With the great abundance of gamepads now available for Xbox, GameCube and PS2, you would think that after a while they would all start to feel and perform pretty much the same. To a limited extent, that's true. There's little to distinguish some controllers from others, save for a different name emblazoned on the pad or a variation in shape. However, there are subtle differences between pads such as styling, feel, weight, vibration effects, performance and extras like macro programmability that do tip the scales in favor of some gamepads over others. Plus, there are a good number of wireless alternatives to choose from now, as well.

So, how do you know which gamepad is best? That's the purpose of this roundup. We'll take a hands-on trip through "control central" and let you know what's available in the latest gamepads for the Xbox, GameCube, and PS2, as well as some older, standby controllers that still shake with the best of them. As with the PC Gamepad Roundup, this is not an exhaustive list of all pads currently available (though preparing this roundup was certainly exhausting), but a representative sample of the best alternatives on the market today.