What is the best D-pad?

Which controller has the best D-pad, and if you need to get a new controller today (in the 2020s), which one is the best to get?

I’ve been playing video games on a plethora of different controllers throughout the years. The very first controller I ever played on was, to my memory, a (rather large) joystick named Wico Command Control. Obviously, back then in the 1980s, I was just a kid who barely even knew that there were different controller options available. But some time later, I saw ads in magazines promoting all kinds of controllers, and I started to wonder if there were better controllers out there.

Pretty soon after that, I had the opportunity to try both the Nintendo Entertainment System controller, a few different joysticks for the Commodore 64, and even the Sega Master System controller. From that point onward I’ve been extremely conscious of how the choice of controller affects my game play performance. It has always been painfully obvious when the controller causes game play issues, whether it comes down to personal preference, bad design or just mechanical issues.

We all have our personal preferences, and to find the truly best controller for you, you’ll have to do a little trial and error. My main concern revolves around the D-pad, as I find that it is the most critical component when it comes to game play performance, especially for retro and arcade type games, which is my main focus in game pad specific gaming. So, here’s a little rundown of what I find are the strengths and weaknesses of the best controllers I’ve ever used, and which controller is the best one to get in the current year 2023.

The Use Case

The controller of choice is, of course, directly dependent on what exactly you intend to play with it. As far as my use case is concerned, I primarily play shooting-, arcade-, side-scrollers, and puzzle games on PC. For this use case I need a controller with a good D-pad that’s plug-n-play, or at least easy to setup in Windows.
For other types of games, such as 3D rally racing games and pinball games, I’m perfectly happy using a standard Xbox One controller. The Thumbstick and the bumper buttons are very good on that one, and it easily connects to the PC / Windows / Steam interface.

Joystick or Controller?

I mentioned the joysticks for the Commodore 64, and I found that they are very hit-or-miss. There’s some really bad ones that I’ve had the displeasure of owning and trying to game on. Wico made really good joysticks, but they’re not my first pick anymore – for obvious reaons.

Nowadays, there are various types of arcade sticks available for the consumer market (both home consoles and PC). I enjoy playing fighting games on the MadCatz Sanwa and HORI Hayabusa arcade sticks, but there’s a learning curve and muscle memory training required there that I’ve haven’t truly nailed down yet. They’re excellent controllers though!

As I mentioned, my main focus is retro, shooting, and arcade games, and for these types of “pixel precision” games, a regular control-pad is hands down what feels best for me.

Nintendo Entertainment System D-pad

The D-pad on the NES controller is overall very good. It feels somewhat stiff and rigid, but it shouldn’t cause any issues when playing a game, even in the most intense retro games. I can’t personally remember a single time when I felt that the D-pad failed me while playing a game, which would make it a solid choice in my opinion.

But availability today, in the current year of 2023, disqualifies this option as well. It would be a hassle to source original hardware (and they would have to be in good enough condition) and then use adapters to be able to use them on other platforms. Not great, not worth the trouble – there are better options out there.

The 8BitDo NES30

When I saw that 8BitDo released the NES30 controllers back in 2014, I instantly bought a couple of them, thinking that this was a great offering; very affordable, great D-pad, and works on most, if not all platforms!

In reality, the build quality on the NES30 isn’t great however, but at that low-end price point, I still think it’s an okay product. The D-pad felt pretty good at first, even if it isn’t exactly like the real thing. After many hours of playing however, the issues started popping up; the D-pad would “get stuck” and drift when I made quick bullet dodging motions in my shmups – so it won’t cut it in the long run. Also, it’s a Bluetooth controller, and I prefer wired ones – I don’t want the hassle of charging batteries all the time!

Sega Mega Drive D-Pad

The Sega Mega Drive controller, especially the updated 6-button variant, is easily one of my favorite controllers of all time. The buttons are crisp and extremely durable – just how many thousands of hours have we played on them, and they just never break down? And they still show no significant sign of wear. Truly remarkable!

The D-pad is in my opinion also one of the best ones I’ve ever tried. It just delivers flawless execution all the time. It feels crisp, has that satisfying frosty surface, and it’s practically impossible to hit the diagonals by accident. Easily one of the best D-pads of all time.

Much like the original NES controller, finding an original Sega Mega Drive Controller in good condition, for a fair price becomes more and more difficult for every passing year…

The RetroBit 6 Button Arcade Pad

Imagine my excitement when RetroBit launched their Sega Mega Drive 6-button controller clone back in 2019. This controller is still available today, and is a fantastic choice. The build quality feels to me exactly like the original, which is the best possible compliment it can get. The D-pad is also great, out of the box I felt nothing bad about it, but after a few intense gaming sessions, it started to squeak a little. It’s not a big deal as it doesn’t affect game play (as of yet, anyway), but it does sound like it might be breaking down?

Either way, these controllers have a very attractive price point, and offer a great overall package – easily worth getting if you’re looking for a good controller for retro gaming and nice retro feeling, and it’s available in a USB variant for PC, too. It almost checks all my boxes, but I am starting to worry about the physical integrity of the D-pad.

Nintendo GameCube D-Pad

The Nintendo GameCube controller is excellent in many ways. The D-pad is very small, very stiff, but very precise and it just feels awesome to game on. I just adore playing shmups with this D-pad, and it was easily the best option for Wii Virtual Console games. The face buttons aren’t my favorite, simply because they are so big and feel a bit clunky, but that’s a very minor complaint in the grand scheme of things. Availability is starting to suffer here, too.

Other Controller Clones

I am aware that there are various GameCube controller clones for PC out there, but I haven’t personally tested them as of writing this. This is something I will have to do at some point, because I really enjoy playing retro and arcade type games with the GameCube controller’s D-pad.
Similarly, the Sega Saturn controller clones are supposed to be amazing controllers for my purposes, but I haven’t tested them myself, yet.

PlayStation Dual Shock D-Pad

The iconic PlayStation controller and its many iterations is an okay option for retro and arcade games. I have to say, I didn’t like it at first, because I thought that it just felt like pressing buttons rather than an actual D-pad, but it eventually grew on me. I don’t have anything negative to say about it, really. I’ve played countless shmups and retro platformer games, such as the Sonic games with the Dual Shock, and haven’t experienced any D-pad related problems. One of my PlayStation 2 controllers just completely died for no apparent reason whatsoever – it wasn’t even used that much, which made me wonder about the build quality of that specific edition of the Dual Shock.

Aside from the aforementioned mishap, these controllers are typically very durable in my experience, when it comes to the mechanical parts, which is a huge factor when deciding what to buy and actually use.

If all else fails, you might just get a PS5 controller and use it on PC – it might be one of the better overall options, in terms of availability, design, and build quality. However, once again, these are wireless controllers, which I personally don’t particularly enjoy on PC.

Xbox Controllers’ D-Pads

The Xbox controllers are all pretty good (but not perfect) when it comes to the D-pad specifically. Even the original The Duke controller had an okay D-pad in my opinion, as it reminded me a lot of the Sega Mega Drive controller. I haven’t touched it in a minute, but from what I can remember, I enjoyed playing on the original Xbox Controllers.

The Xbox 360 controller is in my experience the best one overall of the Xbox controllers. It’s fairly durable, and the D-pad is very good on it. It is discontinued (obviously) and thus not available new anymore, however.

The D-pad on the successor Xbox One controller is unfortunately not very good. It’s clicky and stiff, which could come down to personal preference, but even worse, they seem to break fairly easily. Mine just stopped responding properly to the diagonal inputs, which makes any precision gaming on them impossible. If it weren’t for this issue, the controller would be a pretty good choice, because it is easily available and most games have built-in support for it.

I could get a brand new Xbox One controller, and the D-pad would be fine, but it still wouldn’t be the perfect choice for me personally. So what other options are there…?

The Best D-Pad

I obviously haven’t tested every option out there, but I have tested enough to know what I like, and what I don’t like. Based on the criteria mentioned above and my use case, the best D-pad in my opinion is found on the HORI Fighting Commander controllers (and its many different variations, across multiple platforms). The plus-shaped D-pad has my preferred size and has a great quality feel to it. It has the exact precision I need, and just never skips a beat. I really noticed that I could consistently beat my personal best high-scores in multiple games with the HORI controller, which sounds ridiculous, but it is true.

These controllers are easily available everywhere (and have been since decades, in various iterations), and they’re very affordable. They’re plug-n-play in Windows / Steam, there are wired options available, and they’re just a good quality product overall. As a bonus, they typically also feature turbo functions, which is fantastic for arcade shooting games.

In my experience HORI game controllers really just hit all the right spots when it comes to the D-pad, build quality, price point, and availability. But I haven’t heard anyone ever recommending them for some reason. If you’re playing D-pad intensive shooting games and arcade games, I really think a HORI Fighting Commander type controller is the best way to play.