Its all nostalgia I suppose. I had a C64, but found the NES far more playable - instant loading through cartridges, and others might disagree, but perhaps the most significant evolution in gaming - The gamepad
I do still enjoy joystick systems, but I really think moving away from joysticks was a step forwards. Joysticks never felt very well defined in movement, and you either had to hold them in your hand, or stick them down with rubber suckers to a table, they never felt as precise as game pads.