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The best game controllers ever created for Xbox, Nintendo and PlayStation

By Eric Halliday

BANGKOK, THAILAND - 2019/01/15: In this photo illustration, an old vintage Japanese market version of the Nintendo 64 (clear blue edition) video game console knows also as 'N64' released in 1996 in Japan next to the latest video game console the 'Nintendo Switch' released in 2017. (Photo Illustration by Guillaume Payen/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
BANGKOK, THAILAND - 2019/01/15: In this photo illustration, an old vintage Japanese market version of the Nintendo 64 (clear blue edition) video game console knows also as 'N64' released in 1996 in Japan next to the latest video game console the 'Nintendo Switch' released in 2017. (Photo Illustration by Guillaume Payen/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) /
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asciigrip
asciigrip /

Company: Sony
System: Playstation 1 (PSX)
Controller Name: Ascii Grip

So, first off, don’t say the name out loud because it’s going to kill the pitch. But let me tell you the story of how I met this controller.

When I was in my 20’s, back in the early 2000s, I got a really bad case of pneumonia. It almost killed me. In fact, the thing that finally pushed me to go to the hospital was when I blacked out and jacked up my wrist putting that arm out of commission for a while.

I remember being bedridden in my apartment for two weeks. I borrowed a projector that had the trapezoid option so I could tilt it in a basket at the end of my bed and shine my PS1 on my ceiling. But I only had one hand. That’s when someone, as a joke, got my the Ascii Grip (which you can actually still buy for like 10 bucks on eBay.

Lemme tell you. If you’re playing through a PS1-era RPG that’s turned-based, get this. It’s a controller slightly larger but way more comfortable than a single Joy-Con that has every single button on it and controls. I played through the majority of Final Fantasy 9 with one hand. It was one of the most comfortable gaming experiences of my life and even after my arm got better, I stuck with it.

Obviously, platformers and action games are rough on this thing but being able to lay on a couch and play a slow turn-based RPG with one hand under your head is an absolute luxury and it felt like it with this controller.

So that’s my three. How about you? What was a controller that you picked up that was an absolute positive memory maker for you? Comment below and let’s see what trips down memory lane you can take us down.

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