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From NES To Xbox One, Here's A Look At History's Greatest Controllers

As time has moved on, we've seen countless controllers come and go.

By Dustin MurphyPublished 6 years ago 7 min read
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[Credits: Yves-José Malgorn]

What do all video games need in order to be played? A controller. That thing you hold in your hands every day, thumbs on joysticks, fingers pushing at triggers. However, what do we look for in a controller?

As time has moved on, we've seen countless controllers come and go. To gauge what we want in a controller, we must consider size, grips, button layout and even texture. But where do we begin to discuss such a topic? First, we have to go back in time to look at the joy-pads that started it all.

So elegant, simple, and the most beloved: The NES Controller.

Remember when you could hold onto that small rectangular controller, which only had two face buttons, a directional pad, and last-but-not-least start and select buttons. Those days, if you remember them, were great. Sadly, however, consoles back then didn't save your progress through completion, nor did the controller offer up features allowing you to use social media or content streaming services.

The NES nailed it when it came down to simplicity. The rectangular shape was easy to hold, it felt comfortable, and no matter your hand size, you could use it. This was all thanks due to its simplistic design, which allowed ease of access to its buttons. This makes it one of the most recognisable, but also one of the most beloved controllers of all times.

[Credits: Nintendo/My Nintendo News]

Watch out, it's the Sega Genesis Six Button Controller.

The Sega Genesis, without a doubt, was a great console. It provided us with some of the most fast paced and fun arcade titles to date by bringing them straight into your living room. For fans of fighting games, this console was one of the best, and it offered one of the experiences with #MortalKombat. If you felt like button smashing, this was the console to go to, and the controllers' robust design made this perfectly fine.

Each of the buttons were readily available and rather pleasant in size. All the buttons were properly in place, lining up, and separate from the directional pad. Due to its unique shape, it felt like it would meld right into your hands, allowing you to enjoy gaming rather comfortably. It was one that was nice in size, but it wasn't too small, nor was it too big. It was perfect for long sessions of gaming.

[Credits: Sega/National Museum of Play]

The SNES Controller tried to take it home with bumper buttons.

Nintendo, without a doubt, was one of the few companies that tried to get it right by allowing for more optimization in those attempting to game. It was a controller that attempted to bring in a new aspect to all the games we know and love. Thanks to its design, it was easy to grip, to hold, and even play fighting games with. Unlike the Sega Controller, it was a bit smaller with buttons sitting at semi-awkward angles.

[Credits: Nintendo]

We love the GameCube Controller thanks to its unusual design.

If you ever had a chance to own a GameCube, you know it was a great console, but would quickly be forgotten as it was cast into darkness by the PlayStation 2 and Xbox Classic. This controller's design featured an ease of access to its joysticks, and rather clearly labelled buttons. The triggers at the top were an added bonus thanks to their sheer size, which allowed smooth access, and didn't feature clunky or squeaky noises when smashing away during a tight Super Smash Bros match. It was a remarkable change from the nightmare that was the Nintendo 64 controller and its awkward placement on the center grip.

[Credits: Nintendo]

Oh no, it's the Fat Xbox Controller.

If you ever owned one of these bad boys, you know they were huge, and almost big enough that they were almost too big for those that were trying to use them. If you ever owned one of these, you definitely know these wouldn't break if you ended up dropping one. If it did break, it was probably already been dropped a time or three. Compared to the previous controllers, this beast wasn't the easiest to hold or to use. Instead, it was like trying to use a brick in order to play #Halo. It wasn't uncommon to find players with hands that were comfortable when using it. While the thumbstick placement wasn't a problem, just the sheer size was a problem. Thanks to the Xbox 360 and Xbox One, we've seen this design become refined and better implemented in the latest variants of the classic controller.

[Credits: Microsoft]

Think the Fat Xbox Controller was an Issue? The Nokia N-Gage was a nightmare.

When video game development and hardware development hit a heavy spike in the early 2000's, it seemed like almost everyone was trying to cash in on the hype, and Nokia wasn't exempt from this process. Nokia was definitely among the many trying to break into gamin gin some unique fashion. Since cellphones have been working hard to break the barrier between home and mobile gaming, Nokia's attempt, keyword attempt, should be given a decent nod for what they did. If you had small fingers, and small hands, you were quite capable of probably doing a great job at it. Sadly, this attempt at gaming and controller design isn't one that worked out very well.

[Credits: Nokia]

The PlayStation Mouse. What were they thinking?

Unless you were playing Sim City or Theme Park World, this thing was just a paper weight that found little use. Games such as Command & Conquer found no use for the game as it broke away from traditional means of mouse and keyboard by adopting the PlayStation's controller. While Nintendo did manage to make a mouse work well for Mario Paint and a select few games, it wasn't something worth buying either, but it seems that Sony had to have their shot at doing so. Sadly, this one was just worth a double facepalm due to its short lived career as a gaming accessory on the PS1. Back then, you were better off just grabbing a PC and getting into a few good solid matches of Diablo 2, Warcraft or Starcraft.

[Credits: Sony]

The Sega Dreamcast Controller: integrated gaming on the go with console gaming.

If there was any one time we could say that Sega had a one-up on everyone else, it was no doubt they were doing it with the Sega Dreamcast. This bad boy was one of the most unique of the unique when it came to home console gaming. Let alone did Sega innovate the way we see the modern controller, they decided to even one-up it with interactive memory cards, which gave a subtle nod back to the days of the Sega Game Gear by combining that with the VMU.

IThe little guy would allow fans to take Sonic Adventure on the go as they played its mini-game called "Chao Adventures". If that wasn't innovation, I don't know what is, but sadly, Sega's lifespan in console gaming came to an end shortly after the Dreamcast launched. It's a shame really, so much potential was lost with their consoles.

[Credits: Sega]

The PlayStation Dual Shock Controller. What a champ this one was.

If there was any company that you wanted to give a giant high five, it was surely going to be Sony due to their approach with innovation. The company opted to make gaming a bit easier and allow for FPS games to feel a bit more natural on their console. This is where the DualShock controller came into play. Sony was able to create their own brand of controller that featured dual sets of bumper buttons, an ability to activate or deactivate the analog features, and even allow players to have controller vibration. It was a major step for gaming and one that surely drove companies like Microsoft, Steam, and others to take notes of the features that fans enjoyed from this controller.

Even now, it seems that Sony doesn't want to distance themselves to far from their original design, and it seems to show in today's modern variants with the DualShock 4 on PlayStation 4 and even the DualShock 3 on PlayStation 3.

[Credits: Sony]

Last, but not least: the Xbox One Elite Controller.

If there was any time that a company wanted to raise the ante on anyone, it would be Microsoft in the modern era of gaming. Microsoft's weirdest, but most creative contraption, just happens to be the Xbox One Elite Controller. This one takes some notes from Scuff's Xbox 360 generation of controllers, which implemented rear-paddles that served as the A, B, X, and Y buttons.

Now that we're in the modern era of gaming, Microsoft decided to take the feature and upgrade it a bit more by allowing gamers to choose the thumbsticks of their choice, the d-pad of their choice, and even the button setup by using the Windows app for the controller or even an Xbox One. If any controller decided to go all out, it would definitely be the Xbox One X, which is probably one of the easiest to use controllers as far as comfort and design is concerned.

[Credits: Microsoft]

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About the Creator

Dustin Murphy

A video games journalist and Content Creator. He has been featured on sites such as AppTrigger and MoviePilot. He's the president and editor-in-chief of the independent news publisher Blast Away the Game Review.

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