Seriously.  If someone decides to write about the PS3’s controller, it’s always bad.  It’s the punchline to a very tired joke, and one whose purveyors love to repeat given the slightest opportunity.  I have a very different perspective, so I’d like to respond to the top five things I keep hearing about the SIXAXIS.

#1 – The controller is too light
My immediate response to this has always been, “Why should a controller be heavy?”  Damn near everything I use on a daily basis is best when it is as light as possible.  Therefore, if my controller is otherwise durable, functional, and comfortable, I’d never think to fault how much it weighs. Personally, the less I am reminded that I am playing a game, the more I can get into the experience.  A controller with little heft, then, is just another way to help keep my head in that space.

#2 – The analog sticks suck
This particular complaint comes in many forms, from them being too tall or too loose or even too sensitive. Whatever the words used, it all converges on “suck.”

I suppose I can’t argue with too tall, since it’s possible for someone to have incredibly short thumbs, though I suspect this same person would have trouble with the 360’s controller too.  Personally, I enjoy them being a bit further out than the 360’s.  For one thing, it makes third-person games feel better, as pushing a joystick with a little more give to it feels like driving your character forward, rather than the kind of “pulling” sensation I get with a shorter stick.

There’s also the concave/convex issue, with the PS3 and 360 controllers having opposite designs.  Here, it’s not quite such a clear-cut issue to me; both feel well-suited for different things.  I admit that I prefer the 360’s concave design for shooters for the same reason that I don’t like it in third-person games.  The pulling sensation that has a weird physical incongruity with third-person games actually feels right here.  In the end, since both are relatively minor alterations of an otherwise similar steering apparatus, I enjoy making the best use out of both options whenever possible.

Lastly, there’s the issue of how “loose” or “over-sensitive” they seem to some people.  If you’ve never taken a good look at how the sticks are seated or watched how they move, you may not understand why they feel the way they do.  In a change from most or all other controllers (even the Dual Shock 2), which have sticks that just rotate in a socket, here they pivot. The effect is to allow for a greater range of motion within the same space, thus allowing for finer control.  For someone like me, who’s used to the pinpoint precision of a pointing device, having more control over an analog steering device is fantastic.  It’s also true that they’re a little easier to move than the 360’s, so you do have to be gentler.  My response is that this allows for higher-level play, if you’re willing to spend some time getting used to them.

This is actually why I got Mirror’s Edge on PS3 instead of for the 360, or even PC.  It is a game that will ultimately reward finesse, and looks best when the point of view is controlled by an analog stick.  Therefore, my best choice is to go with the PS3.

#3 – The R2/L2 analog buttons are wonky
This is perhaps the most difficult aspect of the design to defend.  I can understand people’s problem here.  Really.  And yes, I realize that they were added primarily for, and are utilized best with, racing games.  For everything else, this obviously presents a problem.

Several early PS3 shooters opted to use the R2 and L2 buttons for weapon-use, and most would agree that this never felt quite right.  The problem is something that took developers a while to realize — that the reason shooter fans prefer using the triggers on the 360’s controller is that they actually feel like the trigger on a gun, and not because they happen to be buttons furthest back. R2 and L2 are not triggers, despite being in the right spot for it.  What they are and how they work is a little different.

The expected down-and-slightly-in curve of a regular trigger, where one just pulls down to move through the full range of motion, is not the case here.  There simply isn’t enough room back there to get in that same range with the same motion.  Instead, the SIXAXIS’ shoulder buttons are designed to be squeezed inward, sort of curling up into the main body of the controller.  While this can awkward in a shooter, it actually makes games in other genres work better, provided the functionality is used properly.

Again, it comes down to a question of finesse.  A stubbier shoulder button gives you the ability to hold it more comfortably in a state between fully-depressed and not pressed at all.  While the 360’s controller ultimately has more “give”, which some people will prefer, I feel that the extra give is wasted because the real value with an analog button is in being able to accurately hold an in-between spot.  I came to a conscious realization of just how important this is when I played Grand Theft Auto IV.  Initially, the car physics confounded me, and I was constantly making mistakes where I never would have in the previous games.  When I eventually figured out how to make careful, slight adjustments in the throttle, I felt more in-control than ever.

#4 – The batteries aren’t removable or replaceable
This has always seemed like a complete non-issue to me, and yet it’s still one of the most common complaints I see.  I always thought the ability to charge the controllers with the console using an industry-standard cable was a pretty good deal.  Honestly, I see very little benefit in having separate, swappable batteries.  “Well, don’t you have extra batteries lying around somewhere?”  Actually, I don’t.  What I do have are over two dozen rechargables that I’ve been using for years, all of which are claimed by the random electrical doohickeys I’ve amassed.  One less set of batteries to worry about is a blessing.  As for battery life, I’ve had two controllers since I bought the system in April 2007 and both last at least eight hours on a full charge.  When I’m done playing, I just plug it back in to the system.  Good to go the next time I need it and zero hassle.

#5 – The motion control doesn’t work
The way I see it, this particular issue really has more to do with software rather than hardware.  While I grant that the motion controls were put in at the last minute in an attempt to capitalize on the Wii craze (and provide plausible deniability about the lack of rumble), I still think it’s fair to say that the hardware itself works as it should.

FlOw controls very well, and clearly demonstrates the controller’s ability to pick up a range of very subtle movements.  Other games, like Folklore, utilize it in a more interesting way by providing a visceral and exciting element to gameplay that simply can’t be done otherwise.  Other games have simply transplanted regular controls for motion-sensitive ones, with varying results.  Some people like it enough to never use the traditional controls, and others don’t.  In either case, there’s almost always been a way to turn it off.

The one thing that makes that an “almost” is the PS3-exclusive game Lair.  I haven’t played it, so I can’t comment on how bad the motion control problem is, but that doesn’t change the fact that popular opinion was extremely negative.  It definitely struck a nerve because a patch ended up being released to put analog functionality into the game.  Unfortunately for Factor 5, the damage was already done.  Assuming the controls were truly as bad as described, that’s bad enough.  Let’s just try not to apply this one example to the control scheme as a whole.