QUOTE(DragoNs @ Oct 13 2006, 09:10 PM)
I personally think the PS2 controller was the best controller for all the current gen systems. lol and for the biggest reason you hated the ps2 was the controller? surprized you like the 360 one, it has resemblance
it has nothing to do with resemblance and everything to do with how it fits in your hands.
the PS2 (and all PS controllers for that matter) were obviously made to be looked at first and held second.
-Hard edges that make up the shape of the controller would dig into your hands on extended play sessions
-the d-pad chews up your thumb if you play any hardcore 2D fighters.
-the L/R2 buttons sloped down far enough that if you tucked your middle fingers under your hand would cramp up from lack of space and if you put it on top your pinky and ring fingers would cramp up from having to hold a tighter grip in order to keep the controller in your hands
-The analog sticks were too far towards the center, it was somewhat acceptable with the PS1 dual-sock because they had no where else on the controller to put it but it was an absolute atrocity that they never bothered to actually design the thing ergonomically correct. They're so far in the center that I can't actually get a full rotation of the sticks using just my thumbs, I actually have to loosen my grip towards my fingertips and move my whole hand if I want to push toward the center. Also this location screws with your perception of direction your fingers natural movements for "up" and "down" at that level of extension end up being "up-left" and "down right" for the Left stick...
-The D-pad is still in the prominent position despite the fact that it's not the prominent directional input (further exemplifying that visual symmetry is more important to Sony designers then actual function).
I could go on... the PS controller was a mis-sharpen SNES controller with extra shoulder buttons (basically they wanted the SNES controller but had to make it different enough to avoid copywrite infringment). When Nintendo and Sega announced the inclusion of an analog stick and a rumble motor Sony jumped on board by simply shoving analog sticks on the controller wherever they'd fit... and in typical Sony "anything you can do I can do better" fashion they put 2 sticks and 2 motors instead of one (or perhaps they did it to keep with the controller's symmetrical design, take your pick).
This is not how you make a worth while product, playing "me-too" games and shoving important features wherever you have space left would earn you a Failing grade at any industrial design school worth the paper their degrees are printed on.
I've found that most people who "like" the PS controller design are just people who have been using it for so long that their hands have adapted to it instead of Sony adapting to human hands.
Find someone who doesn't play video games, hand them both a 360 controller and a PS2 controller and ask them which one they prefer, you'd be hard-pressed to find a substantial group of people who pick the PS2 controller. There's a reason the 360 controller has won awards and the stagnant PS controller design hasn't won jack since it's inception in 1995.
At a glance yes the PS2 controller is remarkably similar to the Xbox controller, but it's the subtle differences that separate a good controller design from a bad one.