I generally agree about notifications being a little better on Android, but I think I’ve used iOS for long enough that I’ve made it work for me regardless. On iOS, I’ve found that the best way to see when an app needs your attention is to be very intentional about which ones get notification badges, and make sure those apps are visible on your first home screen and/or dock.
Once that’s set up, you probably won’t need notification center as much, or you might only check it when you see a badge on an app you care about. I’d still love to see a couple more options (maybe utilizing the dynamic island?), but this gets the job done.
I always thought the GameCube controller was ridiculously comfortable and ergonomic, so that’s my choice. The C stick might not be for everyone though.
Any Dreamcast fans here? Those controllers had similar ergonomics in the hand, although the lack of a second analog stick was a pretty big drawback in hindsight.