@ rocketpig

A good design in 1997 would probably still be a good design by 2008. As people's hands are anatomically still the same.

Not what I meant. If you would read my entire post instead of picking out lines, you would have seen that I explain that two sentences later.

In 1997, the vast majority of games relied on the d-pad.

In 2008, that is not the case.

Yeah, it's digital but the "d" stands for "directional".  "Digital pad" wouldn't be a very good name as it doesn't describe what it does.

@ RocketPig

MikeB said: @ RocketPig No controller is going to be perfect. For the few games that require symmetrical movement with both analogs, the DS would work better. The thing is, those games are about one in a million. For the vast majority of games, it makes far more sense to put the left analog where your thumb rests naturally. I think you mean the right stick as it's much closer to the thumb's MLPP and thus should allow for more range of movement (moving the stick around in circles).

No, I mean the left stick. It sits right where your thumb rests naturally when you place your hands on the controller. That gives a natural feel when idle and the most movement possible in every direction when needed.

Try it. Just pick up a controller and see where your thumbs go. On the DS, it's the d-pad/buttons while on the 360, it's the analog/buttons.

only thing i can say about my DS2 is how bad the analogs are positioned while playing fps games. and i have a bit of a problem using the right analog as the hit stick in madden 07.

ive only used xbox controllers in the stores where you can demo games. i dont like it at all. the d pads are horrible. when i use the A B and whatever.... i feel theres something pushing back at me.

i would like a curvy shape for the next dualshock.

the only thing I have to add to this is that Sony Playstation brand sold really well for the last 2 generations so they did not need to change the controller design. Dont fix whats working for you...

With the PS3 not being such a dominant force...and in case it doesn't get the market share they would like, they will most likely change a lot of things by the time ps4 comes out...including the controller.

Yeah, but if you look at the Xbox controller the way it is now.. it looks like an alien spaceship. It needs fewer buttons.

I mean there are other ways of providing interactivity without having every single finger doing something at once on a friggin' controller

OMG. I actually agree with Cliff on something. I wish dearly I could use my 360 controller on the PS3. I have never been a fan of Playstation controllers, and the 360 one is just the perfect size, balance and weight for my hands. It's like it was made for me. I love it. (Obviously D-pad is an issue as has been said, but I NEVER use it unless required, which is rare, so I don't much care.)

Obviously people that don't have MY hands may have a different experience.

I hate to point out something so painfully obvious but the DS3 and 360 controller have the same number of buttons.