Game Controllers - Scott The Woz

Hi everyone, Scott here, I can't wait to finally attend this meeting about

game

controller issues I just heard about! I read it quite wrong. "Wow, my hands are doing this!" And it wouldn't be possible without the overlooked Messiah of all video

game

s: the controller. The path between you and the world inside the screen. A game controller must house all the input methods needed for the games of its era while also being incredibly transparent. It's better when it melts in your hands and you don't have to think about where the B button is. It's just second nature.

However, the road to where we are now has been rocky: we have gone from (this) to (this) and even (this). And that path began very soon. Video games must be controllable to be considered "games." So even in the early days when scientists tinkered and created games on supercomputers instead of curing diseases, they had to create ways to play, as with the tried-and-true knob-and-button combination used in Tennis for Two in 1958. Arcade machines appeared on the scene, developers had to design the controls for each of their games and therefore their imagination was not compromised by limiting control methods.

They could create whatever control method best suited their game. Joysticks, trackballs, knobs, buttons, steering wheels, each arcade machine was different from the last in terms of controls. So when home video game consoles were being developed, there was definitely a hurdle to overcome. Developers were used to having the freedom to control their games in the arcade. How do you create a controller that can be an all-rounder, one that can work with all, or at least many of the games released at the time? Atari said screw it and gave us a button and a stick. The Atari 2600 was the first major success in home video game consoles with interchangeable cartridges.

The first video game console in history, 1972's Magnavox Odyssey, surely had a controller, okay. Fairchild Channel F is a year older than the 2600, released in 1976, and lets you hold a Snickers bar to control games. But the Atari 2600 joystick is definitely what the general public views as the "first video game controller," and definitely one of the most iconic. While its simplicity made many games more difficult to convert to the system, it undeniably played a key role in its success. No matter who you are, you look at this and say, “Yeah, that makes sense.” How could you screw this up?

It's a giant red button and a rod. Anyone who's anyone knows what it's about. When you look back at the successes of video games in the early days, it is evident that success came with controls that were fairly easy for the general consumer to understand. And the 2600 controller was just that. However, this is prohibited today. This stick needs to go to the doctor because it is too stiff. And the overall size of the controller is a problem, at least for me. It's too small to comfortably hold the joystick in one hand and the rest of the controller in the other, and it's too big to hold comfortably as a modern controller.

Overall though, I'd say the 2600 controller was fine for what it was. It's completely usable by anyone, you just don't take the opportunity to use it. After the 2600,

controllers

went through this unpleasant phase for a while, and it was all because a controller designer went home for the weekend, looked at his phone, and said, "I'm drunk." BECAUSE ? Yes, Intellivision, ColicoVision, and even Atari themselves with the Atari 5200, followed the trend of putting a numeric keypad on the controller. Let me ask you this: in what dimension do such simple games need more than nine buttons? Many games come with overlays to put on the controller, so you know what each button does, but that forces you to constantly look at the controller to know what to press, with or without overlays.

In my opinion, that's when a controller fails, when you have to look away from the game to figure out what the heck you're supposed to press. Well, after all that failed, we turned to the Nintendo Entertainment System, a true innovation for

controllers

, which separated from the joystick to form something more compact and easier to hold. The 1982 Vectrex had a similar form factor for its controller, but the NES introduced something huge. Now I know, the first thing a lot of people probably said when they saw this cross on their controller was, "Hit the brakes, speedster. Nobody puts religion on my Dig Dug." But this crossover design, called the "d-pad," made the controller much more comfortable to use with just your thumb.

Nintendo used the d-pad beforehand on one of its Game and Watch handhelds, and its precursors appeared elsewhere, but the NES launched the d-pad into the mainstream. And with that, the joystick was old news. Many consider this guy to have aged poorly, and while I agree in some ways, I think it's still fine to use. My main issue is that the d-pad itself is a bit uncomfortable after long gaming sessions. But I love the feel of the buttons, they're so easy to click and so satisfying to go to town. This is where the term "button mashing" was born.

I see a lot of people say that the sharp corners really dig into their hands, but I've personally never had a problem with them. However, the sharpness was criticized, even in the past. So Nintendo responded with some alternatives. The NES Advantage is the controller you would never let your daughter go to prom with. This thing is a beast that runs two full controller ports! You can flip a switch to alternate between player 1 and 2 in games like Super Mario Brothers, where you alternate turns. There are turbo buns with knobs that allow you to quickly fire in A and B, and don't forget the state of...

State-of-the-art "slow motion" feature, which was simply the game constantly stopping and resuming. That meant that games that showed something on the screen when paused,... just looked out. Anyway, the NES advantage is it's a marvel of a controller. I think this is really clever. It feels so sturdy and there's something so satisfying about pressing these huge buttons. But what if you don't like overcompensating? Well, the NES Max may be for you. Featuring a new grip design, the Advantage's turbo buttons, along with something called a "cycloid," a sort of precursor to the 3DS circular keyboard. It's much easier to grip thanks to these new thighs, but in my opinion the cycloid doesn't really replace the d-pad.

Now, with the introduction of the NES Top Loader, Nintendo redesigned the standard NES controller, nicknamed the "Dogbone." This thing was so close to being the perfect NES controller. Rounded edges, nicest feel of the d-pad, but I just HAD to angle the A and B buttons so that only a lobster could hold it properly. It just doesn't feel right, no one's hand normally rests on a controller like that. It's just uncomfortable. Well, since the original NES controller worked, many simply tried to copy it. The Sega Master System and TurboGrafx-16 controllers, while different in some ways, were basically "their version" of the NES controller.

Atari decided to crash the party with their 7800 controller, and I'm pretty sure everyone was staring until they released this. Although only in Europe. In the United States we retreated to... this, and there they got this. How lucky they are. Of course, Sega had to do something different with the Sega Master System follow-up, so they brought out this three-button hunk. Has anyone else ever noticed how big the Sega Genesis controller really is? Like, w or a h This guy has some meat on his bones. But oddly enough, it only has the same number of buttons as the NES controller.

He doesn't have a Select button, so although he has three face buttons, they both have four in total. That led to problems later when fighting games came out, which required more buttons. Then, Sega crammed in a little more with the introduction of 6-button controllers. Reach between the couch cushions and you'll find several Sega Genesis controllers, each one different from the last. Sega released so many variants of the Genesis controller. It's crazy. They are all different in terms of layout, button placement, d-pads, it's ridiculous *Drama Alert* I interrupt your regular schedule with an emergency report from me.

Controllers made by other companies, not console manufacturers, are running rampant and most are up to no good. This is the third party driver watch list. Our mission statement is to raise more awareness about bullshit. Here we have the Tag 50 joystick for your local Sega Genesis system. It aligns with the rest of the "I guess if that's what you want" drivers. It's not bad, but it doesn't necessarily play well with the vast majority of the Sega Genesis library. It has these suction cups on its base, which makes it harder to move around on a coffee table, and it also looks pretty good on a windshield.

Six-button controllers are all well and good, but the three-button is the classic, the one my mind immediately goes to when Genesis is on my mind. And it's a solid controller in its own right. It may be a little bulky but it feels good. However, it was completely surpassed by the creators of "Chibi Robo Ziplash". (?????) The SNES controller is magnificent and may not be my all-time favorite, but it does a lot, a lot of good. The buttons are lined up in this beautiful way where it's very comfortable to use your thumb to press the white button, with the rest resting on B, ready to use at a moment's notice.

Excellent for games like Super Mario World or Mega Man Combine that with a rounded shape and this is something dreams are made of. Oddly enough, with the release of the SNES Mini in 2017, Nintendo re-released a new version of the controller with a less shiny and rougher type of plastic for the controller housing and I have to say that I actually prefer the new version. In my opinion, it feels a little better. Atari, go home. The Atari Jaguar brought back the "classic" numeric keypad. I'm sure they saw Sega fighting Nintendo by adding more buttons to their controller and screamed YES!

THAT'S THE NEXT BIG FASHION, MORE THAN 12 BUTTONS, WE KIDS ARE GOING TO LOVE THEM! DSAKJLHFEUW IFGHS RHU TGYFUK Next, the original PlayStation came about due to a failed partnership between Sony and Nintendo that would center on a CD add-on for the SNES. After that bankruptcy, Sony created its own console based on its knowledge of working with Nintendo, which is pretty obvious when looking at the controller. Sometimes I forget how similar PlayStation and SNES controllers are. I mean fundamentally? I mean fundamentally. The only major differences are the d-pad, two sets of buttons on the shoulders, and the thighs.

That's all. However, the PlayStation controller finally came into its own with the DualShock. Look at the size of these things! This redesign features meatier triggers, a Rumble function, and two analog sticks. The rumble and analog are obviously responses to the previous Nintendo 64 controller, and we'll get to that in due time. But the DualShock made two joysticks a standard and also introduced clicking the joysticks as additional button input, which, can I say something here? "R1. L1 R2. L2." These are shoulder buttons and it makes sense that they are numbered like this. WHY ARE WE CALLED R3 AND L3?

Anyway, I love the feel of analog sticks. They're very soft and the texture works great, but what if the DualShock just doesn't do anything for you and you hate happiness? Here's the Nintendo 64 controller. This one came out after the original PlayStation controller and before the Dual Shock and man. We can bark about this controller all we want, but we must admit that it was innovative in many ways. Control the game in 3D with the analog control pad. Four-player multiplayer camera control Being standard on the console, even the trigger on the back gives your finger a dick and bam.

This was a huge leap forward for the industry. Yes, but answer me this. What the hell is this? Three tips make it so you have multiple ways to play multiple games. Maybe you can hold it like this or like this or even like that, but that means that not all of the buttons are available to the player on any of the controller's holding styles. Also, the stick is garbage, this thing is just a thin, plastic, uncomfortable piece of work. That wears out too easily. Now the Nintendo 64 controller did a lot of good: it introduced Rumble with the Rumble Pak accessory.

The analog stick brought us games like Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time. Look at these colors This thing is colorblind Scout Wozniak's worst nightmare. Yeah, I don't like that this controller moves on the Sega Saturn controller, it looks pretty decent, it's basically just an evolution of the buttonsGenesis 6 with shoulder buttons this time, but Sega also introduced the 3D control pad for some games, specifically Nights in Dreams and this controller takes us to its immediate successor in Sega's latest home console, the Sega Dreamcast controller. Yes, I don't like this controller. Now. Is this controller as bad as the Nintendo 64?

Yeah, no, it actually has a design that makes sense. Well, this device is simply not comfortable. This was still when many companies did not realize that hard plastic in an analog device is not humanity's favorite thing. Also, why does the cable come out of the bottom? There is a slot to place the cable near the top so that it points in the right direction. Which seems like a small solution to a design oversight? At least the triggers were analog, which was a solid innovation and definitely made racing games more realistic. But who could forget about VMU?

The memory card with a screen that displays information or houses your own games to play. BUT FUCK THAT! PlayStation's backing the baby with the new PlayStation 2 Dual Shock 2! This is the same controller, except the face buttons are now analog, which is...dumb. Why did they need the triangle button to be pressure sensitive? Because? It seemed like they just assumed analog inputs would be the next big thing, but... you don't need them for everything. Now, beyond that, we have the introduction of the Xbox brand, and with it... Shit. Well, first of all I can tell you that it was the easiest Easter egg hunt I have ever participated in.

This controller gets several things right, number one: the giant fucking Xbox logo. The Duke, as he is now known, is a giant. He is great for being great. There is no reason for it to be like this. Now, he's completely usable, but he's not that great when you get down to it. What is this? Seriously, also the dual sticks feel weird, since the left one has a large concave area and the right one has a much smaller area, which honestly feels like it's convex. Microsoft designed a new smaller controller for the Japanese market that came to the United States later and this is much more reasonable.

I can actually get behind this one. It just feels so much better. It all really makes sense this time after Nintendo couldn't stop laughing for five years straight. They really cleaned up their act with the GameCube controller. This is pure comfort It just feels good in the hands The design of the bones is definitely different compared to any other controller and although I prefer the more traditional design, this design makes a lot of sense: the main button that you would probably use on most the games. It's a So why not make everything orbit around it? The triggers are incredibly satisfying when clicking down and the left stick is much better than the Nintendo 64.

I love this controller, but while it is one of my favorites. It has some gross parts, the d-pad and C joystick were made for ants and the lack of another button on the shoulder is a bit strange, anyway, the GameCube controller has definitely stood the test of time, these annoying cables. What is this the year 2000? That's where the wave bird comes in in a wireless variant of the controller. It uses radio frequency to transmit the wireless signal. Wireless controllers have been around for a while. But most used IR like a TV remote, you had to keep them pointed at the adapter for them to work. correctly.

But all you had to do with the wave bird was match the dials on the controller and adapter and you were done. Well, it wasn't the first wireless controller. I would argue. It's the first really great one. You can go around the entire room with it and it works perfectly. The only major drawback compared to using cables is that it does not include Rumble and requires batteries. What's the gamecube C stick not small enough for you? Do I have a bad controller to introduce you to the GameStop brand wireless gamecube controller? Too small and uncomfortable for any of you with your hands out.

The analog stick maintains the tried and true tradition of hard plastic to make sure you hate it even more and the buns stink strong. Cheap plastic and it has also been reported that if you touch a controller like this you will definitely get bed bugs. Damn. Wireless was really the next step for controllers. We turn to the Xbox 360, which has one of the most acclaimed controllers of all time. I mean, there was nowhere else to go except after this. But everything is so finely tuned and makes for a perfectly balanced controller minus the d-pad Microsoft later released 360 controllers with this transforming d-pad where you can have it as a traditional one or go back to this crap personally.

I have no idea why you would want anything more than the most traditional. D-pad, but I don't care, it's fun to play with this thing. The next step is controlling the PS3. OMG guys, it's been over 10 years to this point and you still haven't moved on? To be fair, Sony was ready to release a completely new design for the standard PS3 controller. I have never been so happy to see this design return. The six-axis controller was there during the early years of the PlayStation 3's life and was basically the DualShock again. But now wireless with motion control capabilities and no rumble.

Sonny then released a traditional dual shock 3 Rumble and included motion controls. now everything was going pretty well with the controllers at this point 360 really hit it out of the park the ps3 was going with the time tested design and nintendo yes the ps3 controller may have had some motion controls but the remote Wii adopted them completely. There are definitely things I love and hate about this controller: when it works, it really works. when it doesn't work It doesn't really work We only have a d-pad on the remote with a few buttons on the front and a trigger on the back It may seem limiting But the controller was cleverly designed to be able to be used in a multitude of ways, such as a controller TV remote on its side, like an old school NES controller with the nunchuck attachment that actually gives you a stick or inside an endless supply of plastic junk.

I really admire how creative they got with uses for the Wii. Remote Control But I'm not going to lie and say this is a great controller, the side control method is not my favorite. I'm just not a big fan of this d-pad or these buttons and like I said the motion controls are definitely hit or miss, however Nintendo released the Wii MotionPlus add-on and the Wii Remote Plus to improve the motion capabilities and I must say So with these, I'd say the Wii Remote is pretty good, the movement is pretty accurate now and when used correctly. can be a really fun controller.

But if you're more into the traditional side of things, I might suggest the classic Wii controllers. They connect to the bottom like the nunchuck, and I forgot how decent these things actually work. The original is fairly derivative of a Super Nintendo controller, but includes some modern additions like two joysticks that are too close together and buttons that I like to refer to as "you call these triggers." There's also this mysterious button at the top that corrects me if I'm wrong, but I don't think it's ever been used and I still don't know what use it was going to have.

The original classic controller was great for retro games, but a little lackluster for more modern ones. So let's turn that around. Here is the classic Pro controller. It's much closer to the PlayStation 2 controller and is ideal for some of the toughest Wii games out there. Then Nintendo put the Wii Remote in Photoshop, gave it a little bit of this, a little bit of that, opened the screen in the middle and Blam, the Wii U GamePad gets a bad rap. It's huge, unnecessary and clumsy. Listen, I agree that you want a lot of that, however... I found this controller tremendously comfortable to use.

The grips are nice and all the buttons and levers are large and feel great. The problem is: this guy. The screen isn't the worst, but it's certainly not the best, and using it in some games was just annoying and led to some of the worst battery life out there. The gamepad doesn't load well at all. So if you carry it and don't use it for a week, chances are when you pick it up again it will be dead. Plus, you have to charge via a separate power adapter, not the WiiU itself and so much crap was thrown into this thing that I'm pretty sure you could survive in the wilderness for a week with just this NFC TV remote to camera, almost none of that is necessary Except I will say that the TV remote was quite useful as the Wii remote, if you don't like all that, Nintendo offered a pro controller and get ready for the Wii U Defense Force pro controller .

I don't like this controller. . It all has to do with the fact that the buttons are on the bottom. It's so annoying and stupid that this format worked on the gamepad because it was so big that the buttons were placed in a perfectly usable location, but here it just doesn't work. me. Also, the triggers feel weird. And I think it's because they're not analog yet. They're designed just like the 360s, which are the Wii U gamepads, they were these fat pads for you to click on and they felt good. Not so much, at least this controller lasts up to 80 hours on a single charge, which is something the gamepad definitely can't say.

However, they were both upset about having this gross shiny finish like this, it looks good in the pictures and for 2 seconds after opening the package at any time afterwards. Welcome to Fingerprint Avenue now. I no longer own this due to unforeseen circumstances. If I could sue a game controller, I would first go after whatever this third-party Wii U controller is and then sue the Wii remote for deception. But I do remember everything about it. and what was the definition of everything that was a falsely advertised product. This controller was trained to scam people into thinking it was a Wii U pro controller.

However, it turns out it was fundamentally just a Wii remote and a Wii classic controller all in one. now the idea of ​​having a standard controller with the capabilities of a Wii remote and a classic controller. Our all in one is great. The problem was that this controller was terrible at everything. Did. Build quality was cheap. The rolls looked like mashed potatoes. The only. The reason anyone paid attention to this controller was the fact that there was a Super Nintendo and Super Famicom color combination available. The ps4 controller actually changed a few things compared to the PlayStation controllers of the past.

They went with a new, more ergonomic design and I think it worked pretty well. Now there's this touch bar, which I personally haven't found very useful, a light bar that just feels like an excuse for this controller to have shitty battery life. battery and, whoa, whoa, whoa, where? Did the start and select buttons work? Yes, the ps4 was the start of something terrible: the death of launch and select, as we got this share button, which I suppose is quite useful for sharing photos and videos of the game. But what the hell is this garbage of options?

Well whatever I have to say is that while the DualShock 4 is comfortable and a decent controller overall, there are some issues with the build quality that I don't know about, it's just the only controller I consistently have issues with and Not only that, the Xbox One controller feels a little more of the same as the 360 ​​controller, but with random tweaks and changes that feel better and worse. I think it feels more premium in some cases, but cheaper in others, it's a little more compact. and trying to look more modern than the 360, I think the d-pad is better and the sticks have a grippier surface, but I don't know, there is something strange about this design, it's not bad by any means and I think I still prefer the 360s too, am I the only one who thinks that the replacements were starting to be liked and don't make sense?

What the hell are two boxes and three lines finally bringing us to Nintendo? Change the supply of drivers. The joycons. The controllers that come included with the console. The Switch is an interesting situation, it had to have controllers that need to be on the console itself to allow for portable play but are detachable to utilize a variety of different play styles. God, these things are too small. Listen, I really love the Joy Con. But they're basically taking everything in modern controllers and stuffing them into something you'd find in a dollhouse. I mean, these things have a lot going on in them, a whole set of buttons. and the new HD Rumble NFC motion controls stick on, they're perfectly usable, but not that great.

I lovethe idea of ​​how they were designed to be used as two separate controllers. But is this a way to live? The individual joycon shoulder supports are so miserable that Nintendo supplies tie them to slide and use them better together is fine, however there are still more like the Nintendo 3ds controllers compared to most console controllers domestic for me. Personally, I prefer For the Switch Pro controller. This doesn't really make sense, it gets right to the point. It uses a button and lever design that makes me swoon. The texture of everything feels great. Nice big, fleshy buttons.

A long lasting battery. All the technology of the Joy Con. This is what is called a controller. I always keep the joycon attached to the switch for when I want to play handheld and I keep the pro controller on standby for home console use and that's a basic history and review of most major gaming controllers. We have been through a lot and although not all of them have been great. It all led us to where we are Now the beginning of motion controls the pause button the introduction of analog control with the 1290 to the advanced programmable video system Jeffy Experienced with keypads trackball displays these successes and failures helped us form some of the best gaming controllers Don't immediately dismiss the new features and tricks introduced to controllers, because they can be big steps in the right direction for the industry!

They may not be talked about as much as the games or consoles themselves, but they are some of the most important aspects of the video game industry! Well, let me know what your favorite or least favorite game controllers are! And if you'll excuse me... I have another meeting, this time for real, about video game related topics. This time on the cover of a video game! You got to be kidding.