Dear Future Gamer,

I've gotta disagree with Ben Brown (FG30), I too enjoy being of both a Nintendo 64 and PlayStation owner and I must say that the PlayStation analogue pad is much better. I have four official Nintendo pads and all of them have been ruined by hours of GoldenEye. They have become gritty and, frankly, pretty unusable.

The PlayStation pad, on the other hand, has a well-made quality about it, a tougher and wider stick; it is easier to use for those subtle movements, especially in driving games. Try playing Toca 2 to see just what I'm talking about.

Just to finish off, I am constantly arguing with my friends about which stick each person uses when having a GoldenEye multiplayer session, mainly because whoever gets the worst of the bunch loses. Yes, it is that bad. I don't know how long you've had your N64 but there will come a day when your pads end up in the bin.

Dan

FG: This isn't the first letter I've received regarding the robustness of the N64 pads. They just don't seem to be built as well as the PlayStation pads, in our humble opinion. Can anyone recommend some sturdier N64 alternatives?