Guys, it's Gamecube, it isn't a trick question so why are so many people getting it wrong!?

NES because it gave birth to every other controller on no matter what system.

I do think the Wiimote + Nunchuk is an underrated controller, but the bafflingly awful placement of the 1 and 2 buttons prevents it from being a contender for the top spot for me.

This, gamepad ftw

Gamepad. I tried to go back to a 360 controller and it felt so weird to me. Gamepad followed by Wiimote + Nunchuck and then the pro controller.

Wii U Pro is the best.

By far IMHO. Who cares about GCN one unless it;s thier childhood controller, or love using the (imho) cheap C Stick in Smash and use the wired thing for better play in competitive Smash games.......................

Still don't get the obsession with the Gamecube controller. Its lack of a proper second analogue stick makes it immediately inferior to the Wii U Pro controller before we even begin. The fact that I think the triggers are unpleasant is neither here nor there.

I voted for the Wiimote. Seriously. There is no other controller that allows such a diverse array of experiences, particularly when you throw in its natural companion the nunchuk. To name but a few, there's the vertical/casual (e.g. Wii Sports), the horizontal/2d platformer mode (e.g. NSMBWii), the steering wheel (Mario Kart Wii), the Wiimote and Nunchuk (Super Mario Galaxy), the "dual-sticks but better" (Metroid Prime 3).

The fact that the Wii U has an arsenal of the Wii U gamepad, the Wii U pro controller and the Wii Remote & nunchuk at its disposal makes it the console with the best arsenal of controllers ever, no contest.

I didn't find it any harder than reaching for the centre buttons on a dual analogue controller myself.

Skyward Sword really drives home how terrible it is when you want to view the Help menu. Reaching for the center buttons on a dual analogue controller is natural, you're reaching across the controller. It's not even that far from the face buttons. Besides that, usually the center buttons are the start/select buttons -- the sort of things you probably don't mind loosening your grip on the controllers to press. Odds are if you're hitting the start button you might even be about to put the controller down.

This is the natural and recommended way to hold a Wii Remote:

And this is an artist's rendition of trying to press the '2' button from that position:

To simulate this position without holding a Wii Remote, here is a practice exercise for anyone who wants to test my claim. Touch your thumb to the tip of your middle finger; this is what pressing the center button of a dual analogue controller feels like. Now try touching your thumb to the circled part of your hand. This is what trying to press the 2 button on a Wii Remote feels like.

Basically you have mutant hands if this is comfortable for you, I'm sorry to be the one to break it to you.

Gamecube has hands down the best button layout of any controller ever, but the Gamepad has the touchpad...

I guess I have to go with the Gamepad

PS: Wiimote/Nunchuck is a pretty darn great combo too, just a little too limited to be "best"

@dengle: ever think of, ya know, pivoting your hand on the Wiimote?