Oh sweet memories 
I sort of agree about having too many buttons. But just because the buttons are there does not mean that the developers need to use each and every one of them.
Someone people mention Nintendo "forcing" developers to use less buttons both with GCN and GBA. Well, errr, they should not have to force anyone. The developers should do a good job making control for their own games.
Having said that though, I do find *some* games that use way too many buttons confusing. With some of them you can get used to it. But with others (especially fast action ones) it's just too many and you end up ignoring certain functions, which sucks. Totally depends on the game though, so that's why I saw it's up to the developer.
As for actual controllers, my favourite is still the Dreamcast pad. I think it has just the right amount of buttons and it's easy to use and confortable. Obviously it's not ideal for fighting games, but I don't like fighting games much anyway, so it's perfect for me. Barring that I like the old Saturn NiGHTS pad a lot, which has a lot on common with the DC pad.
I also like the new Xbox Controller-S pad, but I have only used it in the kiosk at the store, so it's hard to have a strong opinion. The GCN controller is OK. I like the feel of the controller itself, but the d-pad is subpar...
The PSX/PS2 controller is OK. But I miss the deep shoulder buttons like the other consoles have. The d-pad is an atrocity and I could live without two layers of shoulder buttons. Also, I hate the fact that the buttons are triangle, square, and all that crap. Still, it's not terrible. It's OK.
The only "modern" controller I hated was the original Xbox one. Ugh. That was the worst.
Um, anyway, I think button use is mainly the responsibility of the developer, but if I were designing a controller I'd make it most similar to the Dreamcast controller.
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