Controllers

Thankfully, gamepads are a simpler option than joysticks. Here the options are for analogue and digital inputs through either mini joysticks mounted on the pad or D-pad thumb direction buttons also mounted on the controller. Any gamepad worth bothering with will have both and more often than not will feature two analogue sticks, a D-pad under the left thumb, four main action buttons and more than likely two or four shoulder buttons as well.

Game pads are ideal for many arcade games where there are few controls, all of which can be mapped to the pad’s various buttons. The only two options to really think about are weight and size. Given the nature of the games these pads are designed for, wireless pads are an option as though there may be a tiny amount of lag, it won’t make too much difference to the game. It is worth remembering that a wireless pad will weigh considerably more than a wired one because it will have as many as four batteries inside.

A major consideration is the size of the pad itself and in recent years manufacturers have realised that gamers might not actually be twelve and might actually have adult sized hands, so have a look and see what the pad feels like. If it feels like your hands are bunched up and the buttons are too close together to avoid hitting more than the one you want, look at another pad. Don’t forget that a lot of games might require you to use two or even three buttons at the same time, so be aware that a tight button grouping is also needed, so you need to strike a balance.

Other options on gamepads are for a milder version of force feedback where the pad just rumbles in your hands. This doesn’t provide any direction specific feed back like a joysticks does and is again a matter of personal choice. More than likely the real deciding factor over force feedback in gamepads will be the price. Another consideration is how programmable the pad is with many pads now having macro features so you can assign several button presses to one button making that uber-move in your beat-em-up a much easier proposition.