SoraNews24 —Japan News—

Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.

RocketNews24 Japanese

Featured

History of game controllers shows us how much gaming has evolved over 40 years【Video】

From clumsy designs to superb ergonomics, this video shows us various controllers throughout gaming history.

The Nintendo Switch’s sleek Joy-Con game controllers are the epitome of convenience, allowing family members and friends to seamlessly join games for an evening of fun. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that the console is defined by the controller.

Yet rewind history a little, and you’ll find that the Joy-Con is a product born from years of refinement and innovation of past controllers. Technology-history YouTube channel 4096 produced a short video titled “History of Game Controllers”, showing us exactly how far we’ve come since the dawn of digital entertainment.

▼ Take a trip through 40 years of game controller history.

Renowned toy designer Gunpei Yokoi developed the plus-shaped control pad for the left thumb in 1982, and as a testament to his ingenuity, controllers have used his idea for the past 36 years.

Everything else like the buttons and gamepad shape have either undergone massive changes that have stuck for years or were gone in an instant.

Take the buttons on the right for example, where the four-button layout reigned supreme ever since the release of SNES, effectively ousting SEGA’s attempt at popularizing their three-button (Genesis) or six-button formats (Saturn).

▼ The gold standard of four right-side buttons.

Analog sticks made a comeback on gamepads as early as 1996 with the Nintendo 64, but its rather awkward central positioning meant that players couldn’t comfortably reach it without lifting fingers from something else. Sony then took the opportunity to release the world’s first dual stick controller in 1997, the design of which proved to be a favorite among gamers till this very day.

▼ Sony also tried to take on the Wii Remote with their Playstation Move,
an unwieldy controller that resembled a plastic ice cream cone.

The video provides a great history lesson on why we end up with the console game controllers we have today, and though there’s always room for improvement, it feels as if we’ll be sticking to twin analog sticks and four right-side buttons for a long time to come. Because few people really want to go back to that baffling N64 controller design.

Source, images: YouTube/4096
[ Read in Japanese ]

Like this:

Like Loading…

Related Stories

Trackbacks

  1. There are no trackbacks yet.
  2. Trackback URL

Trending Today

  1. Japan’s new matcha vending machines serve freshly prepared matcha in five different strengths
  2. Starbucks Japan unveils new winter drinkware collection with limited-edition Stanley cups
  3. Pachinko parlor operator arrested for not obscuring the act of gambling well enough
  4. Get the taste of the U.K. in Tokyo with 99 Flakes, meat pies, and Jaffa Cakes
  5. Restaurant opens in Japan with all-dementia waitresses, serves up ramen, awareness, and kindness
  6. Pokémon doughnuts pop up at Mister Donut, with a new gathering that’s bigger than ever
  7. Discount retailers known for massive bargains releases massive Japanese egg sandwich
  8. Liquid croissant coffee is coming to Japanese stores this month
  9. First-ever cafe on Tokyo Imperial Palace Garden grounds is now open
  10. Japanese government hires leading comedy agency to explain national defense spending

© SoraNews24 —Japan News— / SOCIO CORPORATION

Powered by WordPress VIP

%d