[ TRY ] In our previous episode about first-party
controllers, we started with the Famicom and
went through the 8 and 16-bit generations,
taking a look at not only the standard controllers
from console to console, but also how they
changed over time, along with some of the
less widely used first-party control options.
In this episode, we’ll be going through
as many first-party controllers as we can
across the next two generations of gaming
- from the Sega Saturn and PlayStation on
up through the Xbox and GameCube... and most
everything in between.
MUSIC: “Principle” by Matt McCheskey
[ COURY ] When we last left Sega, the Genesis
6 button pad had brought home the arcade experience
of playing Street Fighter 2 and other notable
fighting games that were all the rage. But
heading into the 32-bit generation, not only
could 2D sprite based games be more detailed
and offer deeper gameplay, but who knows what
sort of challenges lie ahead when navigating
the uncharted territory of 3D graphics and
worlds.
When the Saturn released in Japan in 1994,
Sega utilized everything they’d learned
in the past two generations to deliver near
perfection. The Japanese Saturn Pad carried
over the layout and feel of the Genesis’s
6 button pad, but it's the extremely smart
tweaks to the ergonomics and addition of Left
and Right shoulder buttons which results in
a controller that many consider to be among
the best ever made. Maybe ever THE best.
The Saturn was a 2D beast, and this control
pad was the ultimate tool for these types
of games. A modern day excalibur for not only
the plethora of nearly arcade perfect ports
of Capcom’s hottest fighting games, but
also the staggering number of shooters, brawlers,
and platformers which helped drive it to the
top of Sega’s best selling hardware in Japan.
There is a reason this pad has the legendary
reputation it does.
The construction mimics the Genesis 6 button
fairly closely - right down to the tech used
for the D-pad. However it somehow manages
to feel just a touch better than that. The
concave A, B and C buttons and smaller, convex
style of the X, Y and Z buttons match as well.
Hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
The L and R buttons feel nice and clicky,
and a rubber start button rounds out the package.
For many, this is the ultimate realization
of 2D gameplay and over 25 years later, and
it's debatable whether or not any other controller
has even come close to replicating the Japanese
Saturn pad.
When the Saturn had it's surprise launch in
the US in May of 1995, the redesigned controller
was clearly the most obvious source of aesthetic
tinkering. From a purely visual point of view,
the Model 1 US Saturn pad may have appealed
to North American fans, but once you hold
it in your hands it quickly tells you all
you need to know.
The bulky grips are more angular and uncomfortable,
and I can’t say if they actually fit naturally
to anyone’s hands. The over designed D-pad
has concave divots on the four main directions,
and the L and R buttons are so shallow that
they almost feel like you’re not even pressing
them at all. At least the buttons match the
Japanese stylings, but the damage has already
been done. The controller’s internals reveal
a more complex build full of thin and fragile
plastic pieces.
In hindsight, the model 1 US Saturn pad represents
yet another misguided decision by Sega of
America during the mid-90s… Supposedly this
redesign was done to accommodate larger hands,
but ultimately feels like there was some insatiable
need to change things for the sake of it.
Thankfully, this is one misstep they specifically
sought to rectify when the Model 2 Saturn
released in the US in ‘96. The US controller
was jettisoned, with the Japanese style swooping
in to save the day. What a relief. This was
supposedly done to cut costs, but I don’t
think anyone believes this was the wrong choice.
Before we move on from the Saturn pad, let's
take a quick side to the recently released
wireless Saturn controllers from RetroBit.
Yes, I know - these aren’t first party controllers…
but, these are marketed as being from Sega
themselves. Thanks to Stone Age Gamer sending
over a set of pads for this video, we can
see if they manage to come close to the high
standards of the original.
Selling for around $34.99, the RetroBit wireless
pads are available in three colors across
two different formats - Bluetooth and 2.4
gigahertz. We opted for the 2.4 gigahertz
versions because we’ve come to prefer the
format due to quicker connection time and
slightly lower input latency.
This version comes in a clamshell case with
two connection dongles - traditional Saturn
style and USB. While using it on an original
console is my preferred use, it's pretty cool
that both are here so you can connect to a
PC, Switch or even a MiSTer. Both are firmware
updatable in case any performance bugs or
incompatibilities crop in the future. Oh yeah,
the pad uses a rechargeable battery which
can last for around 30 hours.
So, how does feel? Put simply, it's great.
I found the pad to feel absolutely fantastic
and authentic. I was relieved to find that
the D pad had none of the pivoting issues
that were prevalent in RetroBit’s wired
Genesis pad. If there was any input lag, I
certainly didn’t notice it. While it's slightly
heavier than the OEM controller, I suppose
that's to be expected.
But more importantly: thanks to Casltemania
Games, I was able to try out the Wired Saturn
pads from RetroBit, which pre-dated the wireless
versions by several months. While these had
similarly decent builds upon first testing
them out, I found that they had mushy L and
R buttons which had little travel distance
and lacked the clickiness of an OEM controller.
It wasn’t exactly a dealbreaker, but certainly
made me a little apprehensive about how these
wireless pads would turn out. As such, it
was the very first thing I checked when I
got this pad and I’m happy to report that
it seems to have been worked out and fixed.
It's a DIFFERENT type of clickiness, but it's
close enough for me.
One of the best parts of a new console generation
was that arcade to home ports could be closer
than ever to their coin operated counterparts.
The 32-bit gen was no different and what better
way to drive home the experience than extravagant
peripherals that were custom tailored to blur
the line further? On the Saturn, my favorite
example of this is the Mission Stick.
Released fairly early in the Saturn’s lifespan,
the Mission Stick is made up of two main segments.
The primary piece contains the stick itself
which has a trigger for the A button and thumb
buttons for B and C. The Z axis wheel tends
to be used as a throttle in a few games. While
the second half spreads the face and shoulder
buttons across the surface. Each button has
a rapid fire slider.
The two halves of the Mission Stick can be
separated and reversed, making it uniquely
customizable for both left and right handed
players. I have the Japanese version here,
while the US version had some subtle changes
to the button design and of course, the color.
Through the use of photocells and LEDs to
measure analog movement, the Mission stick
is a nifty piece of gaming tech for the mid
90s. If you’re curious to see a more in-depth
breakdown of it's functionality, Retro Gaming
Arts has a video showing how the different
parts work together. It's actually pretty
cool!
It probably goes without saying that my favorite
aspect of the missions stick - and the main
reason I bought it myself - is that it's incredible
for some of my favorite arcade ports on the
Saturn, like the Sega Ages Space Harrier and
After Burner II. For the first time at home,
these games not only look like the arcade,
but also play true to their original versions.
Other games, such as Panzer Dragoon and Panzer
Dragoon 2 use the controller to great effect,
although it took me a bit to get used to the
increased sensitivity. Sky Target, on the
other hand - it adds surprisingly little to
the experience.
In 1996, Sonic Team delivered what could be
considered the Saturn’s killer app in the
form of NiGHTs Into Dreams. The elements of
flight and aerial tricks called for more free
flowing controls, so the specially designed
3D Controller was packaged with copies of
the game.
Of course the key feature here is the analog
stick, which facilitated smoother and more
refined range of movement. It seems like the
3D controller could have been developed as
a response to the upcoming Nintendo64 controller,
but both controllers hit the market at almost
exactly the same during the early days of
Summer 1996, so it's likely they were developed
without knowledge of each other, at least
during the early stages.
The spring loaded stick is more like a nub
- flat with little travel distance. It does
tend to look a bit silly in the face of nearly
25 years of progress, but it works. It sorta
looks like a cigarette lighter you’d see
in a car back in the day.The circular design
of the controller itself goes all in on a
3D motif, making for a controller which isn’t
exactly the most ergonomic thing to hold,
but it gets the job done.
The disc style D-pad matches closely to a
regular Saturn controller, but it protrudes
from the surface a bit further. The presence
of the analog stick does break compatibility
with some games. To work around this, there
is a physical switch on the pad that alternates
between digital and analog mode represented
by a plus and a circle.
All six face buttons have matching size with
a convex contour. However, the shoulder buttons
were given the analog treatment, and resemble
the triggers - an innovative approach which
paved the way for a number of future controllers.
One curious feature is the ability to detach
the cable from the pad. I’m not exactly
sure what this was meant to achieve or accomodate,
but it's speculated that this might have had
to do with an upcoming wireless receiver or
a rumble pack style accessory.
Although the 3D Controller worked with a slew
of games, there were very few that were designed
to specifically take advantage of it's abilities.
Of course, everyone knows NiGHTs, but I found
Burning Rangers to be much more manageable.
It also benefits many of the first person
shooters on the console, with Power Slave
being one of the few that takes full advantage
- right down do the analog abilities of the
triggers to adjust strafing speed.
However, not everything is A-OK. Panzer Dragoon
2 worked perfectly with the Mission Stick,
but it’s functionality isn’t exactly one
to one with the 3D controller. Most notably
that the aiming reticle can no longer reach
the outer corners of the screen, and the R
trigger activates berserk mode as well as
moving the camera to the right.
Despite what seemed like a generally cool
reception in the marketplace, Sega themselves
obviously loved the design and functionality
of the 3D Controller. With Sega’s final
home console, The Dreamcast hitting in 1998
in Japan, Sega made the evolution of the 3D
Controller the star of the show.
The biggest innovation of the Dreamcast pad
are without a doubt the two expansion slots
for different peripherals - namely the Visual
Memory Unit or VMU - which gives you a second
information display as well as doubling as
a memory card for your save games. The location
of these ports gives the DC pad it's most
maligned attribute to this day: a cable that
connects to the wrong end of the pad.
Over the course of the console’s short lifespan,
there were no notable changes to the design
of the pad itself, outside of different color
variants.
Looking at the 3D Controller and the Dreamcast
pads side by side, the similarities are immediately
apparent. If you like the 3D pad this was
great news - but a number of the tweaks might
not have been for the best.
Most obvious is the overall change in shape
from a circle to a slightly more angular,
spaceship-esque design. It complements the
design of the console perfectly. The fin-like
grips are deeper making it feel overall less
bulbous and comfortable to hold, which in
turn makes it much easier to pull back on
the analog triggers.
The weakest aspect of the 3D controller, the
analog stick, takes a much more defined shape
in it's redesign and is a vast improvement.
It’s topped off with a convex mushroom cap
that is dotted with tiny bumps to prevent
slippage which does work for its intended
use, but wasn’t quite as elegant as the
rubber tops that some of the competition had.
For the first time, Sega scraps the disc style
Dpad for a much more typical cross style which
was similar to Nintendo’s. I’m not quite
sure how they got around the whole patent
thing, but I assume it has more to do with
the internal mechanisms, which was closer
than expected to the ball bearing style of
the Genesis 3 button pad.
Finally, the face buttons have unfortunately
been pared down from six to four. The color
coding of these buttons do add a nice dash
of flair, but it's really unfortunate that
this decision was made considering the multitude
of arcade perfect fighting game ports the
system got from Capcom and others. The analog
triggers simply do not cut it for those types
of games.
I t's impossible to say whether this was the
right controller for the Dreamcast. After
the perfection of the Saturn pad, I wish they’d
come up with something that was a little closer
to that with analog sticks. As a result, the
DC pad remains one of MY least favorite controllers
to use, even today. There is an alternative
on the horizon from Retro Fighters that looks
like it might just solve all of my issues
though...
Sony may seem like a mainstay in the console
market today, but there was a time when they
were still an unproven newcomer. When the
original PlayStation launched in Japan at
the very end of 1994, a key focus was on pushing
3D graphics and gameplay, but the system shipped
with a fairly conservative controller.
Clearly taking inspiration from the Super
Nintendo, which makes sense considering the
infamous origins of the PlayStation, the original
PlayStation controller features a Dpad, start
and select buttons, and four face buttons.
Where it innovates a bit more is in its grip
handles and four shoulder buttons, two on
each side - R1, R2, L1, and L2, all of them
equal in size. I’ve always used PlayStation
shoulder buttons exclusively with my index
fingers. It never would’ve occurred to me
to try using my middle fingers for the back
buttons, but apparently a lot of people do
do that, and there is some debate as to which
is the proper method, and whether Sony intended
for four fingers to rest on the shoulders.
The face buttons have a shallow profile and
mostly flat surface as opposed to the concave
or convex buttons common on other controllers
of the time. The now-iconic shape icons - a
pink square, green triangle, red circle, and
blue X or “cross,”- were envisioned as
being used for particular functions. The square
represents a menu, triangle represents a character’s
viewpoint, while circle and X are widely recognized
in Japan as symbols for “yes” and “no”
respectively. In practical use, these symbols
mean very little anymore, especially outside
Japan, where the standard circle-confirm and
X-cancel placement eventually shifted toward
X-confirm and circle-cancel, for honestly,
who knows what reason. I’ve begrudgingly
gotten used to it, but Japanese games still
use the classic circle-confirm setup, which
corresponds to the A-confirm that Nintendo
uses in all regions worldwide.
The Dpad is a single piece of plastic that
pivots under a cross shape in the controller
shell, which distinguishes it from the plus
or disc Dpad designs used by Sony’s competitors.
Personally, I like it quite a lot, and this
is still my preferred controller when it comes
to 2D PlayStation games, or games without
analog control.
In fact, I was really disappointed when my
relatively late-generation PlayStation came
with a DualShock controller instead of the
original controller… at the time, I was
mostly playing RPGs on PlayStation, and I
felt like the extra bulk just got in the way.
I didn’t like the long reach to the analog
stick, or even understand the purpose of the
right stick. But the DualShock was actually
not the first controller of its kind from
Sony - that would be the short-lived Dual
Analog Controller.
The Dual Analog Controller features vibration
in Japan, but not in other regions, resulting
in a much lighter controller than the DualShock.
The slightly longer handles and concave sticks
with a harder plastic touch as opposed to
convex rubber tops on DualShocks really make
the Dual Analog Controller look kind of like
a bootleg. If you weren’t paying close attention
to PlayStation in 1997, then you probably
never heard about this clumsily launched DualShock
prototype. But it certainly has its fans - the
longer handles, lighter weight, and concave
sticks are nice for those who prefer them,
and there are also little ridges at the front
of the R2 and L2 buttons, which are kind of
neat.
So it was then in November of 1997 that he
true evolution of the PlayStation controller
hit Japan - the DualShock. A design whose
shape would be changed in only minute details
for three generations.
The name comes from the built-in dual force
feedback motors in each handle, and of course
the dual analog sticks with broad convex rubber
tops, which are in a mirrored arrangement
toward the lower-middle of the controller.
An invisible extra set of buttons, dubbed
R3 and L3, which are also present in the Dual
Analog Controller, are activated by “clicking”
the sticks inward. It’s kind of a strange,
not very intuitive idea when you think about
it, but it has nonetheless become a staple
of modern controllers.
A version of the DualShock shipped in the
year 2000, with a color scheme and plug designed
to match the stylings of the smaller PSone
consoles.
Like I said, I was not a fan of this design
at first, so I absolutely sympathize with
those who do not like the analog stick placement.
But PlayStation being the juggernaut that
it was, well, you’d better get used to it
or else you’re missing out on some amazing
games. And get used to it I did. The stick
placement is now second nature, and in some
ways I prefer it, since it allows the Dpad
to remain in the standard position, ensuring
that 2D games never feel like they’re a
lesser priority. For games that do not support
analog control, the analog functionality may
have to be disabled to avoid compatibility
issues.
The DualShock soon became the PlayStation’s
pack-in controller and enjoyed widespread
adoption. Smooth analog controls in 3D platformers
like the original Spyro the Dragon went a
long way to prove that with the DualShock,
Sony’s console could play host to platformers
just as great as the best on Nintendo 64.
Several games even received DualShock support
in updated print runs, although personally
I feel that Resident Evil and Resident Evil
2 are best played with the Dpad. The right
stick, which is almost universally used for
camera control in modern games, was not utilized
nearly as well during the PlayStation’s
generation, with camera rotation often remaining
relegated to the shoulder buttons. But some
games like Mega Man Legends 2 really stand
out, where the dual-analog character movement
and camera controls feel shockingly modern.
But the DualShock’s biggest limitation was
the original digital controller that shipped
with the PlayStation. Because not everyone
had a DualShock, games had to be designed
with the original controller in mind, and
as such analog control was more like a bonus
feature. The first game to require a DualShock
controller released in 1999 - Ape Escape,
an exceptionally charming and inventive platformer
that utilizes the dual analog setup to do
things that simply could not be done with
an N64 controller, such as rowing a canoe…
or controlling a remote control car independently
of the player character by using the right
stick.
Having perfected their dual analog controller
concept over the course of the late 90s, it
was no surprise that the PlayStation 2 shipped
with, well, the DualShock 2.
The DualShock 2 is virtually indistinguishable
from its predecessor at a glance. The easiest
thing to do is to check the top of the controller
for a DualShock 2 logo to figure out which
one it is. Luckily, the DualShock 2 can be
used on PS1 consoles and the original DualShock
can also be used on PS2… but compatibility
varies by game.
The DualShock 2’s main distinguishing feature
is frankly a bit of a flop… pressure-sensitive
buttons. Luckily they don’t feel noticeably
different from standard digital buttons, and
not that many games even take proper advantage
of this feature to my knowledge. What I always
think of is what Hideo Kojima did with Metal
Gear Solid 2 and 3… because of course he
would use some of a system’s weirder features.
In those games, you prepare a shot by holding
square and fire by releasing it. If you decide
to not take the shot, gently releasing the
button will put your weapon down instead.
It works well enough, but is certainly a bit
unnecessary.
Outside of that, there’s not much to write
home about regarding the DualShock 2 other
than the tighter analog stick suspension,
which I do prefer.
One slight variant that I’ve come across
is the white controller that shipped with
the PSX - which is a Japan-only DVR-slash-multimedia
box from Sony that also plays PS2 games. They’re
notoriously expensive yet unreliable. This
unit was graciously donated to the show by
Maikeruhan. The included controller has a
considerably longer cord than standard PS2
controllers, possibly because of the PSX’s
intended use as a living room multimedia device,
and also because the controllers plug into
the back of the unit. But the extra reach
also just makes it so handy to use with a
regular PS2 system or even on a PS1.
Ultimately the DualShock 2 did very little
to win anyone over if they already didn’t
like the original DualShock, but the PS2 itself
has perhaps the most overwhelmingly diverse
library in console history, meaning that like
it or not, this is one controller that is
well worth getting used to.
When Microsoft entered the home console industry
in 2001, nobody knew how things would play
out. The console had been building up interest
for awhile, but upon the reveal of the final
design of the console and controller one thing
was for certain. It sure did feed into the
notion that American electronics had to be
huge.
While it does have it's ardent fans, the original
xbox controller - better known today as “The
Duke” has been the butt of countless jokes
over the years. It’s big. It’s huge. Even
Seamus Blackley, one of the designers of the
console joked in 2016 that it was large enough
that you could land a helicopter on it. An
apt description. It was revealed that the
Duke ended up the way it did because the internals
had already been produced, so the shell had
to be designed around those parts.
Still, you can see the beginnings of an excellent
design here - chief among these is the staggered
placement of the dual analog sticks. While
the GameCube technically had a similar positioning,
the nub might not have been intended for dual
analog use. Clearly the Duke was designed
with first person shooters in mind and that's
exactly where it excels. The centered, parallel
sticks on a DualShock didn’t feel nearly
as natural to me when it came to these types
of games.
Also interesting is how much of an inspiration
the Dreamcast controller seems to have been.
The analog triggers, the A, B, X and Y button
placement and the expansion ports for memory
cards are all key facets that drive home the
resemblance. The main addition being the smaller
black and white option buttons that gives
the layout something that could be appropriate
for a fighting game. That is, if the Dpad
was any good. Adopted from Microsoft’s own
Sidewinder PC controller, the smooth waves
might look sleek but I’d wager it's a poor
choice for just about anything 2D related.
It’s extraordinary girth, right down to
the gigantic jewel at the center of the pad
ensures that Duke’s legacy will always be
that it's a punchline. Strangely, Hyperkin
released a Duke inspired wireless pad for
the Xbox One for the dozens of people who
have fond memories of this controller which
manages to stay fairly true to the original,
uh, vision.
Thankfully, Microsoft was forced to take a
different approach when trying to crack the
Japanese market. They already had an uphill
battle, and including a controller of that
size would make the XBox dead on arrival.
The redesigned S controller didn’t change
the tide of the console’s fate in Japan,
but the fruits of labor would benefit fans
of the system in other regions.
The improvements to the Xbox Controller S
are numerous. First and foremost, the smaller
size is more manageable - hence the S moniker.
Sure, it's still beefier than the competition’s
offerings, but you could say that it's more
resistant to wear and tear abuse.
The Dpad now resembles something appropriate
to a video game controller instead of melted
plastic. You might just be able to play some
Street Fighter with it now! Button placement
is more typically spaced as well - although
the black and white buttons have been shifted
to the lower right hand corner. The Start
and Back button find themselves in a similar
situation on the left hand side of the pad
Due to their recessed nature - a necessity
considering the way your thumb lays across
them - it's easy to forget they’re even
there.. I’ve never had a problem with accidentally
hitting these buttons personally, but I’m
sure there’s plenty out there that hate
their location.
One aspect of The Duke and The Controller
S that I feel doesn’t get enough recognition
is the break away cord, which I’m sure was
a godsend for people who had the system as
well as kids who might run in front of the
system as it was being played. Besides, the
Xbox was hefty enough that pulling it off
the shelf could cause some real damage. This
was also a smart way to incorporate a controller
extension seamlessly into the design.
I’m happy that Microsoft was able to recover
from their controller misstep and I think
the S Controller is a really good standard
styled pad. It doesn't try to do anything
innovative, and that's exactly why I like
it.
So, before Try gets back into Nintendo’s
post SNES offerings, what about some of the
less iconic controllers that arrived in the
post 16 bit era?
The 3DO presented an interesting situation.
Because the console wasn’t created by just
one manufacturer, there were a number of different
styles to accompany the different hardware.
Out of all of these, Panasonic’s original
is easily the most recognizable because it's
fairly inoffensive - amounting to what is
basically a melding of the Sega Genesis 3
button pad and the Left and Right shoulder
buttons.
Although the number of buttons are fine for
most games on the system, the biggest hurdle
comes from, you guessed it, Super Street Fighter
2 Turbo. Five main buttons are so close to
the 6 needed - in this case, the start button
is called upon to fill that gap. Although
there was a 6 button pad sold separately,
it's tougher to come by today.
But the real problem with this controller
isn’t the buttons at all, it's the Dpad.
The disc style is good for basic functionality
but has a real problem with diagonals registering
at all. This makes it notably challenging
to pull off special moves in fighters, but
it hurts other types of games too. I’d heard
that the reason for this is that the screws
in the pad were tightened too much during
manufacturing. Slightly loosening the screws
on the pad will alleviate the issue a bit
but it's still super unreliable.
The most talked about aspect of the pad these
days is the silly approach to controller ports.
Instead of putting more on the system itself,
someone thought it would be a novel approach
to connect the controllers to each other - daisy
chain style. In theory this could be alright
- in practice, not so much.
On the flipside of that, a feature of this
pad in particular that I feel was ahead of
it's time is the presence of a 3.5mm headphone
jack and volume dial, which can route game
audio to set of headphones or earbuds. This
is a feature that’s been touted on more
modern consoles, but the 3DO was doing it
back in ‘93!
The 3DO is all well and good, but else? Well,
let's check in with Digital Foundry’s John
Linneman who has accepted the burden of talking
about some of the more, well let's say, controversial
controllers.
The Atari Jaguar, or the Jag, certainly has
a rather poor reputation but, if you dig into
its library, it's a fascinating machine with
some enjoyable games. Yet few would go to
bat for its original controller design. On
top, you have a basic three button layout
coupled with a stiff d-pad and central pause
and option buttons but look below and you'll
find a full 12 key numeric keypad. What's
up with that?
Well, to understand the madness, we need to
look further back at consoles such as the
Intellivision, Colecovision, the Atari 5200
controller or even the RCA Studio 2. The idea
is that games would include an overlay that
you would slot into the number pad area defining
the in-game functions. That's precisely how
the Jaguar is designed to be used. These overlays
basically clarify button functionality using
a visual aid. These functions are typically
relegated to weapon selection, map functionality
or the option to disable music which is almost
always mapped to the zero key for some reason.
In the mid-80s, the Famicom established a
more standard d-pad and button configuration
setup but it seems like Atari was trying to
meld the two. Combine the more popular d-pad
and buttons with the numeric keypad used in
other Western developed consoles of the past.
The problem is that three action buttons didn't
cut it. Games were becoming more complex to
the point where second generation pads were
being released with additional buttons on
consoles such as the Genesis and PC Engine.
So to release a new console in 1993 with just
three action buttons was a bad move.
Atari tried to remedy this later with a revised
pad featuring six face buttons and a pair
of shoulder buttons, which were basically
mapped to keypad functions, but it was too
late. At least it handles better than the
original Jaguar pad.
...but things could always be worse. Enter
the Philips CD-i.
The CD-i was an attempt to build an all-inclusive
living room solution that could handle music,
movies, education and, yes, games.
Unlike most consoles, though, the CD-i has
countless variants more like a CD or DVD player
which means there is no real standardized
controller. Most units included wired or wireless
remotes like this which were great for cursor
based navigation but horrendous for actual
video games. Philips did release a CD-i variant
of the Gravis gamepad but later attempted
to standardize games around this...
Featuring an obscenely lengthy cord, this
three button pad is the lightest, cheapest
feeling controller you could imagine. It does
work, though, and offers functionality required
to play games. Yet, as input is derived from
the original remotes, there are just three
action buttons plus a d-pad. That's it. Sure,
there's a speed adjustment switch too but
actual functionality is limited.
It is reasonably comfortable, at least, but
it feels cheap and fetches top dollar on today's
market due to its scarcity. Still, if you
must play CD-i games, this is probably the
best official way to do it.
It’s maybe the most love-it-or-hate-it console
ever made... it’s time... for Nintendo 64.
I first played the N64 in Toys R Us about
a week before launch. And honestly, up until
then, I was a skeptic. Who needed more than
16 bits anyway?! But I was not prepared to
see what this thing looked like in person.
My 12-year-old brain had never seen anything
nearly as mind-meltingly expansive as Super
Mario 64, and my outlook on the next generation
flipped in an instant.
Now, I’ll admit, I grabbed the controller
incorrectly the first time. I held the outer
handles and reached for the analog stick with
my thumb. I saw other kids try to move it
with the tips of their fingers like it was
a tiny joystick. The 3-prong design was strange
and new to us. But now that we all know how
to use this controller, the “I don’t have
3 hands!” argument that people keep parroting
holds no water. You know you just grip the
middle and right handles for most games, the
left and right for some games, and very rarely,
the left and middle are used, like in Sin
& Punishment.
Listen, if you ever put any time into N64
games, you’d know that they virtually never
ask you to switch to the unused handle during
gameplay. There simply aren’t any functions
there. Now, I won’t deny that having ready
access to the Dpad and the stick at the same
time on modern controllers for modern games
on modern consoles is pretty nice for quick
select functions and other little quality
of life things like that, but that kind of
functionality was neither necessary nor a
consideration in 1996. It simply does not
matter for the types of games that exist on
the Nintendo 64.
The 
key feature of the N64 controller is of course
the analog stick, or “Control Stick” as
Nintendo does prefer to call it. While Sega’s
3D controller for Saturn may have beaten the
N64 to market in the US - but not Japan - it’s
fair to say that Nintendo heralded the analog
stick revolution. The stick was an absolute
revelation when the system first released,
allowing for a range of precise movement that
was simply unmatched. When comparing the very
very fine degrees of speed and motion that
is possible in games like Super Mario 64,
I just can’t help but feel that analog movement
on modern consoles can’t compare. Under
optimal conditions, this is an extremely robust
input mechanism.
But yes , the N64 stick does get a lot of
flak for what I believe are two primary reasons.
The lesser issue is that it’s got a hard
top, compared to the softer rubber tops of
most other sticks. This has never been uncomfortable
for me, but I get it, rubber tops are more
comfortable, although they get nasty when
ruined. The bigger problem though is that
the N64 stick does wear down, causing it to
become very loose in its pivot joint, and
movement can feel a bit crunchy when it’s
too far gone.
Now, I’ve said it before, but most of my
original N64 sticks are still in quite good
shape, some minimally better than others,
but none that I would not want to use myself.
I don’t know if I was just somehow gentler
with it despite being completely obsessed
with the console, or if it was in part because
I cleaned the pivot area out with Q-tips every
now and then.
Otherwise, the N64 controller also features
a not-so-typical button layout, but one that
works extremely well in my opinion. The large
A and B buttons are your primary face buttons
and are placed at an extremely comfortable
angle. The four C buttons are often criticized
because they were clearly designed specifically
for camera control in the wild world of 3D
gaming, but were quite often used as extra
action buttons instead. This has never bothered
me personally, and I kind of think of the
layout as not being dissimilar from say, a
6-button Sega controller. The R and L shoulder
buttons are pretty normal, aside from L rarely
being used. I have to say though, when I realized
there was a button underneath the Control
Stick - the Z button - that kind of blew my
mind. Triggers are standard today, but at
the time it seemed really clever and there
was nothing like it on first-party controllers
before, unless you count the Virtual Boy.
The controller even has a sort of cartridge
port, which can be used for a variety of purposes
- such as the Rumble Pak, the first first-party
force feedback device for a home console,
and the Transfer Pak, which allows certain
N64 and Game Boy cartridges to talk to each
other. But the most important function of
the rear port is for “Controller Paks,”
which are the N64’s storage for external
saves. An extremely large number of third-party
games offer no internal cartridge save functionality
at all, and yes, despite what you may have
heard, the N64 has lots of third-party games
that are very much worth playing.
The N64 controller also popularized the idea
of controllers being offered in a wide variety
of colors. In its first year, controllers
were already available in gray, blue, green,
red, yellow, and black, but as time went on,
a wide variety of crazy translucent colors
were also made.
The N64 controller is far too often taken
out of the context of when it was made. It
was a new type of controller for a new type
of game, and Nintendo was the first company
to make analog control standard on their console’s
primary controller. While the N64 controller
most certainly did not become the template
for modern controllers, it took a bold step
forward, and I would personally say that the
first-party N64 controller still offers the
best experience for the games that were designed
around it.
You’ll hear a lot of people say the N64
was a complete failure, but it certainly was
a success in some ways, although Nintendo
no longer had the firm grip that they once
had as the global sales leader. With their
next console, Nintendo finally conceded to
disc-based media as their competitors had,
and adopted the dual-handle/dual-analog layout
that was clearly poised to become the new
standard. But beyond that, the GameCube controller
is anything but standard.
I remember checking out the GameCube about
a month before release at a “Cube Club,”
promotional events that Nintendo was running
in cities across the US in late 2001. My first
reaction to grabbing the controller was that
it was pure bliss - something about the shape
of the handles, which are unique in being
more deep than wide, just felt like they melted
into my hands in a way that no other controller
ever had.
The GameCube controller is a strange mix of
experiments, most of which have not been influential
in controller design since, but its distinctive
layout has also led to it becoming such a
firmly entrenched standard in Super Smash
Bros. that brand-new first-party GameCube
controllers and third-party alternatives are
still produced today. Me being bad at Smash,
I’ve never understood personally if there
was real measurable advantage to using a GameCube
controller beyond muscle memory, but there’s
a lot I do love about the GameCube controller
that has nothing to do with Smash Bros.
The most striking feature of the GameCube
controller is its oddball face button layout,
and I truly wish this had been given a chance
to become more accepted - something that I
honestly feel should’ve replaced diamond
layouts. It’s sort of like an upside-down
T at a slant, but with differently shaped
buttons. A is enlarged as the primary action
button, while B is a smaller circle and X
and Y are bizarre kidney shapes (originally
B was also going to be kidney-shaped). The
game that I like to point to for demonstrating
why this is superior to a diamond layout is
actually not Smash Bros., but Soul Calibur
II. On a diamond layout, you can only comfortably
press A and X simultaneously, or B and Y.
But with GameCube’s central A button, you
have more options for natural simultaneous
presses - A and B, A and Y, and A and X. Because
of this, I’ve never enjoyed playing Soul
Calibur on any console more than GameCube.
Sure, the layout does not work that well when
using GameCube controllers with say, Virtual
Console games on the Wii - Y and B are not
meant to be used simultaneously, unlike on
an SNES controller.
The GameCube also has unique triggers. Positioned
more like shoulder buttons, these have excellent
finger-shaped contours and boast a large range
of analog movement. There’s also a bit of
a bonus feature - a firm click at the bottom
of each trigger is an extra button press.
Unfortunately, this was not used very creatively
in most games, but an excellent implementation
is in Star Wars Rogue Leader, where the analog
motion on the R trigger adjusts your speed,
and then the click closes the X-wing S-foils
for maximum mobility.
Other aspects of the GameCube controller are
a bit more mixed. The Z button was heavily
criticized when the system first released
for looking a bit tacked-on and just not feeling
great - it is only on the right side in front
of the R trigger, and works a bit harder than
standard buttons, swinging on a tight hinge.
Luckily, it’s rarely used as a major action
button, and more commonly works like select,
or a mode toggle. The Dpad is very similar
to the original GameBoy Advance Dpad, which
is great, but is way too small in the context
of this controller, being a bit out of reach
and just not fun to use when it comes to say,
Game Boy Advance games through the Game Boy
Player.
The analog sticks are not quite equal to one
another as they are on competing controllers.
The C-stick has a rubberized tip, but the
lack of a broad top makes it less than ideal
for prolonged use, and more useful for quick
camera adjustments or weapon selection. Both
sticks work inside an octagonal gate, while
the competition had moved on to round gates.
The octagon shape is nice for a lot of games,
making it easier to lock your motion to a
direction, but is less than ideal for say,
shooters, which were at the time finally starting
to adopt the modern dual-analog setup. Because
of this, TimeSplitters 2 simply feels better
to play on PS2 and Xbox compared to GameCube.
Nintendo’s newer GameCube controllers that
have been released since the Wii generation
and later have much longer cords, which is
hugely appreciated. Even though I’ve continued
to play Smash with the newest console’s
regular controller, I always enjoy picking
up these fresh pads for posterity. Trigger
mechanisms in new controllers are designed
slightly differently, which seems to be a
point of some debate as to whether it’s
good or bad, but they work just fine for me.
I even took pieces from a few newer controllers
to make one ultimate indigo controller - the
GameCube’s iconic color - but with a longer
cord and totally fresh parts.
But if you wanted to cut the cord entirely,
Nintendo had you covered. Released within
the first year of the system’s life, the
WaveBird is a first-party GameCube controller
that uses 2.4 GHz wireless technology running
on two AA batteries. While the extra compartment
gives the WaveBird a sort of big belly, the
extra bulk isn’t intrusive in the slightest
- your hands only touch the parts of plastic
that are also on the regular controller, so
the WaveBird feels identical, aside from the
start button being positioned just the teensiest
bit lower. The weight and center of gravity
is also slightly different not only due to
the added batteries, but also the removal
of rumble motors - a measure deemed necessary
at the time for keeping battery life high.
In case of interference, a dial on both the
controller and receiver could be set to a
different wireless channel. I personally found
this to be pretty necessary when I was in
college, because I would get occasional hitches
in controller response on certain channels
- while at home, I almost never had issues.
So anecdotally, the possibility of interference
seems somewhat higher with the WaveBird compared
to most modern wireless controllers, but in
the right environment, it can be close to
perfect.
Despite the lack of rumble, the WaveBird is
a landmark wireless controller - previous
attempts at wireless controllers mostly used
spotty infrared technology. The WaveBird proved
that wireless could be reliable for use on
a primary controller, and it’s hard not
to assume it played a role in wireless becoming
standard in the following generation - although
with the notable exception of the Xbox 360
controller, nearly all first party wireless
controllers went on to use Bluetooth rather
than 2.4GHz, which tends to result in extra
latency - so in many ways, it could be argued
that the WaveBird isn’t just a pioneer…
it’s still one of the best.
The GameCube controller is a wonderful but
imperfect experiment that reflects a Nintendo
that was reluctantly adapting to a changing
market, but also didn’t want to throw away
its unique identity. The result was a controller
unlike any other that fans have continued
to demand be usable on each successive Nintendo
console, and will no doubt be used for a long
time to come.
The standardization of analog controls over
the course of two console generations brought
about a major shift in the way games are designed
- and for the most part, those standards have
stuck. For a time, it seemed like the capabilities
of these consoles and their controllers pushed
traditional 2D game design off to the margins,
but as the years have gone on, both 2D and
3D gaming have thrived together and enjoyed
the capabilities of these controllers.
The next time we visit the subject of first
party controllers, we’ll see how the landscape
changed with the challenge of making the wireless
capabilities of the WaveBird the new standard,
along with the disruptions brought about by
motion controls and a push for untethering
the console experience from the television.
This episode of My Life in Gaming is sponsored
by Raycon earbuds. The Raycon E25s are their
latest and greatest wireless earbuds for everyday
use, and are enjoyed by a bunch of celebrities
like Mike Tyson - but you don’t have to
beat him to enjoy your own pair - save fifteen
percent off your order of these already affordable
high-end earbuds by visiting our special link
- buy raycon dot com slash M-L-i-G.
Although I tend to use heavy duty over-the-ear
headphones while editing our show, they’re
not exactly the type of thing I feel like
lugging around for more casual use. I like
the idea of earbuds for those situations,
but I’ve had a difficult time finding wireless
ones that are not only comfortable, but sit
in my ear securely. Thanks to no stems that
hang out of your ear, the E25s manage to check
both of those boxes for me with a comfy, noise
isolating fit.
The E25s start out at around half the price
of other premium earbuds currently on the
market, while sounding just as good. They’re
available in a number of different colors
and patterns so you can find the best style
that works for you. Most importantly, you
get up to six hours of playback time on a
single charge, and you can recharge them with
this convenient case, which can charge the
E25s four times before needing to be recharged
itself.
If ease of use and comfort without the sticker
shock sounds exactly like what you’re looking
for in a set of earbuds, you can save fifteen
percent off your order by going to buy raycon
dot com slash MLiG or by clicking the link
in the description below.
