Evolution of gaming console controllers

Borrowed knowledge Play Value @ onnetworks.com Peppered with my experiences
Mainstream gaming started with arcades History of video games predates them What are arcades? - watering holes for alternate experiences
1971 first arcade game – computer space
Fly around shooting UFOs
Fail 4 buttons; too many Unnatural placement Poor coordination between action and effect Wide gulf of evaluation
Year later (1972) – Pong One of the most popular games of all times Still being cloned
Essentially oversimplified 2D tennis
1 control! Instant hit Very intuitive Not alien, not computer Just another device
1979 Asteroids Essentially computer space clone Just that you shoot asteroids instead of flying saucers
Almost exact same controls as computer space But a big hit! Why? - People were ready
People had developed necessary hand eye coordination learned to associate strange actions with seemingly unrelated outcomes
Pong interface wasn’t natural Slider vs dial But dial more familiar than slider Smaller norman gulfs And outcome immediately associatble Limited actions and outcomesa
Around the same time (1977) Atari 2600 comes out Took gaming to home No longer have to go to arcade
Single platform for 100s of games Problem with having that many games Each game can’t have custom controls
One controller to rule them all! Stick And Button Return to natural, physical actions Not having to relate strange actions with crazy outcomes Ubiquity of actions Extension of body
Lessons learned from aviation Keep it real Pilots have to react fast and instinctively/naturally WW II Spitfire
Up until now every game had its own controller Trackball Wheel Gun Foot pads
Japanese invasion 1985, NES Reinvent consoles - stand apart Reinvent controller
D-pad and 2 buttons Still minimalist – still zen! But actually, …
… they stole it! Game & Watch handhelds Donkey Kong Mario -> Super Mario Bros But gamers still skeptical
But very popular People got used to it quickly So popular Spawned a whole line of controllers as games got complicated Required more interactions More subtle interactions … we add more buttons On pad shoulder Way of the future Displaced joysticks Displaced Atari And then…
Explosion of console market Sega Genesis Sega Dreamcast Nintendo Gamecube Analog triggers- continuous functions Analog controls- return of the joystick More nuanced control In 3D worlds More than discreet up-down-left-right 360 buttons
Those Japs just don’t stop! PS2 (1997) 2 sticks More free movement Triggers, shoulders Best of all
MS Xbox Xbox 360 Wireless Sony’s answer…
… was nothing short of a revolution!!! DS3 wireless 6 axis accel Games that played back Dual independent force feed back Old ideas combined well Meanwhile, Nintendo has been sidelined But, finally, in 2006 the veteran samurai awakens…
… to usher in a new age in interaction
Wii and …
Wiimote No more translation Direct physical actions Closer to total immersion Simplicity More zen

Evolution of gaming console controllers

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