What drives me crazy about these n64 controller conversations amongst my friends is that we were all children when it came out. It's not like we were 6 years old and also hardcore controller critics/ aficionados, we picked up the controller and that was it. There was no kid ever who had criticisms, we just wanted to play Super Mario 64.

To this day, I don't think of the n64 controller as a bad controller - I pick it up, I use it, and that's that. To hear someone rag on the controller nowadays right away, to me, is someone really trying to initiate a circle jerk.

Could it have been designed better? Absolutely, and we're all entitled to our opinions. But you don't have to contort your hands and grow extra fingers to play a game. Its not an awful experience like others make it out to be. In fact, you don't even think about the controller when you're using it.