Designed as THE future of controllers for Sega’s new system, the Dreamcast, what’s there to say about this little piece of hardware… The Sega Dreamcast controller was a revolutionary controller that borrowed some elements from the Nintendo 64 with its inserts in the top, the Super Nintendo with its 4 button layout, and the Sega Saturn 3D Control Pad with is circular shape and trigger button configuration . So how can it be revolutionary if it borrows a number of its designs from other controllers? Because it’s not just about those things, which are small pieces overall, but it’s about what the Sega Dreamcast controller reached for and achieved that nobody else had done yet.

The DC Controller was arguably one of the most, if not THE most, ergonomic controllers at that time. I personally think that it IS the most ergonomic controller until the release of the GameCube with its respective controller. It features a 4 button layout located by the right thumb, 2 trigger buttons located on the rear for the left and right index fingers, a start button, a d-pad, and a beautiful joystick.

Two of my favorite features of the controller are the joystick and the trigger buttons. The joystick is so smooth and fluid, it picks up on subtle and soft movements for those tricky spots in particular games. It doesn’t protrude too much out of the controller and it is perfectly located where my thumb can access it with ease. The trigger buttons are very sensitive and smooth. You can depress the trigger a little, a lot, or just a little here and there for different results. Say you are playing a racing game and the right trigger is used for braking. If you want to slow down just a little, you can depress the trigger just slightly and not be jerked to a full stop. I love this feature! Before, controllers featured buttons that performed a single action with no other options whatsoever. Either you press the button or you don’t.

Another marvelous feature is the open window located directly in the middle of the controller. What could this be used for? Well, specifically it is there so that you can see the screen on your memory card! WTF?! A screen on a memory card?? That’s right. Your friggin’ memory card has a screen on it. This memory card is known as a VMU (Visual Memory Unit). The screen is activated once you turn the game on and it reads the disc to display information related directly to the game. Some games were developed that made specific use of this feature and some didn’t even try. Some developers claimed that it was basically a gimmick and unnecessary. It wouldn’t be until the Wii U and the other 8^th generation gaming systems that we would see a screen in the middle of a controller for a major home video game console.

The DC Controller features not one, but two slots in the controller where you can input not one, but two VMUs or one VMU with one tremor pack (a rumble pack) or one memory card with one GameShark insert. No matter what you use, it’s just awesome knowing that you have multiple options! For the Nintendo 64, we were forced to choose between a memory card, a rumble pack, or a transfer pack. We couldn’t have more than one! But oh well.

So, aside from the beautiful looking and wonderfully ergonomic controller with its great incorporation of the VMU, smooth and fluid joystick, and trigger buttons, what in the world could be wrong with this thing? For starters, the obvious… the cord comes out of the bottom of the controller, not the top. This doesn’t even make sense. Everyone plays every system with the controller’s top pointing up or at the TV. It was a terrible idea and it just feels awkward. They tried to include this little thing along the back that you can clip the cord into, but it’s just odd. Also, some might say that the controller isn’t all that ergonomic. I would say “YOU’RE STUPID AND YOU’RE WRONG!” but everyone is entitled to their own opinion (even if it’s stupid and wrong). It’s a little large and a little bulky, not to mention that it can be heavy at times. With no memory cards in, the DC Controller is incredibly light! But when you have multiple items inserted, it adds a lot of weight to the top and begins to pull itself down in an awkward way.

 

Pros:

–          Ergonomic control layout.

–          Fluid joystick.

–          Sensitive trigger buttons.

–          VMU compatibility.

–          2 slots for multiple uses in each controller. With 4 controllers, you could conceivably have 8 memory cards in saving all of your crazy games.

–          Lightweight when empty.

–          Inexpensive to purchase right now.

 

Cons:

–          The awkward placement of the cord coming out of the controller is a huge turnoff.

–          Heavy controller with multiple items inserted into the slots.

–          Controller is a little bulky and large (to make room for the VMUs) which can be difficult for a child with small hands.

–          Controller cord could have been longer, but at least it’s not short either.

Overall, this is a damn fine controller to go along with a damn fine gaming system. The Dreamcast Controller is easy to hold and great to use. Ultra-responsive buttons and brilliant joystick configurations take this controller to the next level. The VMU is a great addition and it even has its own little d-pad and buttons that make it a portable gaming system. You can get these controllers for about $10 to $15 on Amazon, and owning 4 is entirely necessary! But if you’re like me and The Cubist, be sure to own at least 9 of them in case something happens to the others.