I (still) own an Atari Jaguar.
For those of you who never saw or held one, because my beloved toilet-seat just didn't sell very well for, um, various reasons... the Atari Jaguar controller [http://www.syntaxerror.nu/joy034.jpg] is, frankly, stupid. Clearly the product of an insane mind. It's a perfectly normal, though not very ergonomic, big-ass controller?that has inexplicably had a car crash with a telephone keypad.
Unless you have hands like a gorilla and could comfortably one-hand the original Xbox "fat" controller, your Jaguar claws went thus: A, B and C on the right are essentially for your three fingers or your thumb on the right hand, and you have the D-pad going on with your left hand, probably with your second finger like I did. And underneath the pad, are clamped your two index fingers, to hold up the godawful and surprisingly weighty telephone keypad. There's a groove on there. Your thumbs are sort of parallel to the controller sides.
In summary, it's about as ergonomic as a house brick, and doesn't weigh much less. It hurts after a bit, you get real nasty cramps between your thumb and finger, and aching on your index fingers.
I once beat Jeff Minter's "Tempest 2000" (one of the few really good games on the platform, others including Alien vs. Predator, and Iron Soldier), on the rather amusingly hard Beastly Mode, in one sitting. It was awesome. I've never been so zoned-in on a game (and it really is excellent?emulations/conversions just don't do it justice, though).
For the record, the end screen cheerfully recommended "about six cups of tea" after that experience. It should probably have added "and a couple of ice-packs for your poor, aching hands". Ouch.
For those of you who never saw or held one, because my beloved toilet-seat just didn't sell very well for, um, various reasons... the Atari Jaguar controller [http://www.syntaxerror.nu/joy034.jpg] is, frankly, stupid. Clearly the product of an insane mind. It's a perfectly normal, though not very ergonomic, big-ass controller?that has inexplicably had a car crash with a telephone keypad.
Unless you have hands like a gorilla and could comfortably one-hand the original Xbox "fat" controller, your Jaguar claws went thus: A, B and C on the right are essentially for your three fingers or your thumb on the right hand, and you have the D-pad going on with your left hand, probably with your second finger like I did. And underneath the pad, are clamped your two index fingers, to hold up the godawful and surprisingly weighty telephone keypad. There's a groove on there. Your thumbs are sort of parallel to the controller sides.
In summary, it's about as ergonomic as a house brick, and doesn't weigh much less. It hurts after a bit, you get real nasty cramps between your thumb and finger, and aching on your index fingers.
I once beat Jeff Minter's "Tempest 2000" (one of the few really good games on the platform, others including Alien vs. Predator, and Iron Soldier), on the rather amusingly hard Beastly Mode, in one sitting. It was awesome. I've never been so zoned-in on a game (and it really is excellent?emulations/conversions just don't do it justice, though).
For the record, the end screen cheerfully recommended "about six cups of tea" after that experience. It should probably have added "and a couple of ice-packs for your poor, aching hands". Ouch.
