Gamepad
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A gamepad, also called joypad or control pad, is a type of game controller held with both hands where the thumbs are used to provide input. Gamepads generally feature a set of action buttons handled with the right thumb and a direction controller handled with the left. The direction controller has traditionally been a four-way digital cross (D-pad), but most modern controllers additionally (or as a substitute) feature an analog stick. The analog stick was introduced with the Atari 5200 controller, but did not reach popularity until the Nintendo 64, Sony PlayStation, and Sega Saturn.
Some common additions to the standard pad include shoulder buttons placed along the edges of the pad, centrally placed start, select, and mode buttons, and an internal motor to provide force feedback.
Gamepads are the primary means of input on all modern video game consoles. Gamepads are also available for personal computers, although a keyboard and mouse combination tends to be utilized more often for certain genres. Some programmable joysticks that can be programmed to act as a key on a keyboard have been made to circumvent the problem lacking joystick support in some computer games, notably the Belkin Nostromo SpeedPad n52. A program called JoyToKey also emulates keyboard input for gamepads also exists.
Nintendo
NES: the D-pad
The NES controller used their patented + shaped D-pad (a modified version of Milton Bradley's Cosmic Hunter Dpad concept) which was used by their "Game and Watch" series of games as the standard for their home console controllers. The NES and Famicom controller featured a brick-like design with a simple, four button layout: two buttons labelled "A" and "B," a "start" button, and a "select" button. Near the end of the NES's lifespan, upon the release of the AV Famicom and the NES 2, the design of the game controller was modified slightly, abandoning the "brick" shell in favor of a "dog bone" shape, reminiscent of the controllers of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.
The original Famicom controllers were different from the NES ones in the sense that, besides their design (and being hardwired into the console), the second controller lacked Select and Start buttons- in their place was a microphone, although very few games supported it.
SNES: introducing shoulder buttons
The SNES controller had a more rounded dog-bone like design and added two more face buttons, "X" and "Y", arranging the four in a diamond formation. Another addition was the "L" and "R" shoulder buttons, which have been imitated by most controllers since.
There is a slight variation in the Japanese and European version of the controller, where the A, B, Y and X buttons are all convex-curved and each one has a distinct color. For the American SNES, the A and B buttons were colored purple, whereas the Y and X buttons were lavender and concave-curved.
Virtual Boy: dual D-Pads
The Virtual Boy controller was a controller which utilized dual gamepads similar to how analog sticks functioned in later "dual control" sixth-generation systems. The presence of two pads was an effort to control objects in a 3D environment (one pad controlling pitch and turning while the other controlling forward movement and strafing). The "two gamepad" setup has since been used in the GameCube controller.
N64: analog stick in a gamepad
The Nintendo 64 controller was one of 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 64 controller's design seems controversional with its trident shape, making for three ways to hold the controller. The most used way in games to hold the controller was for the left hand to hold the center grip, so the thumb could move the analog stick and the index finger could press the Z trigger. The right hand would be on the right grip of the controller and have access to all the main face buttons, and the R button.
Gamecube: dual analog stick and wireless gaming
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 that click when pressed down completely, a Z button located above the R button, and includes a built in rumble feature. Nintendo later introduced the Wavebird controller, a wireless pad that uses radio frequency technology refined from the Atari Wireless RF controllers, in order to operate without relying on infrared. The Wavebird overall has the same layout, but doesn't include force feedback (in order to save battery life). It operates using two AA batteries and ranges about 100 hours of gameplay.
DS: touch screen
While the Nintendo DS was not the first implementation of the touch screen as an interface, nor was it the first implementation of a touch screen in a video game system (see Game.com), it certainly is one of the more popular gaming examples. Nintendo has integrated the touch screen into its standard controls (L, R, A, B, Y, X, Start, Select and a D-pad) by use of a stylus and it is most commonly used in lieu of the D-pad or the A, B, Y, and X buttons, depending on the handedness of the user.
Wii: a different kind of controller
The Wii controller is unconventional in comparison to others. In its basic form it is shaped like a television remote control (and is officially called the Wii Remote) and includes a number of features, most notably, tilt sensors and three-dimensional pointing which allows the system to understand all directions of movement (up, down, left, right, in, and out, etc.) and rotation (back and forth around the pitch, roll, and yaw axes). The controller is also multifunctional and expandable, including an expansion port which can be used with different types of peripherals. An analog stick preipheral has been unveiled featuring two trigger buttons to be used by the other hand (said to contain an accelerometer [1]).
A conventional controller attachment, previously announced, but confirmed not to be, a "shell" and dubbed the "classic controller", has been announced as well, with traditional and Virtual Console gaming in mind. It resembles a Super NES controller, with two analog sticks placed similarly to Sony's Dual Shock controller. Also, instead of having the regular start and select buttons, it has the -, home, and + buttons from the Wii Remote. However, the - and + buttons also have labels saying start and select, respectively.
Sega
Master System
The Master System has a similar brick-shaped appearance to the NES controller, but the D-pad is square-shaped instead of cross-shaped, and there are no distinct "select" and "start" buttons. The two action buttons were labeled "1" and "2", and the "1" button doubled as a "Start" button. Master System games were pausable only by accessing a button on the console itself. Some early models of the pad featured a hole in the centre of the D-pad into which a small attachment could be screwed to make the pad function more like a joystick. A proper joystick was later released for the machine. Unlike the Nintendo machines of the time, the Sega machines used a common D-subminiature connection, enabling their pads to be used on different systems.
Genesis/Mega Drive
The Sega Mega Drive/Genesis control pad has an eight-direction D-pad, a start button and three action buttons. The three buttons were enough for early arcade ports such as Golden Axe. As fighting games evolved, a six-button pad was released. Noticeably smaller, it features 3 more buttons placed over the original three (traditionally called the "Street Fighter" layout). 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 position. In order to work with these games, this button had to pressed during the console power-on sequence, until the SEGA logo appeared. Both versions of the Mega Drive pad again used the DE9 connection.
Saturn
The Sega Saturn control pad has eight buttons, six of which are action buttons and two additional left and right buttons (plus an additional start button). The 3D Control Pad (pictured right) was included with the breakthrough game, NiGHTS Into Dreams, that introduced an analog stick. The console had several official controllers: a light gun (named Stunner), a steering wheel (Arcade Racer), a flight simulator stick (Mission Stick), dual arcade sticks (Twin Sticks), and a traditional arcade joystick (Virtua Stick).
Dreamcast
The Sega Dreamcast controller has a similar design to the Saturn 3D Control Pad. It features an analog stick, a D-pad, four face buttons and a start button, and introduced two analog triggers on the left and right underside. The gamepad also featured two slots that could be used for a memory card, the VMU (Visual Memory Unit, which incorporated a memory card), or a vibration pack. The accessory slots, button positions, and analogue triggers would also be present in Microsoft's Xbox controller. Like the Saturn, the Dreamcast had additional controllers available at launch, including a unique fishing rod controller (for use with Get Bass/Sega Bass Fishing), a mouse and keyboard, and other more common peripherals such as a light gun, a steering wheel and an arcade stick.
Sony
PlayStation
Sony's original controller had a four direction D-pad, and two groups of four digital buttons, the action buttons (referred not by color or letter/number like most pads until then, but by four shapes - a square, a triangle, a circle, and an X standing for cross), four shoulder buttons (R1, R2, L1, and L2, standing for right and left) plus start and select buttons. It was the default pad for the first year of the PlayStation, until the release of the Dual Analog.
First announced in a press release in late 1995, the Dual Analog was finally shown to the public at the PlayStation expo in November 1996. It was similar to the original PlayStation controller, with several key differences. The Dual Analog's handles were longer and more tapered, the first Japanese revisions had rumble capability, and there were twin concave analog thumbsticks placed in the lower center of the controller, below a tri-function "mode" button. Apparently due to lack of interest, later models of Japanese Dual Analog controllers had the rumble feature removed.
The next revision saw the introduction of Sony's Dual Shock. This device brought back rumble (hence the name), cosmetically changed the handles, removed the third "mode" option and added "L3 and R3", which were incorporated into the sticks themselves (you could push down on the stick to make it "click"). The controller was released as a secondary peripheral in late 1997 in Japan, and in May 1998 in North America. Its popularity dictated the end of the Dual Analog, and the Dual Shock was selected as the new standard controller during a large part of the final half of the console's life.
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First PlayStation controller -
The DualShock 2 for PlayStation 2, the PlayStation 3 uses an almost identical looking wireless version that lacks vibration abilities
PlayStation 2
The Dual Shock was subsequently used for the follow up system, the PlayStation 2, however, the controller was slightly altered to make the buttons pressure sensitive. The new controller was dubbed the Dual Shock 2. The original PlayStation controller was compatible with a few games early on, but now almost every game uses the Dual Shock 2. The original PlayStation control pad has a strong visual similarity to that of the Nintendo SNES. Given that the PlayStation began development as a CD-Rom add-on for the SNES, it is certainly possible that the design of the controller is a holdover from that earlier Nintendo design process.
PlayStation 3
Initially, the conceptual controller for the PlayStation 3 was similar to its Dual Shock and Dual Analog predecessors; however, it was much more curved in shape than these controllers, with an appearance similar to that of a banana or boomerang. This odd shape has often been the subject of much ridicule, due to its boomerang-like appearance, often being called the "bananamerang".
During the 2006 E3 conference, Sony abandoned the boomerang-shaped controller, in favor of a controller dubbed SIXAXIS. SIXAXIS is cosmetically identical to the Dual Shock; however, the wirleless controller features the addition of tilt-sensor and linear acclerometer technology. However, SIXAXIS lacks the rumble capability featured in the preceding Dual Shock controller; the omission of which has proved a controversial issue. Sony stated that the rumble would interfere with the motion sensor; however, the omission of rumble capability can be traced to Immersion Corporation suing both Sony and Microsoft for patent infringing on Immersion's force-feedback technology. Although Microsoft settled out of court, Sony decided to fight back and lost the resultant case. In contrast to the SIXAXIS lacking rumble capability, the rival Wii and its Wii Remote has tilt sensors, linear accelrometer and IR positioning technology, with built in rumble capability.
Microsoft
Sidewinder range
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 real-time strategy players. Until the first gamepads based on the popular Dual Shock design by Sony appeared for personal computers, the Sidewinder Gamepad, with its 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.
Xbox
Similar in design to the Sega Dreamcast controller, the Microsoft Xbox controller includes two expansion slots, six analog buttons, two analog triggers, and two analog sticks, a total of eight digital buttons (four of which make up the d-pad), as well as built in rumble support. Differing from the Dreamcast controller, the Microsoft controller adds a right analog stick, 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 (Indeed, the size of the Xbox controller has been the subject of many a joke in video game-related webcomics). The result was the Type-S controller which Microsoft adopted and has since bundled with their system in all regions. Both of the original Xbox controllers had a breakaway point near the end, so if the cord was pulled, the cord would pop into two parts and the game would pause, instead of the Xbox being pulled to the floor and possibly injuring somebody.
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 controller has wireless capabilities and removes the "black" and "white" buttons and in their place adds two "bumper" buttons, one above each trigger. The wireless version runs off two "AA" Batteries or an additional charger can be purchased which connects to your control through a USB port, the controller will still function while charging. The wired version uses a USB port to plug into the 360, and is going to be the main gamepad to be used for Windows XP and Windows Vista.