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The History of the Game Controller

Posted by Zonk on from the buttons-and-knobs dept.

1up.com has up a feature going through the history of the game controller. Starting in the dark ages of the PDP-1, the article moves all the way up to Nintendo's mysterious Revolution controller. From the article: "And when will Nintendo tip its hand? All we know at this point is that the Revolution will be backwards compatible with GameCube controllers, so at the very least the system will support all the functionality you're used to. But apart from that, will the controller feature a built-in touch screen and microphone, like the Nintendo DS? Is it just a box of brain-wave-reading goo? One thing is for sure: if history is any indication, there's no telling what the game controller we use twenty years from now will look like. And just as long as there's no numeric keypad, we should be okay."

142 comments

  1. Revolution Controller being revealed Friday by tommertron · · Score: 1

    ... at the Tokyo Game Show, according to Spong: http://spong.com/detail/news.asp?mode=news&type=n& cid=&pid=&vid=&prid=9130&n=Revolution+Controller+s howing+confirmed+%96+Iwata+keynote+to+reveal+all

    --
    Random rants about technology: http://technorants.blogspot.com
    1. Re:Revolution Controller being revealed Friday by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      Spong is as reliable as a GNAA troll, don't get your hopes up.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
  2. Best control goes to... by XxtraLarGe · · Score: 3

    The Dual Shock on the PS2. I've owned several consoles, including the Atari 5200 and Dreamcast. There's just something much more comfortable about the Dual Shock than the XBox controllers (why have the analog sticks in different positions?) and the GameCube controller. IMHO, the only way the Dual Shock controller could have been improved is if they included two more buttons in addition to X, 0, the box & the triangle.

    --
    Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
    1. Re:Best control goes to... by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      My thumbs object to this. The DS2 dpad is an atrocity and the symmetric analog sticks are pointless. Most games use the left analog + right buttons layout, that's why the analog should be in the primary position on the left. Leaving the dpad there just encourages bad game designers to use the dpad instead. I don't know what idiot thought that splitting the dpad like that and leaving it this way even after Nintendo's dpad patent expired was a good idea. It just hurts.

      Never mind those stupid button names hat exist only to make life harder for third party controller manufacturers (the Airflow, close to the perfect controller for the PS2, has no labels on its buttons because of that stupid trademark. No way I'm buying a controller where I don't know what button is which) and the lack of convention for what button means "cancel".

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    2. Re:Best control goes to... by ivan256 · · Score: 1

      I don't know about you (you may be a mutant) but the range of movement on my thumb is much greater when my thumb is in the lower position. With the analog stick up top, your thumb is already half way to the end of it's vertical range of motion when you're in the center position. This is fine for buttons that require little fine motor control, but it's not good for analog sticks.

      Keep my analog sticks in the lower position please.

    3. Re:Best control goes to... by Gulthek · · Score: 1

      Insane, or maybe you have more robust hands than mine. I hate the PS2 controller with the passion of a thousand suns.

      And no analog triggers is pretty annoying.

    4. Re:Best control goes to... by Gulthek · · Score: 1

      WTF? When your thumbs are in the neutral position they have the greatest range of motion. Let your hands relax and sit naturally---see how the thumbs both point forwards at a 45 degree angle to your wrist line. See how that lines them up perfectly with the Dreamcast, XBox, or Gamecube controller thumbstick layout? The PS2 controller forces the thumbs into the very bottom range of motion (parallel to the wrist line), very awkward, very sucky. Very cramp inducing. I hate the PS2 controller more than I hate the original gameboy for ergonomics. (But not as much as the virtual boy.)

    5. Re:Best control goes to... by Otis2222222 · · Score: 0

      I'd just like to point out that the D-Pad as well as all of the buttons on the DS2 controller are pressure sensitive. I don't know about you guys but I would rather take advatage of pressure sensitivity than use an analog stick. I absolutely detest games that REQUIRE you to use the analog and relagate the D-Pad to some stupid function like switching weapons or something. Pressure sensitivity alone is enough to elevate the DS2 controller to a higher standard of excellence.

    6. Re:Best control goes to... by ivan256 · · Score: 1

      With your arms pointing in such that your hands are the same distance apart that a controller would hold them and your palms vertical, your thumb is parallel to your wrist in the neutral position.

      That's the beauty of the DS2. Your hands are almost held vertically without twisting your wrist, and your thumbs are between the D-pad and the analog stick (but more towards the stick) when you're in the neutral position. Abominations of controller design like the original Xbox controller and the Dreamcast controller require you to turn your hands to the faces of your fingers and top of your palm face up in order to force your tumb to be up in that higher position. Holding your hands twisted like that for extended periods is asking for a RSI.

    7. Re:Best control goes to... by nakedsushi · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I think we're all forgetting that everyone's hands are different sizes. The dual shock controller is perfect for me because I have a small hands and my thumbs naturally fall on the analog sticks. The BF, however, hates that controller and prefers the Xbox S-controllers because his hands are better and his thumb naturally rests on the left analog stick on that.

    8. Re:Best control goes to... by Blakey+Rat · · Score: 1

      Nah, the Logitech Wireless Xbox controller is the best for me. The size is somewhere between the Xbox "Duke" (i.e. large) controller and the Controller-S.

      The "Duke" XBox controller isn't nearly as bad as every gaming site says it is, though. I find it quite usable for extended periods... what's really stupid is that they got such a bad rap that nobody makes them anymore, so if you prefer the "Duke" controller, you can't go out and buy a new one, you just have to hope one's up on Ebay. (And yes, there are people who like them and refuse to use anything else... my boss, for example, spent $60 on Ebay for a "Duke" controller after his broke.)

      --
      Comment of the year
    9. Re:Best control goes to... by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      I don't see a point to pressure sensitivity with that little way except to annoy the player by overloading the buttons and have him screw up a mission if he pushes the button too hard or soft. The GC's shoulder buttons have enough way to make using them analogly useful, the PS2's buttons have one milimetre difference between released and fully pushed (I assume that the shoulder buttons are digital because the mechanical resistence prevents any form of analog use).

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    10. Re:Best control goes to... by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      You must be doing something wrong because I can do a lot of fine motor control with the GC analog stick (I apply it in Kururin Squash!, most people probably use it more for Super Monkey Ball).

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    11. Re:Best control goes to... by Gulthek · · Score: 1

      Palms vertical my thumbs move higher, not lower. The only way to get my thumbs parallel to wrist position is to move them, or twist my wrists forward.

      If I let my hands relax completely, the XBox controller can slide right into the curled gap my fingers and thumb make. My palms don't even come close to facing up.

      I do agree that the original Xbox controller was a horrible, horrible thing. Worse than the PS2 even. That's why I didn't even consider getting an XBox. Last year I noticed that the controller in the game stores was different and tried it out.

    12. Re:Best control goes to... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      WHAT?!

      Sorry, but the DualShock controller (you do know that it came out for the original PlayStation first, right?) gets to go down as one of the worst controller designs in history. Half of this is because the original PlayStation controller is the second worst controller design in history.

      Let's start off with the d-pad. Good d-pads allow you to simply rock your thumb in the direction to move the pad. Does the Sony controller? Nope! You get to slide your thumb around!

      Secondly we have the shoulder buttons. A single shoulder button works, the double ones just made the controller INSANELY awkward to hold. Most games just ignored the L2 and R2 buttons since they're next to impossible to press while holding the controller in a natural position. Most players I know just stick their fingers between the L/R1 and L/R2 buttons to allow them to kind of slide and press, which allows them to hold the controller without awkwardly having their middle fingers extended.

      (Try this. Hold out your hands, palms facing each other, like you're holding a controller, and try to press a button with your middle finger. Feel how your ring fingers want to move with it? With the PlayStation controller, you needed to use the ring fingers to support the controller. If you didn't, you were left with your pinkies to support it.)

      Finally we have the set of four buttons on the right. Are these set up properly, as buttons along two concentric circles based on the ball joint of the thumb? Nope. They're laid out in a grid. (And, as you mentioned, this would have been the PERFECT place to add an extra two buttons to get rid of the L2 and R2 buttons.)

      Most games only use Square and X. Triangle and Circle get dumped off as rarely-used controls, because they're practically impossible to press at the same time as any other button!

      And that's just the base controller. Now lets add the DualShock. The DualShock takes that horrendous basic design, and dumps two analog sticks onto the controller. (And adding force feedback, but they COULD have done that with the normal PlayStation controller.)

      Are these analog sticks placed such that they rest at the thumbs' neutral position? Nope! They're placed at around 30 degrees, and pushed in.

      As an added bonus, the analog sticks are buttons, too! Yes, you can push on them to get L3 and R3. Those buttons are rarely used, though, since trying to press down at an already awkwardly placed analog stick is just the height of foolishness.

      Sorry, but the DualShock controller does not get the position of "best controller", but it does get a prime position in the Controller Hall of Shame.

    13. Re:Best control goes to... by ZakuSage · · Score: 1

      My Airflo XL clearly has labels on the buttons. All of them. X, triangle, square, circle, L1, L2, R1, R2, the D-Pad, Start, Select, Mode (analog), and the fan control. I don't know what's wrong with yours.

    14. Re:Best control goes to... by ZakuSage · · Score: 1

      PS2's shoulder buttons? They're analog. They're just like the ones on the face, with the contact piece inside curved to allow analog. I've found pressure sensitivity useful in games where it's used right, like in MGS2 and 3. Twin Snakes on GCN is almost crippling to play by comparison with the lack of analog buttons.

    15. Re:Best control goes to... by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      The ones I see in stores only have coloured dots on them instead of the runes.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    16. Re:Best control goes to... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sorry, but as a Sony fanboy, I have to argue this. You get to slide your thumb around! Dunno what kinda sissy thumbs you have, but mine, from the last joint to the tip, COMPLETLY COVER the Dualshock D-pad. Most games just ignored the L2 and R2 buttons since they're next to impossible to press while holding the controller in a natural position. I can see that they are annoying to hit, but almost ALL games use them, just for things like camera work. Feel how your ring fingers want to move with it? No. buttons along two concentric circles I'd be funny to watch all the button mispresses caused by that. Are you a girl? Because you seem to have very tiny hands. Sorry, but most men's hands are too big to deal with a setup like that. Most games only use Square and X. Triangle and Circle get dumped off as rarely-used controls, because they're practically impossible to press at the same time as any other button! Ummm.... You don't play many action games do you? Nonetheless, this is another small hands problem. Can you even lift the X-Box controller? Are these analog sticks placed such that they rest at the thumbs' neutral position? Nope! They're placed at around 30 degrees, and pushed in. Your right, thay aren't at the thumbs neutral position. That's where the BUTTONS are. You can't have your cake and eat it too. And... pushed in? They're bumped out... Do you have a Sony console?

    17. Re:Best control goes to... by jZnat · · Score: 1

      Now that you point that out, that reminds me of previous thoughts on what the Revolution's controller would include. The possibility of a modular controller where you can swap the analog sticks, buttons, and d-pad seems like a good idea, especially due to preferences like yours.

      --
      'Yes, firefox is indeed greater than women. Can women block pops up for you? No. Can Firefox show you naked women? Yes.'
    18. Re:Best control goes to... by DarkYoshi · · Score: 1

      I agree with you to the fullest extent. I wonder how people are able to use the thing at all. I've heard many a time that the GameCube's controller sucks because it has one big button in the middle, even though all it does is let you have your thumb on a button if you need to press it quickly, and it adds comfort to games which use mainly one button. Resident Evil 4 fits in both of those. I've also heard that the analog triggers suck because you have to press further to press the trigger, but that idea proved its innovation with Super Mario Sunshine. I've also heard that the shape sucks, but the contoured design makes it oh so much more comfortable. The GameCube controller is the best thing we've had since the N64 controller, and the SNES controller before that...

    19. Re:Best control goes to... by MilenCent · · Score: 1

      I actually hate the Dual Shock for some games. For Katamari Damacy they work great... until you try to do a charge move (alternate the sticks as fast as you can) and accidently do a 180-degree reverse (press "in" on both sticks at the same time).

      And for games that require super-precise control, Dual Shock sucks even more. Super Monkey Ball played great on a Gamecube (the game even featured a controller calibration option on that platform), but the PS2 version is almost unplayable on some levels.

      However, the placement of the sticks on a Dual Shock is nice. Ah well, I can't complain about everything, I guess.

    20. Re:Best control goes to... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      All I can figure is you don't know how to hold a PS(X/2) Dual Shock controller. I'm no PS2 fanboy (I'd sell it if I had a better way to play Jpop DVDs) but I do know how to hold the controller. For one thing you don't put all your fingers under the controller, you hold it with your middle, ring and pinky fingers leaving your index fingers to rest comfortably on the shoulder buttons much in the shape that a hand normally relaxes.

      The D pad does allow for rocking, just put the base of your thumb in the center of the buttons and rock away. You'll notice that the inside of each button is contored downward as a resting place.

      As for the analog sticks, they're not where your thumbs rest because that's where the buttons are. But unlike other systems like the monstrous Xbox controller they're in a easily reachable position for both thumbs. On the more comfortable XBox S controller I rarely use the D pad even for games that it makes more sense to use cause it's so far out that it's hard to reach for me.

      This is of course assuming you have small hands and not large smelly ape hands.

    21. Re:Best control goes to... by Pranadevil2k · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Gripe gripe gripe.

      You don't know much about what you're talking about, apparently.

      You say L2 and R2 are such horrible buttons because of their placement. And then directly following that, you say your friends found a way to not bother with it.... You don't NEED your fingers on the buttons at all times, especially if (as you say) you aren't using the buttons very often.

      Go play SSX, you know the PS2 launch title or one of its' sequels. It makes use of every shoulder button, and it is easily one of the most fun sports games you could ever ask for. The controller adds to the experience here, it does not degrade it.

      For you to then complain about the placement of the face buttons is idiotic. Guess what? They're placed in the exact same manner as GASP the SNES controller widely heralded as the harbinger of controller salvation. Here's a small newsflash for you: A square (grid with 4 points, button layout) is just a circle with straight lines. The buttons are laid out in a circle, not a grid. Just LOOK at the controller, you can SEE the circular casing.

      Don't use Triangle and Circle much do you? You must not play RPGs. 99% of RPGs actually don't use the Square button at all and make use of triangle for the menu, circle for cancel, and X for accept, or talk. And check this out, the ** Warriors series from Koei use all 4 face buttons with the 'main' buttons being square (attack) and triangle (charge attack). X is jump and circle is special attack.

      If you can name a mainstream 32-bit and up console whose controller used every single button in the most comfortable possible layout in every single game, you're a much better man than I. I hate the layout for some games on GameCube with it's awkward d-pad and freaky sized face buttons. I hate the layout of MOST games on the X-Box, but maybe that's just because I dislike console FPS games which are the most popular xbox titles.

      Of the games I own at least, the PS2 controller has far and away the best functionality. Maybe you just need to play different games.

    22. Re:Best control goes to... by spydir31 · · Score: 1

      In Super Monkey Ball Deluxe they made the joystick have a huge dead zone from some reason, it isn't really the controller's fault.
      It does make the game unplayable, though.
      Metal Gear Solid uses the stick's sensitivity well, as does Katamari Damacy.

    23. Re:Best control goes to... by wgaryhas · · Score: 1

      I don't know about you, but I've never liked the ps1/ps2 controllers. both just seemed awkward and small in my hands. X-box controllers (which is pretty much a rip off of the dreamcast controller0) fit in my hands perfectly but button placement wasn't very well thought out. I'd have to say I'd rank controllers 1: N64 2: genesis 6 button 3: gamecube 4: dreamcast 5: xbox 6: genesis 3 button 7: nes 8: old atari controller 8: snes 9: PS 1 10: PS 1 and PS 2 dual shock 11: Atari Jaguire These are just my personal prefernce from using each of these. The N64 is the only one where I liked the implementation of the L/R/Z buttons (since most games just made the L and Z the same)

      --
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    24. Re:Best control goes to... by MilenCent · · Score: 1

      Aaah, interesting. Maybe I was mistaken, then.

    25. Re:Best control goes to... by CardiganKiller · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I forced myself to get used to the S-Type after I found out they weren't making the Duke anymore. I've never had a controller (the Duke) fit so nicely in my hands, and my fingers are probably a little shorter than average. I have more control with the analog sticks because of the weight and size of the controller.

    26. Re:Best control goes to... by Lehk228 · · Score: 1

      there are two problems with the Playstation line of controllers,

      one is the retarded ass four button fake d-pad, the moment the nintendo d-pad patent expired sony should have been rolling d-pad controllers off the assembly line.

      the other problem is the symbol'd buttons, especially since they named the shoulder buttons l1 l2 r1 and r2 defeating the only possible benefit of symbol labels which could be cultural neutrality between japan, usa, and europe. but even that is weak since most of the game-playing world is at least somewhat familiar with the letter ordering of the roman alphabet, not to mention replacing that with a system which nobody is naturally familiar with doesn't help.

      --
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  3. Or as I'd call it... by game+kid · · Score: 1

    ...the Saitek P880 with two more shoulder buttons. And vibration.

    Dunno about you guys, but said P880 is the only controller I use (my old Sidewinder gamepad and joystick both catch dust now).

    Duck Hunt on the NES, right? Nope -- it's an Atari arcade game called Qwak! Okay, maybe Nintendo did a little bit of stealing here, but that was how the business worked back in the day

    TFA put that in the side column, first page, as if companies don't steal now...

    --
    You can hold down the "B" button for continuous firing.
  4. Why stop at the PDP-1? by ivan256 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    There are some bad-ass controllers on some pneumatic spinning lathes and milling machines made in the 1950s and even earlier... I'm not just talking a joystick and a couple buttons either. These things had knobs, switches, slides, etc... All things that could make for interesting input on modern controllers, or have been experimented with on game controllers in the past.

    1. Re:Why stop at the PDP-1? by fm6 · · Score: 1

      And precisely what kind of game do you play on a lathe?

    2. Re:Why stop at the PDP-1? by ivan256 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You don't. I'm just saying that the modern game controller and joysticks have roots that pre-date gaming. Surely a "history of game controllers" should talk about the roots and influences of the device. It's not like controllers and joysticks were invented for gaming...

    3. Re:Why stop at the PDP-1? by fm6 · · Score: 1

      OK, so let's start with the controls of the first steam powered machines, invented back in the 1820s....

    4. Re:Why stop at the PDP-1? by ivan256 · · Score: 1

      Those were hardly controlelrs in the same sense. We're talking about something well integrated that you hold in your hand here. The controllers on the old machines that I'm talking about actually resemble a gaming controller, with the exception of a really thick "wire".

  5. I really miss the SpaceOrb by Shivetya · · Score: 3, Interesting

    as I found it to be one of the best methods of playing FPS games, especially Descent. While not perfer for other games it had a level of control and ease of control that was hard to match.

    The ASCIISphere was a version which existed for the PS2 playstation
    http://playstation.video-game-store.info/B00001ZUT U/Agetec-ASCII-Sphere-360.html

    Some information on this controller,
    http://www.mindflux.com.au/products/spacetec/sorb3 60.html (product information from former seller)

    Old review.
    http://www.joy-stick.net/reviews/other/orb360.htm

    Closest to current support you can get, as in enthusiast who moved it to XP/2000

    http://www.planethardware.com/spaceorb/

    --
    * Winners compare their achievements to their goals, losers compare theirs to that of others.
    1. Re:I really miss the SpaceOrb by hrieke · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I actually own one of these- I bought it in a moment of stupidity.
      Yes, it massively sucked.

      While the concept is cool- the excution was very poorly done- there was no way to tell how much force you where applying to the thing in the games that it did work with.
      This was espically true for the up / down, yaw & pitch movements.

      eh, I wonder what I did do with that thing...

      --
      III.IIVIVIXIIVIVIIIVVIIIIXVIIIXIIIIIIIIVIIIIVVIIIV IIVIIIIIIVIII...
  6. Am I the only one... by game+kid · · Score: 4, Interesting

    ...who noticed the "original Sega Saturn pad" has the Playstation logo? (Here's what seems to be the actual one.)

    --
    You can hold down the "B" button for continuous firing.
    1. Re:Am I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The first image result in your query on Google is the same image used in the article: A product image from Lik-Sang. It is a remake of "the famous Sega Saturn Joypad", apparently for the Playstation2, hence the logo.

    2. Re:Am I the only one... by rsmith-mac · · Score: 1

      There were two official digital pads released for the Saturn, much like the Xbox's Controller and Controller-S. The first release was what you link to as the "actual one," whereas the second release was almost exactly like the Lik-Sang pad in TFA. As can be inferred by Lik-Sang's copying of the second pad, the second design was much more popular than the first.

    3. Re:Am I the only one... by bVork · · Score: 1

      Your so-called "second release" was actually the original japanese pad. The so-called "actual one" is the redesigned pad that was released in north america (though Sega eventually grew a brain and released the original version here, too).

      The one pictured on the 1up site is a pad that Sega released very recently. I have one of these PS2 pads, and it's spot-on. It feels exactly like the real Saturn pad. Great for shooters and fighters.

    4. Re:Am I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      It feels exactly like the real Saturn pad.
      It should as they are probably produced on the same machines with the same materials. If only I could get the USB version without insane money transfare and shipping rates...
  7. The D-pad sucks by Cthefuture · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This is an interesting read, rather shallow and missing a lot of information, but interesting. Being born at the start of the 70's, I grew up with all this stuff.

    Dispite what they say, the D-pad is retarded. Tell me how many arcade games had D-pads? Why do you think that is? Joysticks still rule.

    I friggin hate thumb controls. Yeah, lets take the most clumsy, one directional (ie. weak in all other directions) finger and control everything with it! Pfffft... this is why I haven't gotten into and played console games since the mid-eighties when I switched totally to computer and arcade games. That's still mostly all I play. I do have recent consoles but they all suck (save a few games like DDR that don't use the ass controller).

    --
    The ratio of people to cake is too big
    1. Re:The D-pad sucks by gid · · Score: 1

      Agreed, the NES Advantage made Nintendo fun!

      The only other console I've bothered buying was the Dreamcast, and that was because I got bored one day. I never did find a good stick I liked for that console that could do it all, although there were a few that came close.

    2. Re:The D-pad sucks by Headcase88 · · Score: 1

      Arcades don't use d-pads because they don't use controllers because a handheld controller would either have wiring that is too stringy and would be broken by reckless players or too strong, which is awkward (try playing console games at a game store and you'll see what I mean).

      I think the real issue here is that all 3 consoles only have one main controller design (the XBox has two, but they're quite similar fundamentally, one is just less atrocious than the other). Why can't Sony, Nintendo, or Microsoft offer a few radically different designs for different players? Why would someone such as yourself have to go on the internet to get an arcade-like controller witha joystick? Why aren't quality companies selling this stuff in stores?

      Good thing games like Guitar Hero, Beatmania, In The Groove 2, etc, are coming out in the future.

      --
      "When the atomic bomb goes off there's devastation...but when the atomic bong goes off there's celebraaaaation!"
    3. Re:The D-pad sucks by CaptMonkeyDLuffy · · Score: 1

      Well, different control schema for different games makes sense and really works well. However, it requires more significant investment on the part of the consumer, and increases complexity... It's not does little Timmy have console A or console B, it's A with controller 1, or A with controller 2 or... For a portion of the market(including most slashdotters who are into console games) this isn't a big issue. However, from the market as a whole, it would probably be a bigger factor. It's not an insurmountable hurdle(look at the relative success of the dance pad games), but it is something that those producing the consoles and games need to take into account that the typical 'gaming enthusiast' sort would toss off as inconsequential.

    4. Re:The D-pad sucks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You could have a dpad on an arcade machine. You wouldn't be using your thumb on it but it would still be a dpad.

      Can you imagine standing at an arcade machine playing pac-man with a dpad?! LOL... stupid control mechanism

    5. Re:The D-pad sucks by Fred+Or+Alive · · Score: 1

      I'm a child of the '90s, and I personally find normal controllers are quite good for most games (perhaps I find them more useable becuase I grew up with them), but for some games like 2D fighters, you can't beat a joystick. I really like my Dreamcast Arcade Stick, I wish I could find something similar for my Xbox, the cheap Gamester one I found is too small, it won't sit on my lap nicely, and just feels wrong.

      --
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    6. Re:The D-pad sucks by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      Can you imagine holding a controller using a joystick in your hands without resting it somewhere?

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    7. Re:The D-pad sucks by porcupine8 · · Score: 1

      Yeah, lets take the most clumsy, one directional (ie. weak in all other directions) finger and control everything with it!
      Uh... You have four other opposable fingers on each hand?
      I'm not saying thumb controls are the best possible solution, but in what way does a thumb have less freedom of movement than your other fingers? It's got one less knuckle, so it can't curl all the way back on itself... Other than that, I look at how far I can move my thumb independently side-to-side versus my other fingers, and it kicks all their asses. And it can go just as far forward and backward as they can.
      Yeah, there might be better possible controller designs that take advantage of your other fingers' curling abilities (like a keyboard does), but calling your thumb one-directional is just silly.

      --
      Warning: Apple/Nintendo fangirl. Likes her electronics cute & cuddly. May be rabid.
    8. Re:The D-pad sucks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      how many arcade games had D-pads?

      I totally agree. The only thing that's worse than an arcade without an abundance of d-pads is one that lacks keyboard and mouse combos.

    9. Re:The D-pad sucks by Cthefuture · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I guess I should have been more clear. The thumb is not as dexterious as the other fingers because it is made to grip and hold while the other fingers perform more detailed work. However, this is totally beside the point I was trying to make.

      What I meant by my comparison is that the thumb sucks compared to using your hand/wrist/arm like with a joystick or mouse. I can quickly and extremely accurately snap my hand to specific positions whereas trying to do the same thing with just your thumb and its limited movement is damn hard. It's like the difference between using a thumb trackball and a mouse.

      --
      The ratio of people to cake is too big
    10. Re:The D-pad sucks by easychord · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I can, easily. I used hand held digital joysticks through the eighties and nineties.

      People get used to using second best kit and don't know how to use the good stuff. Old console kids think that the DPad is some sort of awesome gaming setup. Playstation generationers think that the dual shock, one of the worst controllers ever, is actually one of the best. Old school PC gamers think that the people who are using wasd and mouse for fps instead of cursor keys are crazy kids.

    11. Re:The D-pad sucks by Psiven · · Score: 0

      I'm sure million's of other gamers agree with you.

    12. Re:The D-pad sucks by porcupine8 · · Score: 1

      I see. Yes, if you're comparing it to the entire wrist/arm, its movement is very limited.

      --
      Warning: Apple/Nintendo fangirl. Likes her electronics cute & cuddly. May be rabid.
    13. Re:The D-pad sucks by GammaKitsune · · Score: 1

      Yes, Grandpa. I know, back in your day they didn't even have thumbs. ;)

      --
      Gamertag: WyleType
    14. Re:The D-pad sucks by cornface · · Score: 1

      I really like my Dreamcast Arcade Stick, I wish I could find something similar for my Xbox, the cheap Gamester one I found is too small, it won't sit on my lap nicely, and just feels wrong.

      The Dreamcast one messed me up because the joystick wasn't straight. If you pushed it directly up from how you were sitting, it was actually off to one side (the right I think) a bit. I never got used to it.

      I've got a "Real Arcade Universal" that I picked up on sale at Gamestop when I was playing a lot of Soul Calibur 2. I've been pretty happy with it. It works with PS2/Xbox/Gamecube. For some reason it won't work with my Playstation adaptors for my PC, which sucks, but I think there's a version with USB.

    15. Re:The D-pad sucks by cornface · · Score: 1

      People get used to using second best kit and don't know how to use the good stuff. Old console kids think that the DPad is some sort of awesome gaming setup. Playstation generationers think that the dual shock, one of the worst controllers ever, is actually one of the best. Old school PC gamers think that the people who are using wasd and mouse for fps instead of cursor keys are crazy kids.

      Obviously every one else is wrong and your shitty bulbuous red-knobbed phallic lap stick is the king of the hill.

      Obviously.

      I can, easily. I used hand held digital joysticks through the eighties and nineties.

      heh. heh. heh. I bet you did! Five digits per hand, one greasy stick. Am I right?

    16. Re:The D-pad sucks by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      Now couple that with analog sensitivity and 12 buttons.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    17. Re:The D-pad sucks by tepples · · Score: 1

      Old console kids think that the DPad is some sort of awesome gaming setup.

      Which handheld has had something better than a D-pad? It's appeared in some form on just about every handheld with a directional control since the Game & Watch.

    18. Re:The D-pad sucks by easychord · · Score: 1

      I'm not the only one. Obviously the fact that they are still making them for people who want to play retro games says something. Some people would rather use an IBM model M keyboard than a tiny laptop style keyboard. Go figure.

      As you have elequently pointed out the joystick is also a rich source of sexual innuendo. This alone makes it superior to the DPad.

    19. Re:The D-pad sucks by easychord · · Score: 1

      There is no usable analog DPad, they are joysticks of one type or another.

      12 buttons an a second directional controller is more of a problem. You might need to do something mad like put the joystick on a table and use your other hand for the buttons.

      The biggest problem with using proper joystick for "modern" games is cost and not usability. Not every console game can ship with its own massive contoller like steel battalion. Not everyone wants to buy an arcade style controller for beat 'em ups.

    20. Re:The D-pad sucks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Go ahead and chop that thumb you despise so much off and see how well you can continue using your precious joystick ^^

    21. Re:The D-pad sucks by cornface · · Score: 1

      I'm not the only one. Obviously the fact that they are still making them for people who want to play retro games says something. Some people would rather use an IBM model M keyboard than a tiny laptop style keyboard. Go figure.

      I play a ton of MAME and console ROMs. I use my Dual Shock into a USB adaptor. The Dual Shock + Robotron = Dead Robot Scum. The only thing I really prefer a full on joystick for are fighting games. I have a giant arcade stick for Soul Calibur and Street Fighter.

      The game that sold me on the Dual Shock was Grand Turismo. It would be impossible to play on your giant red fun-stick. Even Pole Position (joysticks, poles..haha!) would be a trying experience.

      The D-pad is nice for SMS/NES era top down games.


      As you have elequently pointed out the joystick is also a rich source of sexual innuendo. This alone makes it superior to the DPad.

      The crux of it, right there. As long as people continue to wrap their fists tightly around the protruding shaft of a joybox, life will be worth living.

    22. Re:The D-pad sucks by wgaryhas · · Score: 1

      Arcades don't have D-pads because you can't use one well without holding the controller in your hand. Consoles don't use joystick because that generally means you need to rest the controller on something, which limits where you can play comfortably. On a side note, I'm apparantly in the minority on this, but I prefer the d-pad for games like street fighter over the joystick.

      --
      "For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong." - H.L. Mencken
  8. Relevant Google search by hackwrench · · Score: 1

    http://www.google.com/search?q=%22game+controllers
    Also, starting with the dual shock, adding the two buttons mentioned by another poster, adding the center xy-axis control and z button from the N64 controller for alternate hand grip. (I liked the N64 controller for race games like Crus'n USA), buttons for the lower three fingers of both hands with the standard grip, controller tilt sensors, removal of the 'analog' button that switches the controller between digital compatability mode for old games and analog mode for new games (which should be handled automatically by software on the console, btw).

    Some other features that I don't feel adds as much as the ones above and may be more expensive are:
    Leds that change from red, yellow, green, for each button in response to pressure applied to buttons or software commands.
    Color-lit lcd touchscreen. Any lit color screen would be an improvement, but why not make it a touchscreen

  9. Re:Hello by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    ''.join([chr(100+x) for x in [2, 5, 14, 15, 16, -68, 12, 11, 15, 16]])

    looks a bit nicer...

  10. Nintendo has all the ideas by dxprog · · Score: 0, Troll

    At least this article gave credit where credit was due (unlike IGN's recent controller article). Nintendo came up with almost every controller idea and was subsequently ripped off by everybody else. I'm sure the Revolution controller will be just like all their other ones... Revolutionary!

    --
    DxBlog - It's where you want to be
    1. Re:Nintendo has all the ideas by RealityMogul · · Score: 1

      And hopefully it will fall in with the 50% of their controller ideas that actually work.

    2. Re:Nintendo has all the ideas by Ayaress · · Score: 1

      As long as you don't need three arms to use it... Seriously, the N64 controller annoyed me to no end. Not so much the controller itself, but the poor use of it by some games that forced me to constantly take a hand off the controller and move it to a different position, or to hold just hold the damn thing in an awkward manner (Using that middle grip, especially with my right hand, would give me stabbing pains in my wrist after a while).

      Like somebody said above, the PS1's Dual Shock wrote the book on controller layout. It has everything that the N64 controller had, but it actually put it in positions where it was actually useful. I do prefer the Xbox's triggers to the Playstation's shoulder buttons, though. Never had a finger slide off a trigger in a tight spot.

    3. Re:Nintendo has all the ideas by ben0207 · · Score: 1

      Yeah, Nintendo pads are inventive, but actually really uncomfortable (I do have big hands though, so go figure). Their worst has to be the GCN pad, thanks to that tiny and useless Dpad, and the wierd shaped buttons.

      My favourite controller ever is probably the Xbox Controller S, or the Dreamcast controller, though the S needs the start/black and white buttons moving, and the DC needs more buttons. The 360 controller looks ideal to me.

      --
      cmd-q.co.uk - some sort of stupid fucking internet bullshit
    4. Re:Nintendo has all the ideas by NanoGator · · Score: 1

      "And hopefully it will fall in with the 50% of their controller ideas that actually work."

      Yeah, it'll save Sony and Microsoft a few R&D dollars.

      --
      "Derp de derp."
  11. Re:Hello by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That is much nicer. Thank you.

  12. N64 credit... by kisrael · · Score: 3, Insightful

    N64 also gets credit for bringing back 4 controller ports on the system, something lost since the Atari 8-bits...every intermediate system neeeded a multitap, external hardware that never gets as much support as the base unit. DC and Xbox got the idea; Sony remains steadfast against it, and is the poor sister when it comes to party and splitscreen games.

    As for
    Say what you will about the Sega Dreamcast, but can we at least admit that its standard control pad was a carnival of screwups?

    I think that's a huge stretch. Maybe for fighters it could've used more buttons (though I hate 6 similar buttons), and possibly a second analog controller, it brought in good analog triggers, and the VMU was really really nifty...I wouldn't be shocked if future controllers get little screens builtin at somepoint.

    --
    SO YOU'RE GOING TO DIE: The Comic for Dealing with Death
    1. Re:N64 credit... by Destoo · · Score: 1

      The VMU needed a light. Or at least a led on the controller.

      Even then, I've noticed that focussing back on the controller too often is not good. The example would be with the GBA/NGC for Zelda: Four Swords.
      I found that it took me a second or two to get used to the difference in brightness and focus.

      --
      Nouvelles de jeux et technologies en français. TC
    2. Re:N64 credit... by tepples · · Score: 1

      Sony remains steadfast against [more than 2 controller ports]

      PS3 has seven wireless controller "ports". (I assume it uses a 3-bit address with #0 or #7 reserved for the host, like classic SCSI.)

    3. Re:N64 credit... by wheany · · Score: 1

      Sony remains steadfast against it, and is the poor sister when it comes to party and splitscreen games.

      Wrong. PS3 supports 7 controllers out of the box.

    4. Re:N64 credit... by Lehk228 · · Score: 1

      you are wrong, PS3 isn't out yet and Sony is so full of shit there is no way to know anything they said the ps3 will have actually will be there.

      i would trust Microsoft before i would trust sony. i don't even own and xbox nor do i particularly like Halo, but after getting fucked on a defective PS2, which sony refused to admit there was a problem with despite massive failure rates for the first generation of ps2's i will never again buy sony hardware.

      --
      Snowden and Manning are heroes.
    5. Re:N64 credit... by wheany · · Score: 1

      PS3 uses bluetooth controllers. Unless they intentionally cripple their hardware, it will support 7 controllers.

  13. Spice tins by fm6 · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Those guys at MIT always had way too much money to spend on hardware. That's why EMACS is so much more complicated than Vi -- it was originally designed to work on a very expensive terminal, whereas Vi was designed for a cheap "dumb terminal".

    When the MIT guys were doing that fancy Spacewar controller, less well-financed colleges were making them out of spice tins. Poke a couple holes for a rheostat and a trigger button, and voila! That was the first game controller I ever saw.

    1. Re:Spice tins by xerxesdaphat · · Score: 1

      What's a rheostat? Is it like a potentiometer?

      --
      The Shoes of the Fisherman's Wife Are Some Jive Ass Slippers
  14. Dreamcast 1st with Analog Triggers? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Although the article gets the company right, they've messed up on which system introduced analog triggers. It wasn't the Dreamcast that first featured them, rather it was the Saturn's 3D control pad (released in response to Nintendo's unveiling of the N64 controller) that first did.

    Actually, that's one thing I always find odd. No one ever seems to remember that beast, prefering to talk about the Dreamcast's controller (which was essentially the same thing with 2 fewer face buttons and the VMU slots) instead.

    (And, as a note: I, for one, liked the Dreamcast's controller. Well, except for the D-pad, which I'll still complain about whenever I dig the system out.)

    1. Re:Dreamcast 1st with Analog Triggers? by macshome · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I remember the nice surprise I got when I popped Daytona: CE in my Saturn and discovered the joys of analog gas and brake via the triggers.

  15. Nintendo and controllers by alvinrod · · Score: 4, Insightful
    For everyone out there who's worried about Nintendo somehow making a lemon with the Revolution and that the controller will be terrible consider that Nintendo has been responsible for a lot of controller innovations that other companies have "borrowed" later on.

    The D-pad was pretty popular. I've seen one on just about every major console controller since the NES. The same goes with shoulder buttons that were added on the SNES controller. And then they reinvented the analog stick for the N64. That one also seems popular now days.

    Consider this part from the article: Nintendo had long shrouded the controller for its upcoming Nintendo 64 hardware in secrecy. Developers working on games told stories of having to put the controller

    As is now widely known, the controller that Nintendo revealed at its Japanese trade show featured an analog thumbstick. After the failure of the Atari 5200 controller, analog joysticks were basically taboo in the video game industry. But Nintendo's thumbstick differed from previous designs in two important ways. First, it wasn't actually analog. Analog joysticks like the 5200's had too many moving parts and were prone to breaking. Nintendo's stick was digital, but provided enough levels of sensitivity that the distinction was moot. Second, Nintendo's stick worked just like a D-pad: you weren't gripping the handle but pushing it with your thumb.

    And by showing off the new controller with a polished (but not complete) version of Mario 64, Nintendo showed the killer app that made the thumbstick more than a gimmick. Sony and Sega saw the writing on the wall: next generation meant 3D, and 3D meant analog. They immediately set out to create analog joysticks for their consoles. Sega actually moved so quickly on their design that they beat Nintendo to market in the US (though not worldwide).

    Perhaps now you'll get over the paranoia that Nintendo has been displaying towards their controller. While the controller for the Xbox 360 is more or less set in stone, Sony might still have enough time between now and the launch of the PS3 to "borrow" Nintendo's designs.

    Nintendo has been doing a lot of innovation with respect to controllers. So far they really haven't let me down. I'll trust whatever it is they're doing with the Revolution controller given the past record they've had.

    1. Re:Nintendo and controllers by RealErmine · · Score: 1

      What I hate about the N64 "analog" stick was that, despite giving it the sensitivity of an analog stick, the edge limit is hexagonal which pretty much turns it into a 6-sided D-pad. So it's a digital control masquerading as an analog stick which is hedged in to discrete values at the limits. This removes the smooth action of an analog stick that makes it enjoyable to use in the first place... until the stick hits the edge.

      --
      Dewey, you fool! Your decimal system has played right into my hands!
    2. Re:Nintendo and controllers by HarvardFrankenstein · · Score: 3, Interesting
      I'm holding one in my hands right now. The edge limit is octagonal, not hexagonal.

      I know a lot of people don't like the way that Nintendo's analog sticks have these octagons underneath them, because it feels restrictive, but I personally prefer it, because I know where absolute left is, where absolute up-left is, etc.

    3. Re:Nintendo and controllers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Consider this part from the article: Nintendo had long shrouded the controller for its upcoming Nintendo 64 hardware in secrecy. Developers working on games told stories of having to put the controller"

      Where? In their arse?! my god!

      I know, I know, they had to put the controller in a box or something.

    4. Re:Nintendo and controllers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      THe shoulder buttons were on Genesis before they were on SNES.

    5. Re:Nintendo and controllers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hey, as long as it doesn't require three hands again, I'm happy.

    6. Re:Nintendo and controllers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, they weren't.

      Really.

      Only one Genesis controller had a shoulder button and it was the "Mode" button on the 6 Button Controller that did absolutely nothing in game.

    7. Re:Nintendo and controllers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are you really that stupid?

  16. Pretty damn long article by xenocide2 · · Score: 5, Funny

    For something that can be summarized as "Nolan Bushnell is the idiot savant that created video games, and Nintendo is the group that saved gamers from their creator."

    --
    I Browse at +4 Flamebait

    Open Source Sysadmin

  17. Jaguar 64 bit? by Saige · · Score: 1

    Okay, so Atari didn't get out of the hardware business entirely after the XE. With the PlayStation and Saturn launches two years away, Atari took another stab at the US market with the ill-conceived Jaguar, which was 64-bit in the same way that the TurboGrafx-16 was 16-bit (it wasn't).

    *sigh*

    It's been over a decade, yet game journalists KEEP REPEATING THIS %*$#ING LIE. Yes, it was 64-bit. Multiple chips were 64-bit, along with some system busses. They called it 64-bit BECAUSE IT IS.

    --
    "You know your god is man-made when he hates all the same people you do."
    1. Re:Jaguar 64 bit? by NanoGator · · Score: 1

      "They called it 64-bit BECAUSE IT IS."

      Not in any way that mattered to a gamer. Correcting anybody on interals of the machine won't take away the fact that the machine's power was grossly exaggerated by Atari. If handed you my cell phone and called it a digital camera, you'd likely correct me by saying "No, it's a cell phone with a crappy ass camera built into it." If I were to say "But technically it has a CCD, so it's a digital camera!" you'd think I was a twerp. Ponder on that.

      --
      "Derp de derp."
    2. Re:Jaguar 64 bit? by Saige · · Score: 1

      Actually, it's hard to know what the machine was capable of - they didn't have great development tools available, and half the games were little more than 16-bit ports that did little more than use the 68k chip, leaving the rest of the power unused. Was it exaggerated? Well, we'll never really know. (To be fair, what console hasn't exaggerated?)

      And I would actually say that your cell phone can work as a digital camera - not a good one mind you, but it's there.

      --
      "You know your god is man-made when he hates all the same people you do."
    3. Re:Jaguar 64 bit? by NanoGator · · Score: 1

      "Was it exaggerated? Well, we'll never really know."

      That's the problem, iddn't it. What good is capability if it's never used? Meanwhile, they did have games like Somethingmoprh (I forget what 'something' was...) and Iron... err. Iron Soldier? (the big mech game) that were full 3D. Both those games relied on goraud shaded polys and used very little (if any) fully textured polygons. Both those games had a hard time maintaining 30fps, and to be honest, I don't recall the morph game going much past 20. Frankly, given some of the numbers involved, I'm not surprised. It didn't have the dedicated hardware it needed to pull off anything really snazzy.

      "And I would actually say that your cell phone can work as a digital camera - not a good one mind you, but it's there."

      That's not what I was referring to. I'm saying "this is a digital camera". That would be incorrect even though I could rationalize it. There's a difference between saying something is 64-bit because it has 64-bit pipelines or other gobbledegook and there's saying is 64-bit because it performs all of the tasks that a 64-bit processor was really needed to perform. My point? You're right, the Jaguar had some 64-bit goodies. BFD. In the end, it didn't do anything earth shattering. I know, I had one of these things, and I was horribly disappointed. My 3DO was far more impressive.

      The reason why the post you responded to likened the Jaquar to the TG-16 was quite interesting. The TG-16 did have a 16-bit graphics chip. That meant it had a bigger color palette. (the color palette on the TG-16 was arguably nicer than the palette available for the Genesis.) Unfortunately, with '16-bit' gaming machines game bigger characters and several layers of parallax scrolling. You could look at any given game and go "Oh, that's on a 16-bit machine." The TG-16, however, didn't have a 16-bit processor. It couldn't handle the parallax. It had a nice color palette, but in the ways that mattered when upgrading to a 16-bit machine, it wasn't '16-bit'.

      In other words, I don't think somebody is calling the Jaguar 16-bit because it was completely devoid of 64-bit elements, it's because it simply behaved like a 16-bit machine that had aspirations of doing 32-bit graphics. Correcting people using the term like this isn't really doing any practical good. Their point still stands.

      --
      "Derp de derp."
    4. Re:Jaguar 64 bit? by bleaknik · · Score: 1

      If Sony hands me a video game system and claims it can throw down 84 Million Polygons per Second doesn't mean it will.

      Not that it makes it right, but gross exaggerations aren't limited to just Atari.

      Sony: Polygon counts. Sega: the "Blast Processing" Nintendo: Revolutionary? Microsoft: Basically, anything they say.

      What's important isn't the marketing hype. It's definitely the fun factor of the games. Some may call it a crappy ass camera, but everyone and their mom has a camera phone these days.

      --
      Deja Vu
      n. 1. The sensation that you've read this very article before.
    5. Re:Jaguar 64 bit? by bVork · · Score: 1

      By that logic, the Sega Genesis is 24 bits, as it has a 16-bit 68000 and an 8-bit Z80. I don't even want to think about how many bits the SNES would be, thanks to all the specialized chips it had for music and graphics and whatnot.

      And something tells me that you had a Jaguar and are still a little bitter about it... (Oh, and no single chip on the Jaguar was 64-bit. In theory, it could process 64 bits of data at once, if you were using every single processor in the system. Most games just used the 68000 variant.)

    6. Re:Jaguar 64 bit? by NanoGator · · Score: 1

      "Not that it makes it right, but gross exaggerations aren't limited to just Atari."

      Never implied that. The difference between Atari and Sony, however, is that Sony's systems clearly outclassed the other systems of the day. Jaguar owners felt ripped off. There's exagerrating and there's setting false expectations.

      --
      "Derp de derp."
    7. Re:Jaguar 64 bit? by cornface · · Score: 1

      Both those games had a hard time maintaining 30fps, and to be honest, I don't recall the morph game going much past 20. Frankly, given some of the numbers involved, I'm not surprised.

      Wow. You shore can count fast. I bet nothing gets by you. Nothing!

    8. Re:Jaguar 64 bit? by tepples · · Score: 1

      Multiple chips were 64-bit, along with some system busses.

      Isn't that like calling every SDRAM or newer PC a 64-bit system because it has a 64-bit-wide bus to SDRAM or DDR RAM? If I get a motherboard with dual-channel DDR, have I upgraded to 128-bit computing?

    9. Re:Jaguar 64 bit? by tepples · · Score: 1

      (Oh, and no single chip on the Jaguar was 64-bit. In theory, it could process 64 bits of data at once, if you were using every single processor in the system. Most games just used the 68000 variant.)

      The Atari Jaguar had two 32-bit CPUs: one called Tom to run graphics and one called Jerry to run sound. Each was connected to a rendering chip. There was also an MC68000. Some games ran game logic on Tom and used the 68K as an I/O processor (similar to the PS2 architecture); others ran the game logic on the more familiar 68K and just had Tom process the list of game objects. It depended mostly on how well the programmers could adapt to an unfamiliar CPU architecture that didn't initially have a ported C compiler.

    10. Re:Jaguar 64 bit? by Saige · · Score: 1
      If I may quote the Atari Jaguar FAQ:

      The Jaguar has five processors which are contained in three chips. Two of
      the chips are proprietary designs, nicknamed "Tom" and "Jerry". The third
      chip is a standard Motorola 68000, and used as a coprocessor. Tom and
      Jerry are built using an 0.5 micron silicon process. With proper
      programming, all five processors can run in parallel.

      - "Tom"
      - 750,000 transistors, 208 pins
      - Graphics Processing Unit (processor #1)
      - 32-bit RISC architecture (32/64 processor)
      - 64 registers of 32 bits wide
      - Has access to all 64 bits of the system bus
      - Can read 64 bits of data in one instruction
      - Rated at 26.591 MIPS (million instructions per second)
      - Runs at 26.591 MHz
      - 4K bytes of zero wait-state internal SRAM
      - Performs a wide range of high-speed graphic effects
      - Programmable
      - Object processor (processor #2)
      - 64-bit RISC architecture
      - 64-bit wide registers
      - Programmable processor that can act as a variety of different video
      architectures, such as a sprite engine, a pixel-mapped display, a
      character-mapped system, and others.
      - Blitter (processor #3)
      - 64-bit RISC architecture
      - 64-bit wide registers
      - Performs high-speed logical operations
      - Hardware support for Z-buffering and Gouraud shading
      - DRAM memory controller
      - 64 bits
      - Accesses the DRAM directly

      - "Jerry"
      - 600,000 transistors, 144 pins
      - Digital Signal Processor (processor #4)
      - 32 bits (32-bit registers)
      - Rated at 26.6 MIPS (million instructions per second)
      - Runs at 26.6 MHz
      - Same RISC core as the Graphics Processing Unit
      - Not limited to sound generation
      - 8K bytes of zero wait-state internal SRAM
      - CD-quality sound (16-bit stereo)
      - Number of sound channels limited by software
      - Two DACs (stereo) convert digital data to analog sound signals
      - Full stereo capabilities
      - Wavetable synthesis, FM synthesis, FM Sample synthesis, and AM
      synthesis
      - A clock control block, incorporating timers, and a UART
      - Joystick control

      - Motorola 68000 (processor #5)
      - Runs at 13.295MHz

      --
      "You know your god is man-made when he hates all the same people you do."
    11. Re:Jaguar 64 bit? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dude, ANYBODY can learn to eyeball FPS and get within two or three frames pretty accurately below 30. And eyeballing things like number of polygons is pretty easy on early 3D systems (Gets harder today, but I'm pretty sure a graphic artist who works on this stuff can still do it because that's their job.)

    12. Re:Jaguar 64 bit? by mink · · Score: 1

      I think for Microsoft, you can use their favorite word "Innovation".

      --
      Well I've wrestled with reality for thirty five years doctor, and I'm happy to say I finally won out over it.
  18. The Revolution by Iscariot_ · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I think we are about to get a great controller upgrade from Nintendo (once again). They recently bought these guys: http://www.gyration.com/ . This could also explain why Nintendo said that twilight princess was the last of "this type" of Zelda game. I expect the next one to actually let you swing the controller to swing your sword.

    Kinda neet:
    http://www.gyration.com/files/demos/Remote_web_Ger man.wmv">http://www.gyration.com/files/demos/Remot e_web_German.wmv

    --

    Go here for teh [sic] funny.
    1. Re:The Revolution by Bret540 · · Score: 0

      I expect the next one to actually let you swing the controller to swing your sword.

      Since the time when I heard about Nintendo's new controller I've been hoping that it would be some kind of improvement on the mouse/keyboard design for PC games. I love using the mouse in first person shooters and other PC games, (like RTS games, ex. starcraft) but I could never get the hang of using the thumbstick for FPS games on consoles. More generically, anytime you had to move some sort of cursor on a console I always seemed to have trouble. I hope Nintendo's new controller can somehow adapt a mouse like feel to console games. Then maybe I'd stand a better chance against friends on consoles!

      I'm sure many people have seen this, but its fun to see all the old Nintendo parts from controllers: Click here to design your own Nintendo controller.

  19. wireless? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There seems to be a factual error in their article at the end... they say that the first wireless RF controller was the Wavebird.

    Not true.

    http://cgi.ebay.com/ATARI-2600-REMOTE-CONTROL-WIRE LESS-JOYSTICKS-W-BOX-NR_W0QQitemZ8216690613QQcateg oryZ41009QQcmdZViewItem

    So, another "history-of" article that fails to get everything right. Research, people, research!

    1. Re:wireless? by Psiven · · Score: 0

      Yeah but no one gave a shit. The wavebird was also notable in that it worked quite well and had great battery life.

      Still, you're technically right. And as long as that controller was sold under the Atari name, Nintendo can't really say they were the first to sell them as 1st party vendors. But its more of a technical point than a significant one. Good research though.

  20. Game Cube Controllers by theJML · · Score: 1

    So am I the only one here that thinks the Game Cube controllers suck? The big honkin' X-box controller isn't that much better IMHO. Sure, they both looked cool, and had all the necessary controls, but there should be more time/R&D put on the long term usability and ergnomics of controllers instead of just making them look cool.
    I think the controllers of the future need to have better tactile feedback as well. The vibrate function is cool, but I think an analog trigger needs to have controllable bounce to it. So when I'm using it for a brake in a racing sim it can feel like the brakes are grabing, and on the other hand when playing an FPS, it can feel like a gun trigger instead of a floppy springloaded piece of plastic. Not to say that triggers haven't come a long way since the NES Zapper (with it's instantly recognizable click), but there is still room for improvement.
    Another idea would be to make the controller out of a different material than "make your hand sweat" plastic. I know they have controllers with fans in them to keep them cool, but if the materal was different that would help prolong gameplay.
    Thoughts?

    --
    -=JML=-
    1. Re:Game Cube Controllers by MrJack5304 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Sometimes I think I'm the only person who absolutely loved the gamecube controller. It fits my hands so perfectly and the trigger shoulder buttons have always been a pleasure to have around. As a matter of fact, if I could take the gamecube controller and somehow merge it with the N64 controller I'd be in heaven. On another note I have total faith in Nintendo to reveal something completely new. Even if it does seem gimmicky at first they will support it and show the masses why it is so great. When it comes to innovation Nintendo never disappoints.

    2. Re:Game Cube Controllers by AvitarX · · Score: 1

      My only problem with teh GC controller is that the shoulder button is in a recess (may only be the wave bird). this causes my finger to hook funny to push it and Viewtiful joe (where it is held down during intensity) to hurt. When I play it too long the pain extends to my elbow.

      I actually am thinks about reshaping the controller with a dremmel because it looks void of electronics in the part sticking out causin problems.

      --
      Wow, sent an e-mail as suggested when clicking on "use classic" banner, and got a fast response that addressed my msg
    3. Re:Game Cube Controllers by realityfighter · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You're complaining about the ergonomics of the Cube controller? The only controller to put the A,B and X buttons on the same axis as the arc of your thumb movement? The only controller to make the buttons different shapes so you could FEEL your way around the controller instead of having to "hunt and peck" for the right buttons? The only controller with analog shoulder buttons, which, by the way, exhibit the kind of resistance you were talking about - it actually feels like you're pulling a trigger when you push the button down. And while we're on the subject of those shoulder buttons, notice how they're dropped down to be exactly where your index fingers naturally land when you grip the controller? On a dual shock the L&R buttons are on stilts above the controller that force you to extend your fingers, and that hurts. (When you strain your index finger, it affects muscles all the way up your arm too.)

      When I hold the GC controller, it's designed so that I only need to press together with my palms to hold it firmly, leaving the rest of my hand free to move. Try doing that with a dual shock - doesn't work, your hand only contacts at one point so the whole thing feels unbalanced. The Cube controller can also rest prefectly balanced on my middle fingers - again, the dual shock can't. The drops for the L&R 2 buttons get in the way of me curling my fingers up to meet the bottom of the controller; It will balance if I straighten my fingers, but that requires me to let go of the controls. The only option is to grip the dual shock tightly with your fingers already extended across the controls. The Cube controller actually allows you to relax your grip without feeling out of control. (I would compare with an Xbox controller, but I don't have one.) I've seen a lot of people say, "My hands are too big for the cube", and I'll give em that...but bad ergonomics, or unplanned ergonomics?? Surely you jest, sir. The ergonomics on the Cube controller are a work of art.

      --
      A strain of paranoid prevention can be worse than the disease, whate'er the intention.
    4. Re:Game Cube Controllers by tepples · · Score: 1

      And while we're on the subject of [the GameCube controller's] shoulder buttons, notice how they're dropped down to be exactly where your index fingers naturally land when you grip the controller?

      To the detriment of the Z button, right?

    5. Re:Game Cube Controllers by sehryan · · Score: 1

      The Z button was added on late in development by Nintendo at the request of developers. Which is exactly why its placement feels like an after throught, because it was.

      --
      The world moves for love. It kneels before it in awe.
    6. Re:Game Cube Controllers by ymgve · · Score: 1

      The XBox also has analog shoulder buttons, and in certain cases they feel better than the Gamecube ones. (Racing games comes to mind)

      Actually, a lot of the buttons on modern controllers are analog. I know the right-side buttons on both the Dualshock and the XBox controller are analog, don't know if the cube has them too.

  21. The proud history of the numeric keypad by Webmonger · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This article's gripe about numeric keypads on console controllers is reasonable, I guess. But the keypad has done much good service as a video game controller.

    Back in the days when PC XTs roamed the earth, the numeric keypad, in its arrow-key form, was the standard way to control direction using a keyboard.

    The 'wasd' layout for directions came much later, around the time of first-person shooters. I don't remember whether it was Doom or Quake.

    1. Re:The proud history of the numeric keypad by Seor+Jojoba · · Score: 1
      The keypad (or something like it) is essential for certain types of games where you give input that must be unambiguous and instant, like for example DROD. If you have to fumble with a dpad, then you'll sometimes get up or right, when you meant up-right.

      But there's always a case that can be made for any type of addition to a controller. Let's add a lasso rope to the controller so that some cowboy game will work.

    2. Re:The proud history of the numeric keypad by IntergalacticWalrus · · Score: 0

      "The 'wasd' layout for directions came much later, around the time of first-person shooters. I don't remember whether it was Doom or Quake."

      None of them. It was a bit later, with Half-Life, that the WASD layout was popularized. Nowadays basically any FPS defaults to it for movement keys.

    3. Re:The proud history of the numeric keypad by thrift24 · · Score: 1

      I play Wolfenstein ET 24/7, and I find the whole right side of my keyboard makes a much nicer layout than the left side. This of course incudes the numeric pad, and arrow keys.

      If you use the left side of the keyboard and your mouse is on the right, you have the disadvantage that your hands are going to have to be farther apart, which is a little awkward when your trying do many well timed key presses and mouse movements very quickly.

      I personally find the WASD layout less intuitive than the arrow keys as well. They aren't aligned in the directions they reference. W being your forward key is up and to the the left of the center of the controls. This makes up and left be closer together than up and right, and when you're trying to do some fancy manuevers that already require 6 or 7 keys, having yours keys aligned strangely does not help. As someone who does a let of trickjumps(acurrately timed aerial manuevers), I can't afford to hit the wrong button sending me careening off a cliff. I find the rightmost layout cuts down on these types of mistakes.

      The last thing i dislike about this WASD layout, that I think the right hand side of the keyboard handles much better is the keyspacing. You can have more logically grouped keys in a smaller area, while having some space to help you find your position without looking at the keys if you use the right hand side of the keyboard.

      Just as a quick example of my key layout:
      Enter, Shift, CTRL are all related to vertical orientation.
      Arrow keys all deal with direction.
      Numberic keypad deals with the guns.
      The INS-PGDN block handles misc.

      Of course I could just be wierd. I do use a trackball to play an FPS ;).

    4. Re:The proud history of the numeric keypad by Lehk228 · · Score: 1

      i used to use arrow keys with the numpad for FPS games but after forcing myself to use WASD i found i was more comfortable after long periods of non-stop fragging my wrist used to get sore after a few hours being bent left to operate the arrow keys, though i suppose if your desk layout allows shifting the keyboard over there isn't any problem

      --
      Snowden and Manning are heroes.
  22. No more buttons. by Seor+Jojoba · · Score: 1

    Does anyone else feel like the controller interface has gotten out of hand? With all the buttons and pads and triggers and whatnots the things are hard to make sense of. And I imagine you folks are completely used to them after logging your thousands of hours of consoletime, but try watching somebody new figure it out. I guess the funky controller design we have stems from the idea that one controller should work for all types of games. It used to be that you'd plug in different controllers depending on the type of game you wanted to play, i.e. plug in the paddle controller (analog, left-to-right) for a game of Yar's Revenge. This sounds silly except that each controller had a specialized, uncompromised design. See that lovely black joystick in the top righthand corner of the webpage? It was a lot more satisfying to grip it with your fist than the weak thumb-twiddling we do with modern controllers.

    1. Re:No more buttons. by MalaclypseTheYounger · · Score: 1

      I'll grudgingly agree with you.

      I've gotten used to all the new fandangled controllers, but I think the main reason I can't get my non-techy wife and computer-illiterate friends to play video games with me is they are scared of the controllers with a dozen buttons on them.

      Even if they only have to use the controller stick and two buttons, it's too difficult for most of them.

      (course now I have the steering wheel and gas/brake pedal for my favorite game (GT4) and I let my non-tech friends use that... they have no excuse... if you can drive a car, you can use the controls)

      --
      Check out the best P2P sharing website: MEDIACHEST.COM
  23. Re:Please, this is a nerd site. by Psykechan · · Score: 2, Funny

    You can't mention the Saturn 3D controller on a nerd site without mentioning the fact that the cord is removable and it looks like the Reliant from Star Trek II.

    I feel so dirty.

  24. WASD = 2-player hack by Madoc+Owain · · Score: 1

    The standard means of controlling your "guy" in PC games (no mouse) was to use the arrow keys on the number pad. If you wanted to play a 2-player game that allowed both players to play at the same time, the WASD configuration was often the player 2 control set. Of course, back then it was WAXD, and S was used for jump or fire. Sadly, I don't remember which games specifically used this. Hell, it might have been on my C-64 for that matter.

          Once the arrow keys came into their own, I began using those for movement and never looked back.

  25. Dreamcast controllers are bad? by the_maddman · · Score: 1
    Am I the only person that likes the Dreamcast controllers? I still play the heck out of my DC, and I've found the controllers to be a lot more comfortable than I expected.

    Oh well, it's a dead system anyways, I'll just keep my two around and be glad we finally get consoles with decent texture filtering. (Yes, I mean you Playstation.)

    1. Re:Dreamcast controllers are bad? by tduff · · Score: 1

      I agree with you entirely. The dreamcast controllers were truly great. I have very large hands and those little pussy dual shock and gamecube controllers make my fingrnails dig into my fists. The dreamcast xbox controllers are just so much more comfortable.

    2. Re:Dreamcast controllers are bad? by the_maddman · · Score: 1
      Hmm, I don't have big hands myself, the dual shock fits me just fine. Good for Sega to figure out a way to make a controller usable for more people.

      I did have a moment of "how in the world can you use THIS" when I first looked at one, but now I have four of them sitting next to the TV.

    3. Re:Dreamcast controllers are bad? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Agreed. The Dreamcast controller was the best feeling console controller I ever used. Period. It wasn't paticularly innovative but it was done done just right, with no buttons in awkward places and a nice feeling shape (but somewhat ugly--still not as ugly as Nintendo controllers though). The XBox 360 controller looks rather Dreamcast inspired.

  26. Re:Please, this is a nerd site. by bleaknik · · Score: 1

    Khhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannn nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!!!111111!o ne

    Now I feel dirty...

    --
    Deja Vu
    n. 1. The sensation that you've read this very article before.
  27. Nothing wrong with numbers by senocular · · Score: 1

    My Intellivision is teh r0xx0rz! http://www.ntrautanen.fi/computers/other/images/ma ttel_intellivision.jpg

  28. Either you or your hands must be insane by LKM · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Well, controllers are learly a very subjective matter, but since you so nonchalantly hand out awards, I'll do the same myself and thus officially give you my "most insane person on slashdot" award. The PS2 controllers are extremely unergonomic. They give me the cramps. Weird shape, no actual, real, usable analog shoulder buttons (which are great for racing games), stupid symmetric analog sticks which makes using the left analog stick even more cramped, all the buttons look the same (so no primary/secondary/back button) and are placed awkwardly and to top it all, no letters to name the buttons, but geometric shapes. Bad controller.

    1. Re:Either you or your hands must be insane by xtracto · · Score: 1

      "And to top it all, no letters to name the buttons, but geometric shapes. "

      I agree with you, when I frist played the PlayStation I was amazed with the buttons "names". It is simply stupid, how are you supposed to explain someone how to play: "press the box button to punch and then the circle button to run", when it is a thousand times simpler to say "press A to run, B to crunch" or whatever, also It is easier to memorize a letter than a "box", and if someone wants to tell you to quickly press one button, will he tell you "press box" instead of "press A".
      Also, compare the X,Y A B buttons from SNES controllers (the best controller design ever IMHO), the name of the controllers have logic "A, B" the classic 2 game buttons, "X, Y" extended buttons, "L, R" left and right.

      Sony instead put:
        _
      |_| O /_\ X

      What about using exagon, trapezoid, rombus and octagon for the L1, L2, R1, R2 buttons?...

      --
      Ubuntu is an African word meaning 'I can't configure Debian'
  29. GameRunner by ViperG · · Score: 1

    In terms of the future, you might want to check out the GameRunner. It's a treadmill controller designed to work with the computer, xbox, and playstation.

    --
    Black Sky
    2D Elite Inspired Game
  30. Controller Family Tree by iridium_ionizer · · Score: 2, Informative

    Here's a link to a fairly comprehensive video game controller family tree (complete with thumbnails).

    http://www.axess.com/twilight/console/

    The article just seemed a little too verbal when a good summary graphic could have guided readers that might not have a clue about some of those systems.

  31. Innovation still requires brand by SalaciousPucker · · Score: 0, Troll
    While Nintendo is second to none when it comes to innovation in gaming, it's unlikely that their brand can carry a console at this point. The fair-to-poor sales of their last two consoles has more or less made them bit players in the industry they re-created.

    Nintendo just doesn't have the weight, at this point, to get 3rd party support from the likes of Electronic Arts. They also lack the money or savy to piece a game lineup together....one that covers all the bases (kind of like Microsoft did when it launched the XBOX).

    I'd like to think they have some magic beans (like a super-innovative-controller) to make this next console a real revolution, but even if they have the innovation it could still fail on brand.

  32. Re:N64 credit... Sorry don't think so by Bustbang · · Score: 1

    Correction the 3DO released in 1993 allowed 8 players to connect to one system without a multitap.The 3DO system had only one controller port.You daisy-chain additional controllers to the first one for multiplayer games.

    The most I connected was 6 for some awesome fifa soccer matches.I think only one game supported 8 players and that was a japanese soccer game but the name eludes me.

  33. Re:N64 credit... Sorry don't think so by kisrael · · Score: 1

    Heh, I had forgotten about that...
    Also I heard the N64 controller was a variant of a remake prototype 3D0 controller.

    I'll have to modify my line about the N64 then, though could I say "succesful"? 3D0 was kind of a flop.

    Wish 3D0 had made a proper sequel to Battle Tanx on a nextgen platform before folding...

    --
    SO YOU'RE GOING TO DIE: The Comic for Dealing with Death
  34. Re:N64 credit... Sorry don't think so by kisrael · · Score: 1

    Heh, also having everyone daisychained to each other like prisioners in a chain gang is kind of funny, but I suppose it's useful that only one person has to be near the console...could lead to cheating though :-)

    --
    SO YOU'RE GOING TO DIE: The Comic for Dealing with Death
  35. Numeric Keypad... please! by Red+Flayer · · Score: 2, Funny

    "And just as long as there's no numeric keypad, we should be okay."

    I hope they do include a numeric keypad. I'm an accountant -- I could treat it as a business expense and save some money on my taxes!

    Now, if only Nintendo put out a green see-through visor as an accessory...

    --
    "Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
  36. No mention of the NeGcon? by Elbeno · · Score: 1

    In fact, whatever happened to the NeGcon? It was hands down the best controller for driving games. Gran Turismo just wasn't the same after mine broke.