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  1. Hardware
  2. Gaming Controllers

20 little things that annoy us about controllers

Features
By Connor Sheridan published 6 January 2015

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Controlled aggression

Controlled aggression

Consider the controller: that little hunk of molded plastic that is solely responsible for translating your digital (as in fingers) manipulation of physical buttons/sticks/touchpads into digital (as in numbers) input in your favorite games. Forget about the sweet graphics, the smooth battle mechanics, and the gripping narrative - it all rests on the relationship between you and your button-studded doohickey.

So it's only natural that even the tiniest little problems can amount to a whole lot of frustration. Stubbed fingers, oily sticks, disgustingly dirty seams - we've dealt with it all in the pursuit of gaming bliss. Even as old problems like the entire concept of the N64 controller are addressed across generations of design, new headaches like shoulder buttons that only click at painfully precise angles surface. It's time to air some grievances.

Page 1 of 22
Page 1 of 22
Old joysticks getting all wobbly in the middle so you have to slam them to register

Old joysticks getting all wobbly in the middle so you have to slam them to register

Page 2 of 22
Page 2 of 22
The buttons getting so squishy after years of use that you can barely tell whether you're actually pushing them

The buttons getting so squishy after years of use that you can barely tell whether you're actually pushing them

Page 3 of 22
Page 3 of 22
...or getting all sticky because you forgot to wash your hands after eating caramel corn THE ONE TIME

...or getting all sticky because you forgot to wash your hands after eating caramel corn THE ONE TIME

Page 4 of 22
Page 4 of 22
Whatever keeps fucking rattling around in there

Whatever keeps fucking rattling around in there

Page 5 of 22
Page 5 of 22
Trying to play a hardcore platformer with any D-Pad that isn't absolutely perfect

Trying to play a hardcore platformer with any D-Pad that isn't absolutely perfect

Page 6 of 22
Page 6 of 22
Setting up a sweet surround sound system and still missing anything that's piped through your controller's speaker

Setting up a sweet surround sound system and still missing anything that's piped through your controller's speaker

Page 7 of 22
Page 7 of 22
Running out of batteries because you forgot to plug it in last night

Running out of batteries because you forgot to plug it in last night

Page 8 of 22
Page 8 of 22
Tripping over cords and ripping your console out from under the TV

Tripping over cords and ripping your console out from under the TV

Page 9 of 22
Page 9 of 22
Noticing that all the seams are filled with a stomach-turning buildup of dead skin, oil, and miscellaneous hand crud

Noticing that all the seams are filled with a stomach-turning buildup of dead skin, oil, and miscellaneous hand crud

Image via WikiHow

Page 10 of 22
Page 10 of 22
Realizing that the game supports analog button presses several hours in

Realizing that the game supports analog button presses several hours in

Page 11 of 22
Page 11 of 22
Trying to click the Xbox One's damn bumpers

Trying to click the Xbox One's damn bumpers

Page 12 of 22
Page 12 of 22
Slamming your thumbs together when you need to move right and look left on a DualShock

Slamming your thumbs together when you need to move right and look left on a DualShock

Image via WikiHow

Page 13 of 22
Page 13 of 22
Straining your index fingers in racing games or shooters

Straining your index fingers in racing games or shooters

Page 14 of 22
Page 14 of 22
Bumping the trigger as you set down your controller so the movie starts fast-forwarding

Bumping the trigger as you set down your controller so the movie starts fast-forwarding

Page 15 of 22
Page 15 of 22
Joystick input starting to drift even though you're not pushing it

Joystick input starting to drift even though you're not pushing it

Page 16 of 22
Page 16 of 22
Old controllers getting weak-ass rumble motors

Old controllers getting weak-ass rumble motors

Page 17 of 22
Page 17 of 22
Semi-broken controllers that work just well enough to keep them for guests instead of throwing them out

Semi-broken controllers that work just well enough to keep them for guests instead of throwing them out

Image via Reddit user leDesespoir

Page 18 of 22
Page 18 of 22
No-name controllers your grandparents got you that are still sitting in your closet

No-name controllers your grandparents got you that are still sitting in your closet

Page 19 of 22
Page 19 of 22
Buying new controllers every new generation

Buying new controllers every new generation

Page 20 of 22
Page 20 of 22
Figuring out what to do with the old controllers every new generation

Figuring out what to do with the old controllers every new generation

Page 21 of 22
Page 21 of 22
Touch and go

Touch and go

Seems like a lot of issues to have with a relatively inert object, but you start to see the bad side of just about anything if you spend enough time with it. How about you? Any pressing (get it, like a button) issues that have put you off from your favorite controllers? Let me know in the comments!

Speaking of which, I can think of a few annoying things about the PS4 and some similarly frustrating factoids about the Xbox One

Page 22 of 22
Page 22 of 22
Connor Sheridan
Connor Sheridan
Social Links Navigation

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and now I'm a staff writer here at GamesRadar.

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