{"id":2011,"date":"2011-04-02T23:11:46","date_gmt":"2011-04-03T06:11:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mathpirate.net\/log\/?p=2011"},"modified":"2011-04-02T23:16:25","modified_gmt":"2011-04-03T06:16:25","slug":"electric-curiosities-the-situation-is-under-control","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mathpirate.net\/log\/2011\/04\/02\/electric-curiosities-the-situation-is-under-control\/","title":{"rendered":"Electric Curiosities: The Situation Is Under Control"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a><\/a>In ages past, I went a little crazy and took pictures of cartridges for every cartridge-based game system I had at the time.\u00c2\u00a0 You can find the results of that enedavor here<\/a>.\u00c2\u00a0 Since then, I’ve expanded my collection, so that post is in dire need of a sequel.\u00c2\u00a0 That brings us to today’s post, wherein I will not be updating that previous post.\u00c2\u00a0 In fact, I will not be talking about cartridges at all.\u00c2\u00a0 ((Except when I talk about the Mattel Aquarius Controller.))\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

You see, despite the fact that I’ve uploaded pictures of just about every different type of video game cartridge ever made, phrases like “Fairchild Channel F Cartridge” never end up in the search queries section of my stats.\u00c2\u00a0 You know what does?\u00c2\u00a0 “temporal mechanics<\/a>“, which is completely unrelated to video game cartridges.\u00c2\u00a0 You know what else?\u00c2\u00a0 “sega dreamcast controller”.\u00c2\u00a0 So that is what I am doing today:\u00c2\u00a0 A shameless post to boost my overall\u00c2\u00a0search engine ranking by reinforcing the relevancy of the site content for\u00c2\u00a0traffic I’m already getting. ((That, and I think I have a shot for taking the #1 spot on Google for the phrase “mattel aquarius controller”…))\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

I mean…\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

Today, I’ll be presenting pictures of joysticks, gamepads, controllers and handheld torture devices through the video game age.\u00c2\u00a0 From Fairchild through Wii; Atari, Vectrex, Nintendo, Genesis, Playstation and even a little Virtual Boy, it’s all here.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

First, here’s most of the controllers all arranged carefully on the floor according to a sort criteria which I shall not divulge.\u00c2\u00a0 How many can you name? ((Hint:\u00c2\u00a0 The Mattel Aquarius Controller is not in that image.))\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

All shapes, sizes and button arrangements.<\/p><\/div>\n

Okay, let’s plug this in and press start!\u00c2\u00a0 (Or SL\/SR or Run or whatever strikes your fancy.)\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

3DO<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

The 3DO’s gamepad is a fairly run-of-the-mill controller, featuring a Genesis-style set of 3 action buttons, yet SNES style L\/R shoulder buttons.\u00c2\u00a0 The middle buttons, typically called\u00c2\u00a0Start and Select, are labeled “X” and “P” here.\u00c2\u00a0 Of particular note are the CD controls scattered around the controller, with the “Stop” square on X and “Play\/Pause” triangle and bars on the P button, and fast forward, rewind, and skip icons circling the D-Pad.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

Emerson Arcadia 2001<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Hey!\u00c2\u00a0 The Intellivision is popular.\u00c2\u00a0 Let’s rip off their controller!\u00c2\u00a0 Then we’ll be popular.”\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

“But that’s illegal.”\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Don’t worry, we’ll only put one button on each side and\u00c2\u00a0make them red, then screw a joystick into the disc.”\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Now you’re talking!”\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Arcadia 2001 hand controller is a clear and blatant rip-off of the Intellivision hand controller.\u00c2\u00a0 The\u00c2\u00a0number pad is pretty much identical, even\u00c2\u00a0as far as the font used.\u00c2\u00a0 The size is the same, the weight is similar.\u00c2\u00a0 They both have shiny discs as their main control surface.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0They’re even both called \u00c2\u00a0“Hand Controllers”, for crying out loud.\u00c2\u00a0 Pretty much the only truly distinguishing feature is the joystick that’s screwed into the disc.\u00c2\u00a0 That might have made a difference and been enough to forgive the similarities, provided there were any Emerson Arcadia 2001 games that you’d actually want to play, but there aren’t.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

And you thought I was exaggerating.<\/p><\/div>\n

Atari 2600<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

The CX-40 Joystick for the Atari 2600.\u00c2\u00a0 Classic.\u00c2\u00a0 Iconic.\u00c2\u00a0 Historic.\u00c2\u00a0 And a little uncomfortable these days.\u00c2\u00a0 Also, as far as I can tell, this is the only controller that specifically tells you which way is the “Top”.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

Atari 2600 Paddle<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

The paddle consists of a big spinning dial and a single button and provides you with some of the most precise controls you’ll ever find in a video game.\u00c2\u00a0 You just can’t play games like Breakout or Kaboom without this level of control.\u00c2\u00a0 Of course, that assumes that your paddle isn’t twitchy, like most are these days.\u00c2\u00a0 Fortunately, that’s easy to fix, if you’re willing to perform some surgery and clean out all the gunk inside the potentiometer inside.\u00c2\u00a0 For all the crazy controls game companies are trying with their systems these days, I’m surprised no one’s tried to bring back the spinner.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s also worth noting that paddles came in pairs: Two paddles with a single connector.\u00c2\u00a0 This allowed two sets of paddles to be connected at once, and two sets of paddles connected at once allowed the complete and total awesomeness called Warlords to exist.\u00c2\u00a0 Unfortunately, there’s no indication which paddle is player 1 and which is player 2, so paddle games often started with a frantic attempt to figure out which paddle you were supposed to be using.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

Atari 2600 Driving Paddle<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

Although outwardly, the driving paddle looks identical to the regular paddle except for the sticker, internally, they are very different animals.\u00c2\u00a0 The regular paddle has an analog potentiometer with a 270 degree range of motion.\u00c2\u00a0 The driving paddle has an optical sensor inside, which allows it\u00c2\u00a0unlimited motion in either direction.\u00c2\u00a0 The driving paddle was meant to allow free 360 degree steering, which it did… For exactly one game:\u00c2\u00a0 Indy 500.\u00c2\u00a0 Unlike the regular paddles, the driving paddles were not paired.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

Atari 5200<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

What do you get when you take the Atari joystick, make it analog, add in the Star Raiders keypad and put\u00c2\u00a0some mushy side buttons (two on each side)\u00c2\u00a0taken off the Intellivision, then mix it all together and put a shiny Atari Rainbow across the middle?\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

A big mess.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

I will give them credit for putting the start and reset buttons on the controller and extra credit for including a “Pause” button.\u00c2\u00a0 But it’s still a mess.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

Atari 7800 Proline Joystick<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ow.\u00c2\u00a0 Ow.\u00c2\u00a0 OW.\u00c2\u00a0 THIS CONTROLLER HURTS.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

For the 7800, Atari clearly started with the Atari 5200 joystick, then made some changes.\u00c2\u00a0 The keypad is gone, which is fine, because only a small handful of games used that.\u00c2\u00a0 The Start\/Pause\/Reset buttons are also gone, which is a huge loss.\u00c2\u00a0 They’ve kept the side buttons, but cut their number in half and made them large and decidedly non-mushy.\u00c2\u00a0 The failure-prone analog stick is also gone, replaced with a standard 8-way digital stick.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s also smaller than the 5200’s stick.\u00c2\u00a0 The major problem with the 7800’s stick is that is rapidly becomes very painful to use.\u00c2\u00a0 The size is small, so you have to grip it tightly, but the stick is stiff, so when you move it, it tends to move the base, as well, twisting your hand.\u00c2\u00a0 Additionally, side buttons are misplaced on any controller, but on this one, they’re especially bad because you have to grip the base so tightly.\u00c2\u00a0 Basically, if you enjoy severe wrist pain after about ten minutes of play, this is the controller for you!\u00c2\u00a0 Of course, I don’t use the Pro-Line…\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

Atari 7800 Gamepad<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

…I use this.\u00c2\u00a0 The Atari 7800 gamepad.\u00c2\u00a0 This beauty was apparently never released in North America, but was reportedly the default pack-in controller for the UK and Australia.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s not the best gamepad ever (The buttons are a tad sticky, and those grooves are just pain weird), but if the alternative is the Pain-Line joystick, you’re not going to complain.\u00c2\u00a0 If you have an Atari 7800 and don’t want to get Carpal Tunnel from playing Ninja Golf, then you need to track down one of these gamepads.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

Atari Jaguar<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

This controller is often ridiculed, but I feel that most of the criticism is unfounded.\u00c2\u00a0 I actually sort of like this controller.\u00c2\u00a0 I find it comfortable.\u00c2\u00a0 The keypad with overlay support is a bit retro, but perhaps they just wanted to kick it old school.\u00c2\u00a0 It does make games like Alien vs. Predator or Iron Soldier, where there are lots of weapon selections, very convenient to play. \u00c2\u00a0The three action buttons are labeled C, B, and A, and the aux buttons in the middle are marked “Pause” and “Option”.\u00c2\u00a0 All in all, it feels somewhat inspired by the Lynx.\u00c2\u00a0 Strangely, the connector plug is a VGA Monitor plug. ((DE15, to be technical, unlike the 9-pin DB9 that’s used on\u00c2\u00a0the Atari 2600, Genesis, and Mattel Aquarius Controllers.))\u00c2\u00a0 The only negative thing I have to say about this controller is that when you play most of the games on the Jaguar, you’ll definitely notice the lack of an analog stick.\u00c2\u00a0 I can’t really knock too many points off for that, though, since nothing had analog sticks at the time, it wasn’t until the N64 came out a few years later that people realized you needed analog control for 3D games.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

It is big, I’ll give it that, but it’s actually roughly the same size as the Dreamcast controller or the original XBox monster pad.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s also fairly light because it’s mostly empty inside, unlike the lead-lined Duke.\u00c2\u00a0 Here’s a comparison of the three, along with a more well known SNES gamepad for reference.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

SNES, Jaguar, XBox, Dreamcast<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00c2\u00a0Atari XE Lightgun<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

The first lightgun of this post is the Atari XE Lightgun.\u00c2\u00a0 While I’m not really planning on getting into the Atari XEGS (There’s enough room there for a post in itself…), I felt\u00c2\u00a0that this gun\u00c2\u00a0warranted a mention, because it was the light gun intended to be used for Atari 7800 and 2600 light gun games.\u00c2\u00a0 Yes, the Atari 2600 had a light gun game, called Sentinel.\u00c2\u00a0 The game consists of you shooting flying things to protect a giant blue ball that bounces across the boring\u00c2\u00a0surface of an alien planet until either your trigger finger falls off , you fall asleep, or you get killed by the Level 3 boss which is physically impossible to defeat, because absolutely no one can shoot it enough times to kill it before it touches the ball and kills you.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bally Astrocade<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

Back in the early days of video gaming, people didn’t know how to make controllers for game consoles.\u00c2\u00a0 That’s how things like the controller for the\u00c2\u00a0Bally Astrocade (Or Videocade or Professional Arcade or whatever other names this system had.) came about.\u00c2\u00a0 Bally took a pistol grip with a trigger button, then stuck\u00c2\u00a0a joystick nub on the top.\u00c2\u00a0 But wait, there’s more!\u00c2\u00a0 The nub could also rotate 270 degrees, letting it double as a paddle control, as well.\u00c2\u00a0 This controller is very reminiscent of the Fairchild Channel F’s super-bizarro stick, which I’ll get to in a bit.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

Of course, the only\u00c2\u00a0truly notable thing about the Bally Astrocade is its appearance in National Lampoon’s Vacation.\u00c2\u00a0 I can’t tell if it was product placement or a joke.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

And you thought I was making that up.<\/p><\/div>\n

CD-i<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Philips CD-i.\u00c2\u00a0 Released in the early 90’s, it was an overpriced CD player that sometimes pretended to be a game console.\u00c2\u00a0 As such, it had to have a gamepad, just like all the cool kids did.\u00c2\u00a0 Except, for some reason, the only gamepad they looked at seems to be the two button Sega Master System controller.\u00c2\u00a0 There’s no Start, there’s no Select, there’s no shoulder buttons, none of that complicated jive.\u00c2\u00a0 Instead, there’s just a D-Pad and two buttons.\u00c2\u00a0 What’s that, you say?\u00c2\u00a0 You count three buttons?\u00c2\u00a0 Yeah, well, so did I, until I was playing Wand of Gamelon (Yes, I own Zelda: Wand of Gamelon, and yes, I have played it.\u00c2\u00a0 No, it’s not as bad as you’ve heard, yes, the cutscenes are terrible, but if you don’t really look at it as a “Zelda” game, it’s quite passable.\u00c2\u00a0 The backgrounds look excellent and appear handpainted.) and couldn’t figure out why the controls for the game went out of their way to use only two buttons on a three button controller.\u00c2\u00a0 That’s when I realized that it’s not a three button controller at all, but a two button controller with a third button that acts like you’re pressing the other two buttons simultaneously.\u00c2\u00a0 Because, you know, you’re apparently incapable of pressing the other two buttons simultaneously and that’s something that you have to do so often that you want an entire button dedicated to that, instead of, you know, a jump button or a pause button.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Button 1: "." Button 2: ".." Button 3: ".+.."<\/p><\/div>\n

CD-i Remote<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The CD-i also had a normal remote control for doing things like playing CDs or Video CDs.\u00c2\u00a0 This controller was also good for games like The 7th Guest, which have a slower pace and were meant to be played with a\u00c2\u00a0 mouse.\u00c2\u00a0 If you tried using this for action games, you would fail horribly.\u00c2\u00a0 If you notice, around the stick there are four action buttons.\u00c2\u00a0 This does not mean that the remote gives you more buttons than the gamepad.\u00c2\u00a0 Instead, those buttons are simply two copies of button 1 and button 2.\u00c2\u00a0 And unlike the gamepad, there is no “Button 1+2”, so good luck with that if you ever find a game that uses that feature.<\/p>\n

I don’t understand why it seems as though the designers of the controllers for the CD-i never talked to the designers of the system, and why neither group had ever talked to ANYONE who ever played a video game.\u00c2\u00a0 I mean, wasn’t Nintendo involved in the creation of this system, at least on some level?\u00c2\u00a0 Couldn’t someone there talk some sense into them?\u00c2\u00a0 “Oh, you’re making a Zelda game?\u00c2\u00a0 You need more than two buttons for that.”<\/p>\n

ColecoVision<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The ColecoVision came out in the age of the keypad and vertical configuration.\u00c2\u00a0 Similar in design to the Intellivision or Atari 5200, the CV has an advantage over both of them:\u00c2\u00a0 The buttons don’t totally suck.\u00c2\u00a0 When you press a ColecoVision button, you know that you pressed it, unlike those mushy rubbery things that the other systems have.\u00c2\u00a0 Like the 5200, the CV improves over the Intellivision ((And the Mattel Aquarius controller, as well.))\u00c2\u00a0by putting the control stick at the top of the controller and making it grippable.\u00c2\u00a0 The CV also accepts game-specific overlays, but unlike other systems, the overlay goes underneath a plastic grid, so you’re able to know which number you’re hitting simply by touch.\u00c2\u00a0 I’d say this\u00c2\u00a0controller is the least carpal\u00c2\u00a0tunnel inducing of the\u00c2\u00a0vertical keypad set. \u00c2\u00a0And best of all, the CV is compatible with Atari 2600 joysticks, so if the game you’re playing only needs one button, you can simply replace the controller with any number of more comfortable 2600 sticks or even a Genesis gamepad.<\/p>\n

Sega Dreamcast<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Dreamcast controller is an obvious evolution of the Saturn 3D controller, with the same “disc with handles” shape.\u00c2\u00a0 It only has one analog stick.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s massive, but fairly comfortable to hold.\u00c2\u00a0 On the top of the controller are two slots for memory cards.\u00c2\u00a0 There is a window in the front of the controller which will show the screen of a Visual Memory Unit, if you have one.\u00c2\u00a0 The VMU would sometimes show information about the game on a small LCD screen, but the true nature of the VMU only became apparent when you removed it from the controller.\u00c2\u00a0 The VMU had a small D-Pad and a couple of action buttons, and would let you play very limited miniature versions of some games on-the-go, sort of like a Tamagotchi.\u00c2\u00a0 The only thing that’s really wrong with the Dreamcast controller is the fact that it has the absolute worst wire placement since the original SMS controllers.\u00c2\u00a0 Instead of coming out of the top of the controller and pointing at the TV and the console, the wire comes out of the bottom and points at the user.\u00c2\u00a0 You lose about six inches of controller wire because of this, not to mention that you’re constantly getting tangled in the wire.<\/p>\n

Fairchild Channel F<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Fairchild Channel F controller…\u00c2\u00a0 Where to begin…\u00c2\u00a0 All of the functions are controlled by the knob on top.\u00c2\u00a0 It has\u00c2\u00a0standard 8-way movement, then it rotates clockwise and counter-clockwise, then you can push and pull the knob in and out.\u00c2\u00a0 (And no, it doesn’t vibrate.)\u00c2\u00a0 It’s one of the strangest primary controllers I’ve seen.\u00c2\u00a0 Here’s a video of it in action.<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0 If you only have one hand, this is probably an awesome controller.<\/p>\n

Gamecube<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

One part N64, one part Virtual Boy, one part SNES and two parts color wheel, the Gamecube’s controller is a strange one.\u00c2\u00a0 The two analog sticks and the D-pad are fairly standard.\u00c2\u00a0 The primary button arrangement is probably the most convoluted arrangement I’ve seen, with buttons of different shapes, sizes, and colors.\u00c2\u00a0 There are three shoulder buttons.\u00c2\u00a0 Not two.\u00c2\u00a0 Not four.\u00c2\u00a0 Three.\u00c2\u00a0 L, R, then Z, which lives in front of R.\u00c2\u00a0 Z is an ordinary button, while L and R are these mutant hybrid buttons, with about a half inch of travel space, then a loud click that sounds like you’re breaking the button.\u00c2\u00a0 The button is analog until the click, then it registers as a normal button press, so some games will assign slightly different controls based on how you press the button.<\/p>\n

Sega Genesis<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Genesis controller has far fewer buttons than the contemporary SNES controller.\u00c2\u00a0 There’s only three action buttons and no shoulder buttons and it’s strangely massive (7in x 4in)\u00c2\u00a0for having so few features, but the Genesis controller has a secret power that makes up for those shortcomings:\u00c2\u00a0 It is compatible with the Atari 2600 and related systems.\u00c2\u00a0 They’re cheap and easy to find, so if you can’t stand using the Atari joystick and want something a bit more comfortable for your classic games, try a Genesis controller.<\/p>\n

Genesis 6 Button<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The SNES had six action buttons.\u00c2\u00a0 That means games written for the SNES could use\u00c2\u00a0six buttons.\u00c2\u00a0 The Genesis controller only had three buttons.\u00c2\u00a0 That means that games ported from the SNES to the Genesis typically had convoluted control schemes to activate some of the actions.\u00c2\u00a0 For instance, the Lost Vikings required combinations of the Start button and other buttons or directions to use items, change characters, even to pause.\u00c2\u00a0 Then along came games like Street Fighter II, which required six buttons.\u00c2\u00a0 Sega eventually came out with a six button controller for these situations.\u00c2\u00a0 The controller is notably\u00c2\u00a0more compact\u00c2\u00a0than the\u00c2\u00a0monster 3-button controller.\u00c2\u00a0 In addition to the additional “X”, “Y”, and “Z” buttons, the 6 button pad featured a turbo switch and a “Mode” button to switch between 3-button and 6-button modes, because apparently just ignoring the extra three buttons wasn’t good enough for some people.\u00c2\u00a0 ((The Mattel Aquarius Controller is always in six button mode.))<\/p>\n

Intellivision<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Intellivision Hand Controller is one of the most reviled controllers in the world of video games.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s almost\u00c2\u00a0as if it was designed by a group of parents who were\u00c2\u00a0concerned that their\u00c2\u00a0children spent\u00c2\u00a0too much time playing\u00c2\u00a0games, so they made a controller that would cause physical pain after roughly 30 minutes of play.\u00c2\u00a0 There’s a sliding disc at the bottom, two buttons on each side, and a big number pad (With overlay support) in the middle.\u00c2\u00a0 The problem is,\u00c2\u00a0I’ve never actually found a way to hold this controller that makes any sense.\u00c2\u00a0 There’s nowhere to hold it so that you can use the disc comfortably.\u00c2\u00a0 The buttons are rubbery and mushy and you never really know when you’ve pressed them, and they\u00c2\u00a0force you to hold the controller in an awkward way.\u00c2\u00a0 For those who’ve never experienced what it’s like to use an Intellivision controller, imagine trying to use an oversized iPhone as a game controller, with the volume buttons as your main action buttons and the “Home” button as your control pad.\u00c2\u00a0 And to top it off, the Intellivision controller is hardwired into the system, so you can’t get a third party controller that doesn’t suck.\u00c2\u00a0 The Intellivision inspired a number of other controllers, including the Atari 5200 and the ColecoVision ((And the Mattel Aquarius Controller.)), but those controllers solved the problem by moving the disc to the top of the controller and replacing it with a joystick that could be gripped, making them far easier to use.<\/p>\n

Don’t get me wrong, the Intellivision is an undisputed classic system, but if you want to play any of the games for it, you’re far better off picking up the latest Intellivision Lives! compilation and playing it on something like\u00c2\u00a0XBox Live\u00c2\u00a0Arcade or the\u00c2\u00a0DS.\u00c2\u00a0 That way you won’t need wrist surgery next month.<\/p>\n

Mattel Aquarius<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Mattel Aquarius Controller is the direct descendant of the Intellivision’s hand controller.\u00c2\u00a0 They took out the side buttons and cut the number pad in half and made it pluggable, but left the pain-inducing disc in the same place.\u00c2\u00a0 That’s okay, though, because there isn’t actually anything you’d want to play on the Aquarius, so it doesn’t matter how bad the Mattel Aquarius Controller sucks.<\/p>\n

Then again, the system does have a version of Tron: Deadly Discs.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Better on the Intellivision or Atari 2600.<\/p><\/div>\n

NES<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I don’t really know much about this one.\u00c2\u00a0 There’s pretty much nothing about it on the Internet.\u00c2\u00a0 Looks kinda square and weird.<\/p>\n

NES Zapper<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The NES Zapper came in two styles:\u00c2\u00a0 Looks-too-much-like-a-real-gun-so-the-cops-will-shoot-you gray and atomic orange.\u00c2\u00a0 You couldn’t shoot that damned dog in Duck Hunt with either one.<\/p>\n

Nintendo 64<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Odd looking and often ridiculed, the Nintendo 64 controller is the only controller I know of that requires three hands to use.\u00c2\u00a0 Players were required to undergo seven hours of surgery to attach a third arm, generally taken from Chinese prison camp inmates (Although later taken from chimpanzees after several tragic incidents where the transplanted arm retained some of the violent tendencies of its original owner).\u00c2\u00a0 Unwillingness to submit to body modification is often credited as the primary reason for Nintendo’s\u00c2\u00a0lack of commercial success against\u00c2\u00a0the Sony Playstation, although many players reported many non-game related benefits to their newly installed third arms.<\/p>\n

Actually, I like the N64 controller.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s comfortable, and as long as you pretty much ignore the mostly useless D-Pad and L button, there’s nothing really wrong with it.<\/p>\n

Odyssey 2<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Obviously, the Odyssey 2 joystick is heavily inspired by the Atari 2600 joystick.\u00c2\u00a0 Although the base is roughly the same size, the stick is much smaller.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s also spring-loaded, so it’ll snap into place when you let go of it.<\/p>\n

PlayStation<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The original PlayStation controller did not have analog sticks.\u00c2\u00a0 Instead, it had one of the worst D-pads I’ve seen, with each direction being a fake button.\u00c2\u00a0 Instead of using letters or numbers to indicate the buttons, the PSX gamepad uses Square, Triangle, Circle, and X.\u00c2\u00a0 It also brought back the “Select” button, which had been missing since the SNES.\u00c2\u00a0 The PlayStation also decided that having just two shoulder buttons wasn’t enough and had a total of four shoulder buttons.<\/p>\n

PlayStation DualShock<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The DualShock slapped a pair of analog sticks on the original design.\u00c2\u00a0 This innovation made it so shooters on consoles no longer had to suck, although initially the two sticks were only used for catching monkeys.<\/p>\n

PlayStation 2<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The PlayStation 2’s controller represented a radical shift in controller design from the earlier PlayStation controllers.\u00c2\u00a0 Clearly, the designers took the saying “The more things change, the more they stay the same” to heart, inverted the clauses,\u00c2\u00a0and developed a gamepad that stayed completely the\u00c2\u00a0same, and therefore must, in fact, be a great change.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

Oh, and it’s black.\u00c2\u00a0 And supposedly has “Analog Buttons”, which you probably never really noticed in any game you ever played.<\/p>\n

PlayStation 3<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Actually, that picture is a PS2 controller, but you probably wouldn’t have even noticed if I hadn’t said anything.\u00c2\u00a0 One could say that Sony knows when they have a good thing and don’t want to mess with it, but the truth is, the PS3 controller is almost identical to the PS2 controller because they were relentlessly mocked and ridiculed by\u00c2\u00a0Teh InternetZ\u00c2\u00a0when they released images of a boomerang that they said would be the PS3’s controller.<\/p>\n

Sega Saturn<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I’ve never actually played the Saturn.\u00c2\u00a0 The controller looks like they took the 6-button Genesis controller and gave it wings and shoulder buttons.\u00c2\u00a0 Since I’ve never used it, I can’t speak to it’s long term comfort, but it seems like it would be easy to hold and not likely to cause cramping or pain.\u00c2\u00a0 The shoulder buttons seem to sit a bit too far forward, though.<\/p>\n

Sega Master System<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Rumor has it, Sega revealed this controller design shortly after Nintendo’s lead gamepad designer was reported missing.\u00c2\u00a0 The SMS control pad is very similar to the NES controller, with one very glaring drawback:\u00c2\u00a0 Start and Select are missing.\u00c2\u00a0 When you play SMS games, you will often notice this omission.\u00c2\u00a0 Sometimes it means you have to press Up to jump.\u00c2\u00a0 Sometimes it means you only have one item at a time.\u00c2\u00a0 And nearly always it means that you can’t pause without getting up and hitting a button on the console.<\/p>\n

The control pad pictured is one of the later models.\u00c2\u00a0 Some of the earlier versions had the wire sticking out of the side of the controller, where it would constantly jab you in the hand.\u00c2\u00a0 It should be noted that the original wire placement was also stolen from Nintendo, who has side wires on the original Famicom, before they realized how dumb that was and put the wire on top for the NES.<\/p>\n

SMS Light Phaser<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Light Phaser for the SMS is reportedly based on some laser gun in some anime.\u00c2\u00a0 I don’t really like anime, so I’m not going to talk about this anymore.<\/p>\n

SNES<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Classic.\u00c2\u00a0 That is all.<\/p>\n

Tomy Tutor Joystick<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Tomy Tutor joystick was heavily inspired by the Atari 2600 joystick, right down to the flexible rubber base and circle of lines that don’t correspond to the directions the joystick can be pressed.\u00c2\u00a0 Instead of the word “Top”, there’s an arrow that points forward.\u00c2\u00a0 There’s also the word “Joystick” in raised plastic, in case you forgot what it was.\u00c2\u00a0 The Tomy Tutor had two buttons: SL and SR.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Every game on the system referenced these buttons, presenting the cryptic phrase “Player 1, 2? SL-AMA SR-PRO” to the plaer\u00c2\u00a0when the game was started.\u00c2\u00a0 It wasn’t until years later that I realized that was a difficulty selection.<\/p>\n

Tomy Tutor Joy Controllers<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

There was only one joystick port on the Tomy Tutor, making multiplayer gaming rather difficult.\u00c2\u00a0 Tomy’s answer?\u00c2\u00a0 The Joy Controllers.\u00c2\u00a0 Obviously inspired by the disc on the Intellivision ((Just like the Mattel Aquarius Controller.)), the Joy Controllers came in a pair, with each one clearly labeled as “Player 1” and “Player 2” (Thus solving the “Which controller am I?” problem that the Atari 2600 paddles had.).\u00c2\u00a0 The Joy Controllers are much easier to hold than the Intellivision hand controller.\u00c2\u00a0 The buttons are located on the face and aren’t mushy and rubbery (The Tomy Tutor’s keyboard had enough of that…), so they’re much easier to press.<\/p>\n

TurboGrafx 16<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The TurboPad is another controller that’s inspired by the NES.\u00c2\u00a0 At least this controller realizes the value in having a Start and Select button (Although Start is called “Run” here.).\u00c2\u00a0 It also has built in turbo switches for the primary buttons.<\/p>\n

Vectrex<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Vectrex has the earliest horizontal controller orientation that I can think of, however, its 8 inch width precludes its use as a gamepad.\u00c2\u00a0 Instead, it’s more like a mini-arcade set up.\u00c2\u00a0 It is also notable for having four primary buttons and an analog controller.\u00c2\u00a0 Its greatest weakness is the coiled telephone cord, which was inexplicably popular in the day. (See also:\u00c2\u00a0Intellivision and ColecoVision) ((And the Mattel Aquarius Controller, of course.))<\/p>\n

Virtual Boy<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Virtual Boy gamepad\u00c2\u00a0feels like a prototype N64 or Game Cube controller, minus the analog sticks.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s the only symmetrical gamepad I can think of.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s also the only controller I can think of with dual D-Pads.\u00c2\u00a0 On the reverse side are L and R buttons.\u00c2\u00a0 The power switch is also located on the controller, something not found again until the XBox 360.\u00c2\u00a0 Unfortunately, the power source is\u00c2\u00a0located on the controller, as well, either in the form of a large battery pack or in a plug for a power adapter.\u00c2\u00a0 Power issues aside, the controller is one of my favorites.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s comfortable, it’s the right size,\u00c2\u00a0all of the buttons are in the right place and are easy to press.\u00c2\u00a0 I just wish the system weren’t so painful to use.<\/p>\n

Wii<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I do not like the Wii controller.\u00c2\u00a0 The pointer can be useful for some games, and motion sensing has its place, but…\u00c2\u00a0 As a\u00c2\u00a0controller for most games, this thing sucks.\u00c2\u00a0 When playing through Super Mario Galaxy, there was hardly a level I went through where I didn’t think “I wish I was using the N64 controller for this.”\u00c2\u00a0 And the waggle motion?\u00c2\u00a0 Really?\u00c2\u00a0 That has to be in every game?\u00c2\u00a0 Of course it does, because when I think of playing video games, I think about spraining my wrist from constantly having to shake the controller side to side to perform some stupid action that should be a button press.\u00c2\u00a0 But of course, it can’t be a simple button press because it’s impossible to press any of the buttons on this thing.\u00c2\u00a0 I nearly dislocated my thumb while playing Metroid Prime 3.\u00c2\u00a0 Sure, it looks nice, but video game controllers should not be created by graphic designers.\u00c2\u00a0 They should be created by people with hands.<\/p>\n

XBox “Duke”<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The original XBox controller was designed by people with hands, unfortunately, those hands were the size of Andre the Giant’s.\u00c2\u00a0 This thing is big and heavy.\u00c2\u00a0 Easily frustrated people should avoid using this controller, because it is likely to cause severe damage to anything it hits\u00c2\u00a0when thrown.<\/p>\n

XBox “S”<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The S controller for the XBox is a more compact controller that became the standard XBox controller shortly after the console’s release, after Microsoft realized that most of its customers were not mutants with overgrown hands.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s still big, as far as controllers go, but it’s no longer freaking huge.\u00c2\u00a0 The controller features the now fairly standard arrangement of two analog sticks (With clickable buttons), a D-Pad that’s rarely used, shoulder buttons, and four primary buttons arranged in a diamond shape.\u00c2\u00a0 “Start” and “Back” are on the left side, while “White” and “Black” (Despite the fact that “White” is actually clear) are on the right side.\u00c2\u00a0 In the top of the controller, stolen from the Dreamcast, are slots for memory cards that no one ever used for anything.<\/p>\n

XBox 360<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The 360 controller is a streamlined evolution of the XBox S controller.\u00c2\u00a0 Gone are White and Black, having morphed into the shoulder buttons “LB” and “RB”.\u00c2\u00a0 “Back” and “Start” have moved to the center of the controller, where they belong, the slots for memory cards are thankfully gone, and there is now a system button, which acts as a power button or brings up the system menu.\u00c2\u00a0 I also want to point out how much I like the battery handling on the wireless controllers for the 360.\u00c2\u00a0 When the battery gets low, the controller lights start to noticeably flash, more and more frequently.\u00c2\u00a0 To charge, just connect the cable and keep playing.\u00c2\u00a0 If you don’t connect in time and the battery does die, then the game will immediately freeze until you connect the charger\u00c2\u00a0or change the batteries, and it will remain frozen until you explicitly resume the game.\u00c2\u00a0 Some games will even pause themselves.\u00c2\u00a0 This stands in contrast to the Wii, where the batteries just die and so do you, because the game didn’t stop.<\/p>\n

This, of course, was not intended to be a complete list of every controller ever made.\u00c2\u00a0 Some controllers were intentionally left out (NES Advantage, for instance), because this was meant to be a sampling of primary\/pack in controllers.\u00c2\u00a0 Other controllers were left out because I don’t have them (Yet).\u00c2\u00a0 Some day, I might do a follow up with some of the more interesting secondary controllers, as well as some of the more bizarre third party controllers I have in my possession.\u00c2\u00a0 ((And the Mattel Aquarius Controller will not be part of that set.))<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In ages past, I went a little crazy and took pictures of cartridges for every cartridge-based game system I had at the time.\u00c2\u00a0 You can find the results of that enedavor here.\u00c2\u00a0 Since then, I’ve expanded my collection, so that post is in dire need of a sequel.\u00c2\u00a0 That brings us to today’s post, wherein […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[112,8],"tags":[12,190,203,42,17,188,187,199,200,48,191,201,196,51,39,202,189,195,40,29,18,192,194,193,45,173,53,43,146,54,61,238,47,41,197,198],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mathpirate.net\/log\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2011"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mathpirate.net\/log\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mathpirate.net\/log\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mathpirate.net\/log\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mathpirate.net\/log\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2011"}],"version-history":[{"count":27,"href":"https:\/\/mathpirate.net\/log\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2011\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2099,"href":"https:\/\/mathpirate.net\/log\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2011\/revisions\/2099"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mathpirate.net\/log\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mathpirate.net\/log\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mathpirate.net\/log\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}