. Even Mario sunshine was horrible to control.

Of the two, I'd say the GameCube controller was worse. It and Smash Bros worked amazingly together, but it didn't make up for the lack of a select button or that fourth shoulder button. Not to mention that the D-Pad was surprisingly bad. The Wiimote, despite its many flaws, was both revolutionary and versatile.

How can people hate on the n64 controller? I was playing with it last week, it fits well on the hands (I'd actually prefer it a bit bigger), the face buttons are very accessible, including the c-buttons, there were plenty of them, and R and Z were at the exact position you fingers would naturally rest grabing the controller, which had nice curves to it to acomodate the hand. The analogue position is, imo, better than that on Dual Shocks, too. I think it can get a little getting used to indeedn but I can't understand all the hate.

N64 is undoubtedly the worst.

The Wii Remote is the worst looking back.

At the time, I really liked it because it was unique and worked great for certain games. It also opened up more gaming possibilities.

While it's still great for games like Wii Sports, overall it's the worst...by far.

Half the games I play(ed) on it don't work correctly and make for a frustrating experience.

Favorite Nintendo Controllers in this order
1. U Pro Controller/ Gamepad
2. SNES
3. GC
4. NES
5. Wii remote
6. N64

GAMEPAD IS LOVE

GAMEPAD IS LIFE

I voted 64, but for best one ever! It was a manly mutherf#$@%, not a kiddy toy. I even remember discussing with our Rol if that (the big size) was not another reason (besides all others we have discussed millions of times) for bad Japanese reception. 64's was a blast to play with, so I'd have to say the original Gameboy (if it counts as a controller) was the most horrible Nintendo thing to have in hands. GC's not bad, but does feel cheap. Also, Wiimote is brilliant and was the reason I went back to console gaming.

poll doesn't really make sense