Evolution of Game Controllers
In video games consoles, one of the most important components of the controller. It is the media for players to insert commands and interact with the game. Sometimes I’d look into my controller and think, how long did it take the controllers to become the controllers we use nowadays? What changes does each generation have? Well, let’s find it out today, for the beginning to the present.
The beginning
In 1972, the Magnavox Odyssey is the world’s first commercial digital home video game console. As you can see, the controller is very unusual compared to their modern counterparts, it uses two paddles on the side, one for horizontal movement and one for vertical movement. Most home consoles after it followed the paddle controlling system is introduced to the public, such as the Atari Home pong console (1975) and the Coleco Telstar Arcade (1977).
After a few years in 1977, the Atari 2600 got introduced alongside the infamous Atari joystick, the first controller with an analogue stick. This controller separates the vertical and horizontal movements into four directions. The analogue stick becomes popular in the design of many arcade games. In fact, analogue stick controllers are still very popular to this day among fighting game players because its control scheme is very comfortable for fighting games.
The basic establishment
In 1983, the design of controllers had a huge revolution. Even though the Atari 2600’s joystick introduced the 4-direction input, but having to hold it with one hand on the bottom of the controller and one on the joystick still didn’t feel comfortable to hold. However, Nintendo introduced the world to the NES (aka Nintendo entertainment system) and the NES controller.
This controller had a d-pad, two buttons, and a start and select button. It provides a more comfortable experience for the users by having the main buttons on each side for the player to use with one hand, which forged the method for how players hold their controllers nowadays.
The usage of the d-pad and multiple buttons allowed more actions for players to do in-game. For instance, in Super Mario Bros., The player can use the A button to jump and using the combination of the d-pad and B button let Mario run.
In 1990, The SNES controller added the two shoulder buttons and two additional buttons, forming basic four buttons on the right side, a d-pad on the left side and two shoulder buttons on the top, establishing the basic design for every game controller introduced in the future.
The beginning of the 3D era
Starting in the 1990s, the gaming industry had entered the fifth generation of video game consoles where video games finally entered the 3D environment, hence the beginning of the 3D era. Many games were made into 3D, and the controllers have undergone another evolution.
In 1996, Nintendo introduced the N64 with the bizarre-looking N64 controller, which people often joke about it by used for aliens with 3 hands. Aside from its weird design, the controller brought the idea of a rumble pack, which enables the controller to rumble during certain situations. For example, the player character got hit, or it dealt damage to the enemy etc. Also, the analogue stick is re-introduced back to controllers. However, it is not only for controlling movement for 8 directions but also camera angles, allowing an easier way to traverse in the 3D world.
The era of revolution
When the technology and components for 3D gaming had become more mature, the gaming industry is getting a revolution on controllers, in which the controller doesn’t have to stick to a cable, or your body, aside from your fingers, can also be a controller.
In 2006, the Wii was released. It shook the industry with its fascinating motion control, which is unlike anything seen in the industry before. The Wiimote has sensors on top of the controller to allow motion sensing. With games like Wii sport, you can swing the Wiimote like a tennis racket. In Mario Kart Wii, you can race your kart with Wiimote like a steering wheel. In the Wii Sports Resort, you can also use Wiimote with the Nunchuk to shoot arrows like a bow and arrow. It was a massive change in the industry.
After the Wii’s success, other companies also followed Nintendo’s footsteps to develop games with motion controls. While the PlayStation Move is nearly the same as the Wiimote, Xbox took another route by creating the Microsoft Kinect for Xbox 360. The Kinect use motion capture instead of motion sensing, which the player is the controller itself. By capturing the players’ actions through the Kinect, the player character will behave the same how the player moves. With Sonic free riders, you can move your body like you are riding a hoverboard. In Kinect Sports, you can play beach volleyball like in real life.
The present time
The time comes back to the modern-day, the gaming industry is growing larger and larger every day, and so as the controllers, trying to provide an awesome experience to gamers. Let’s take a look at the controllers for the latest consoles:
First, let’s take a look at the DualSense, PS5’s controller. The DualSense kept the touchpad for the DualShock 4, allowing some interactions with some games. Also, it has a built-in microphone for easier communications, which is a quality of life change. However, the major feature of this controller is the haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. This feature allows the player Immerse better with the world of the game, feeling they have the same experience as the characters in-game. Overall, the DualSense aim to provide players with the best gaming experience through the player’s sense.
Then, Let’s take a look at the controller for Xbox Series X & S. The design of the controller is not much different from the Xbox One controller, but the D-pad had a new design of a facetted dish, which took inspiration from the Elite controller. This allows players to hit accurate diagonal directions and perform sweeping actions better, giving them a performance boost.
Also, the controller introduced a new set of improvements called Dynamic Latency Input. According to Ryan Whitaker, Senior Designer at Xbox, the information is sent more frequently from the controller and matched with exact frames of your game on-screen. It will be able to shave off precious milliseconds at every step of gameplay, and actions are even more instantaneous. All in all, the Xbox Series X & S controller aim to provide players with the best gaming experience through more convenient gameplay and controls.
Finally, let’s talk about the Joy-Cons, controller for the Nintendo Switch. The Nintendo Switch is every single Nintendo consoles’ features merged into one console. As for the main feature of the Joy-Cons, they can be taken off the Nintendo Switch, allowing the Nintendo Switch to switch between Tabletop mode, TV mode and Handheld mode. This small pair of controllers allow them to be split into two separate controllers from two players, either it is for your family or friends. This allows the Joy-Cons to be connected to other Nintendo Product like Nintendo Labo and Ring Fit.
Furthermore, the Joy-Cons had HD rumble and IR camera installed. The HD rumble allows the player to have a more realistic feeling when the controller vibrates. As for the IR camera, it is placed at the bottom of the Joy-Con (R), allow the Joy-Con to recognize the distance between the object and the object itself. In Nintendo Labo, the cardboard-made RC car makes use of these incredible features. The HD rumble can allow the RC car to move straight, turn left and right by vibrating the left and right Joy-Cons. The IR camera allows the player to see what is in front of the RC car. In auto-pilot mode, the IR camera can help the RC car find the targets and move towards it. Thus, the Joy-Cons aim to provide players with the best gaming experience through more ways to enjoy games with the player, family and friends.
Conclusion
Over these decades, game controllers had undergone a huge evolution, from simple to innovative. Having seen the changes for games controllers, I am certain that game controllers will continue to change for the next decade, and its changes will be way beyond our imagination.
Sources
1. https://www.shortlist.com/lists/history-of-the-video-game-controller
3. https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/UsefulNotes/TheFifthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames
4. https://www.techradar.com/reviews/dualsense-wireless-controller
5. https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2020/03/16/xbox-series-x-controller/