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Grading the Sixth and Seventh Console Generations
GameDaily has up an article grading the current and next-gen consoles on their past and (apparently) future performance. Ratings come with an explanation, which is good because some of them seem just a bid dodgey. Only a B+ for the PS2? Really? From the article: "Considering the competition, the PS2's $129.99 price tag seems downright diminutive. The slim PS2 comes sans fan (meaning potential overheating for long-winded players) but the compact design makes it a must-have for anyone with limited space in the entertainment center. The DualShock 2 is arguably one of the best game controllers of all time and extras can be snapped up for a mere $20 for head-to-head or online multiplayer action." The Aeropause blog has a follow up on the ratings, giving you another perspective on the same consoles.
Even though MS hasn't been able to sell in Japan, Sony's meager launch of 80,000 PS3 units will be crushed by the Wii The day it launches. With a healthy level of Wii's in the pipeline Nintendo will be the market leader in Japan through the holiday and likely the 1st 3-6 months of it's lifespan. Sony's only hope is to get their manufacturing issues fixed before Nintendo has "Too much of a lead" and developers "Follow to money to the larger userbase" as they did with the PS2.
No, it's not. It is, however, probably the one you're most used to. Maybe it's even the first controller you've ever used. but that doesn't mean that it's a good controller. The shape is extremely awkward and non-ergonomic. You can't really hold the damn thing. The dual analog sticks are useful, but they're positioned all wrong. There are about, hm... well, there's Katamari Damacy which makes use of the dual sticks' position, but for every other game, you have to hold the controller asymetrically in order to use the left analog stick while keeping the right thumb on the buttons.
And don't get me started on the stupid symbols. I still sometimes hit the wrong button if the game tells me to "hit the square button" because I tend to forget the button position during a particularly engaging game.
If people like this controller, it's not because the controller is particularly good (or particularly bad, for that matter - there are way worse controllers). If people like it, it's because they're used to it.