So, I’ll start. I have 3 devices that I’d say are tied for best
First, my n3ds xl. Beautiful handheld, clamshell, just a nice piece of hardware. If the cstick didn’t suck itd be the sole winner. My 3ds has served me very well
I also like my rp4 pro, just a great all round emulation machine. And a functional second analog stick, its almost like analog sticks are meant to be sticks and not pencil top erasers
I also like my ambernic sp, got it recently. Looks cool. And clamshell so yippee
As for the worst, I have a few:
Mandatory jab at the switch. Not awful but cmon, the controls suck
The leapster explorer. Shitty dpad. Insane power consumption, it s afun gimmick, jut kinda useless.
Then I had this little system from lexibook, the “compact cyber arcade” or something. Was silver and white, appeared to be 16 bit. Really shit controls. Buttons weren’t even labeled. It also just randomly died after about a decade, but I can’t fault it for that I guess.
I also hate tiger handhelds with a passion. Like ignoring the awful game, the controls just SUCK I didn’t even pay for the one I do have and I still feel scammed
A big part of it, I think: the Steam Controller is different in ways that are unpleasant if you approach it like a standard controller. For example, it is not designed to be gripped around the handles like an Xbox controller, but to rest in your fingers. If you attempt to grip it like a traditional controller, it is uncomfortable and the trackpads are hard to use.
I have a friend who grew to like his Steam Controller after using the trackpads on his Steam Deck. For him, it was realizing the potential of the hardware combined with Steam Input.