The Official Dreamcast Controller

To me, the most important part of any console is always the controller, it's the main input for everything you and the console does, and if the controller isn't good then it wrecks everything else.

What's on it

First off, the buttons. There are 4 main buttons on the right side of the controller X, Y, A and B (colour coded as well). These  4 buttons work pretty much like the Playstation or SNES buttons. On the other side of the controller there is an analogue stick and a directional pad below it. By far the best part of the controller has to be the analogue triggers at the back, these can be used like an accelerator and brake (sorry, no clutch) and works brilliantly with driving games. Oh yeah, there's also a start button. There is a square hole on the face of the controller so if you slot your VMS in you will be able to use it as a second screen, and there's another slot directly behind the first. There is also a little ridge to stick the cord in so it comes out of the top.

The review

Unlike most other controllers, this controller fits into your hand perfectly and feels good, this is first controller i don't get hand-cramp with. In the way of feel, this controller is by far the most comfortable of any of the other controllers. What a lot of people think when they only see pitures of the controller and the console, is that the controller is massive, in actual fact the controller is no bigger than the N64 controller and the console is very small. One thing that is of a minor inconvenience though is the way that the D-pad and the analogue stick are on the same side unlike the analogue dual shock PSX pad. This means that in some games where you need to move in two different ways like WWF Atitude you have to switch from one to another and that just doesn't work, also in RPG's or shoot em up's, you want to control which direction to look or aim and which way to walk. Another thing that the controller has been criticised for is not being so good for the fighting games. To pull off the really difficult "up-down-left-B-A-X+Y" combo's, the hardcore players find in using the D-pad a lot easier, only problem is that the ones with short fingers can't reach the triggers and keep their fingers on the d-pad at the same time. One thing though that is really, really good has to be the triggers, they are perfect for driving games, simulating the acclerator and brake pedals. They are also used in NBA2K to take free-throws, having to push them down the right amount to get a straight shot. The one other thing people seem to complain about is the amount of buttons, it seems Sega have gone for the more simplistic look with less buttons rather than having too many buttons like the PSX or the N64. It would of been better though if they added a couple more buttons on the face. Oh, one last thing, the cord even though it is quite long, comes out the bottom of the control rather than the top, there is a little ridge so you can stick the cord up but it's just not the same

The Pro's and Con's