Game controller
Template:Current-GCOTW A game controller is an input device used to control a video game. A controller is typically connected to a video game console or a personal computer. A game controller can be a keyboard, mouse, gamepad, joystick, paddle, or any other device designed for gaming that can receive input. Special purpose devices, such as steering wheels for driving games, may also exist for a platform. Some devices, such as keyboards and mice, are actually generic input devices and their use is not strictly limited to that of a game controller.
Game controllers can be used to govern the movement or actions of elements in a video or computer game. The type of element controlled depends upon the game, but a typical element controlled would be the game hero. A gamepad, the most common kind of game controller, can have anywhere from a couple of buttons to a dozen or more, combined with multiple omnidirectional control sticks. This lets it control the game elements' movement in up to three dimensions, with many buttons to perform quick actions. Due to the ease of use and precision of gamepads, they have spread from from traditional consoles where they originated to computers as a common input device.
Longevity of hardware
While official controllers are generally built with top-quality components, third party or cheaper hardware is often made with less focus on quality. Given the number of mobile and soft rubber parts, it can be expected that after extensive use, some of the buttons will become eventually less responsive due to the softening of the rubber parts that connect the hard exterior button to the integrated circuit. On the other hand, cheaper joysticks and wheels might crack if used too violently. Button mashing and joystick wobbling were responsible for hundreds of broken controllers until the mid of the 16-bit era, when such games become progressively out of fashion.
On the other hand, better built joypads for personal computers such as the Gravis Gamepad and the Microsoft Sidewinder are able to endure usage for years, but were defeated not by their mobile parts, but by the development of games, which require more buttons or functions (the need for more than four buttons in the first and dual analogue controls in the later). Modern PC controllers such as the Gravis Eliminator Aftershock gamepad might be outdated in years if rumoured technologies in next generation consoles such as gyroscopic sensors come to reality and are applied in personal computer games.
Health concerns
Since the controller is the most common way of interacting with a game, it has to be ergonomically designed to feel confortable to the most of their potential userbase to avoid injuries such as the ones in the RSI group or CTS. Most controllers these days are designed with the relaxed position of the hands in mind, which gave origin to the "horns" design that reduced the soreness and cramping after extended use with older pads such as the NES or the Mega Drive/Genesis.
However, it's nearly impossible to find a perfect solution, since the age of the regular console player can go from the late childhood or early teens to the late thirties. The Xbox pad, for instance, was deemed to large for most players when it was released, but actually some users with longer fingers claim to feel more comfortable using it than the smaller Type-S model.
Also, Nintendo fingers was a term coined in the early 90s after video game players having their thumbs badly burnt and even developing blisters due to the hardness of the buttons.
Gamepad
Microsoft
Xbox
Similar in design to the Dreamcast controller, the Microsoft Xbox controller includes two controller slots, six analog buttons, two analog triggers, and two analog sticks as well as built in rumble support. Differing from the Dreamcast controller, the Microsoft controller adds three buttons, the "black", "white" and "back" (select) buttons. The Xbox controller went through a revision specifically for Japanese consumers and due to complaints that the initial controller was too bulky.
The result was the Type-S controller which Microsoft adopted and has since bundled with their system in all regions. The major change for the Type-S is the repositioning of the black and white buttons so that they are more accessible.
Sidewinder
The Microsoft Sidewinder range was presented in 1996, and grew from a simple joystick to include all kinds of gaming devices, from gamepads to the innovative Sidewinder Strategic Commander, aimed to RTS players. Until the first gamepads based on the popular Dual Shock design by Sony appeared for personal computers, the Sidewinder Gamepad, with it's 10 buttons (six buttons plus two triggers, mode and start) and pass-through connection which allowed up to four controllers connected with only one game port was the premier gamepad for sports games on the platform, and most games between 1998 and 2002 were developed with the Sidewinder in mind.
Nintendo
The NES controller featured a brick-like design with a simple, four button layout: two red buttons labelled "A" and "B," a "start" button, and a "select" button. Additionally, the NES and Famicom controller introduced the the D-pad as a standard for game controllers.
The SNES controller had a more rounded design and added two additional face buttons, "X" and "Y", as well as the "L" and "R" shoulder buttons that would also become standard for most controllers.
The Nintendo 64 controller was the first controller to introduce force feedback via the Rumble Pak. It was also the first in a trend to have both an analog stick and a D-pad. It has the traditional A, B, L, and R buttons, along with a Z trigger button on its underside. Four "C" buttons are used mainly for controlling the camera in games. In addition to the Rumble Pak, the controller also can house a memory pack for saving games, and a microphone add-on.
The Nintendo GameCube controller adopted a similar style to the Playstation DualShock. It has two analog sticks, a smaller traditional D-pad, and four main face buttons. The GameCube controller also has pressure sensitive L and R buttons, a Z button located above the R button, and includes a built in rumble feature. Nintendo later introduced the Wavebird wireless controller, which overall has the same layout, but doesn't include force feedback.
Sega
The Mega Drive\Genesis control pad has an eight-direction D-pad, a start button and three action buttons. Although the three buttons were enough for early arcade ports such as Streets of Rage or Golden Axe, as some games (mostly horizonal fighters) evolved, a six-button pad was developed. Noticeably smaller, it features 3 more buttons placed over the original three, which forced the start button to be moved into the space between the buttons and the directional pad. Since some games were not compatible with the new controller (like John Madden Football and Olympic Gold), a mode button was placed in the right shoulder. In order to work with these games, this button had to pressed while the console was turned on.
Sega Saturn's control pad has eight buttons, six of which are action buttons and two additional left and right buttons. NiGHTS Into Dreams was released with a larger control pad with an analogic joystick built, following the success of the Nintendo 64 gamepad. The console had three more official controllers, released with the console - a light gun (named Stunner), a steering wheel (Arcade Racer) and a arcade joystick (Virtua Stick) , to capitalize on the appeal of arcade titles such as Virtua Cop, Daytona USA and Virtua Fighter.
The Sega Dreamcast controller, was designed similarly to the Saturn NiGHTS Into Dreams controller. It featured an analog stick, a D-pad, 4 face buttons, a start button, and introduced two trigger buttons on the left and right underside. The gamepad also featured two slots that could be used for either a memory card or the VMU (Visual Memory Unit), which also could double as a memory card. Most of the controller's design was the basis for Microsoft's Xbox gamepad. Like the Saturn, the Dreamcast also had aditional controllers available at launch, including a unique fishing rod, a mouse and keyboard combo and others more common such as a light gun, a steering wheel and a arcade stick.
Sony
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- Main article:Dual Shock
The original controller had a four direction d-pad, and two groups of four buttons, the action buttons (referred not by colour or letter/number like most pads until then, but by four shapes - a square, a triangle, a circle and a cross), four shoulder buttons (R1, R2, L1 and L2, standing for right and left) plus a start and a select buttons. It was the default pad, until Sony followed the analogue gamepads trend, and released the Dual Shock (which had not only one, but two analogue sticks and force feedback, hence the name) controller as a secondary peripheral in late 1997 in Japan and in May 1998 in North America. Its populary dictated the end of the original controller, and the Dual Shock was selected as the new standart controller during a large part of the final half of the console's life. The Dual Shock was subsequently used for the follow up system, the PlayStation 2, however, the controller was slighly altered to make the buttons pressure sensitive. The new controller was dubbed the Dual Shock 2.
Other gamepads
Future gamepads
For the next generation of consoles, there has been speculation on what the controllers will look like. Most rumored is Nintendo's Project Revolution, which is speculated to be the key to why Nintendo feels the system "revolutionary". Features such as touch-screens similar to the Nintendo DS, possible gyration sensors, and the possibility of it lacking the traditional A and B buttons. Although none of this has been confirmed as of yet.
Paddle
- Main article: Paddle
A paddle is a controller that features a round wheel and one or more fire buttons. The wheel is used to typically control movement of the player or an object along one axis of the video screen.
Joystick
- Main article: Joystick
A joystick is a computer peripheral that consists of a handheld stick that pivots about one end and transmits its angle in two or three dimensions to a computer. The joystick is often used for flight simulators. HOTAS controllers, which include extra hardware to simulate throttle and rudder controls are popular among fanatics of the genre
Keyboard and mouse
The keyboard and mouse are typical input devices for a personal computer and are currently the main game controllers for computer games. Some video game consoles also have the ability to function with a keyboard and a mouse. The computer keyboard is modeled after the typewriter keyboard and was designed for the input of written text. A mouse is a handheld pointing device used in addition to the keyboard. For games, the keyboard typically controls movement of the character while the mouse is used to control the game camera or used for aiming. Recently, Zboard 1, a keyboard with dettachable keyboard layouts that can be instantly swapped between games was made available.
Light gun
- Main article: Light gun
A light gun is a peripheral used to "shoot" targets on a screen. They usually roughly resemble firearms or ray guns. Their use is limited to rail shooter or shooting gallery games.
Numeric keypad
- Main article: Keypad
A numeric keypad is a small grid of keys with at least the digits 0-9. They were found on some early consoles, usually attached to a joystick or paddle.
Others
At a smaller scale, other hardware such as train controls (available after Microsoft Train Simulator was released), pinball controllers and multi-button consoles for strategy games were released in the past, but with limited popularity.