Welcome to a brand new episode of Defunct Games Decides, the show that isn't afraid to get to the bottom of classic video game arguments. Today we're taking a look at two popular controllers from the 1980s. Need a way to maximize on your rate of fire, or are you looking for some kind of an advantage on your competition? Well look no further than the NES Max or the NES Advantage controllers for the Nintendo Entertainment system. "But witch one is better?" I hear you ask. Well, read on to find out once and for all, as Josh Despain compares two pieces of video game history.

NES Advantage vs. NES Max

NES ADVANTAGE: With the look and feel of an arcade controller, the NES Advantage changed the way gaming was played on a home console. Gone were the days of hand cramps from hours of using a smaller controller. Not only did the NES Advantage give you the freedom of the 8-way stick found in arcade machines, but it also came with turbo button options, as well as the ability to use a slow-motion feature when the action was too hectic. The NES Advantage was so amazing that it even made a cameo appearance in Ghostbusters II. Welcome to the future of gaming!

NES MAX: The ability to use turbo button functions may have been very handy for shoot-em-ups on the NES, but nothing was better than taking advantage of the rapid fire feature that allowed you to blow your enemies to itty-bitty pieces. The NES Max and its ergonomic design allowed you to take advantage of rapid fire turbo in the palm of your hand. The NES Advantage was HUGE, and could only be used on a table top, or with it sitting flat on the floor. With the Max, you could still sit on the couch comfortably and play all your favorites for hours on end.

VERDICT: When it comes to playing video games, comfort is everything and bigger is not always better. Oh sure, the NES Advantage has the awesome analog stick like you find in the arcade, but the NES Max designed a modified D-pad, that acted more like an analog stick than the traditional NES pad. The Max didn't have the ability to use the slow-motion feature that came on the NES Advantage, but that feature didn't work on all games, and really was of no interest to me. I bought a used NES advantage a couple of years ago, and have owned a NES Max for about 5 years. I ended up selling the Advantage after a few months later, but still own the Max. The NES Advantage was just too big and awkward to make gaming fun and comfortable, I will stick with what I like best, the NES Max.

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