The Evolution of the Nintendo Controller

10 May 2006 Category: Features, Technology, Worldwide

The Evolution of the Nintendo Controller

In the world of video games, this week is huge. The biggest video game event of the year - the E3 show (Electronic Entertainment Expo) - is under way in Los Angeles, showcasing the very latest offerings from industry giants Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft, along with countless other smaller companies. Amongst the most important announcements this year is a long-awaited public look at the new Nintendo “Wii”, with it’s innovative, motion-sensing controller. PingMag takes a look at how far we’ve come in terms of design and technology since the dawn of the first Nintendo controller.

Written by Jon.

1985 - Nintendo Entertainment System

We start our journey in 1985 (1984 in Japan) with the NES controller. Slightly different in design to it’s Japanese counterpart but with the same functionality, the NES controller arguably had an influence over the design of every video game controller for the next two decades.

Featuring the signature black directional button, the NES controller is a cultural icon for any gamer in his 20s and above, spawning countless other products such as belt buckles and t-shirts, cashing in on the retro-chic of the unmistakable design. Interestingly, the NES controller also showed a knack for UI design that Nintendo would later expand upon - the bright red buttons screaming “press me!” - in stark contrast to the predominantly all-black controllers of the competition at the time.

Rating: This is a classic design, one that will be remembered forever. As a controller, it was boxy and somewhat un-ergonomic, but we loved it so much that we’ll forgive it’s shortcomings. 8/10

1989 - Power Glove

Although not an official Nintendo product, the Power Glove will remain part of Nintendo folklore forever. Loved as much as it was ridiculed, the Power Glove was introduced in 1989 to accompany a small selection of games made specifically for it. It was, in essence, a rudimentary “virtual reality” device that could detect the roll of your arm and the movement of your fingers. The Power Glove suffered from a lack of support and simply being way ahead of it’s time - players had not yet become jaded by the lack of originality in the way that games were played (after all we had only just started getting used to the NES controller) and it’s interesting to note how echos of the Power Glove can be seen in Nintendo’s newest console almost 20 years later, which I’ll introduce at the end of this article.

Rating: The Power Glove was an expensive peripheral that, to its detriment, lacked widespread support. Despite the fact that it could instantly make you look like an awesome cyborg ninja from the future, most gamers turned a blind eye. 4/10

1990 - Super Nintendo

The Super Nintendo (or “Super Famicon” in Japan) was released in 1990 and the controller’s main trump card was it’s whopping 6-button configuration, a positively mind-blowing array of things to press in a period that was dominated by 2 and 3-button controllers. Complimenting the brightly-coloured A, B, X, Y face buttons were L and R buttons resting on the controller’s left and right shoulders. This provided an additional dynamic when playing, for example, racing games allowing a player to lean left or right - something that could not be replicated on other controllers.

The Super Nintendo’s 6-button controller also meant it was the only controller at the time that could realistically re-create the immensely popular arcade game Street Fighter 2 (which had a 6-button arcade cabinet) - yet another feather in the cap for the Super Nintendo, since Street Fighter 2 was a game everyone wanted to own in the mid 90s. The pressure was so great to re-create the authentic arcade experience for this one particular game that Sega introduced a special 6-button controller for their Genesis / Mega Drive console in response, ditching their original 3-button controller.

Rating: The Super Nintendo controller, coupled with the power of the Super Nintendo itself was a bold leap for Nintendo, allowing them to provide gamers with experiences that competitors could not, and would later struggle to emulate. The four bright colours (unfortunately absent from the American version of the controller) made for another unmistakable design from Nintendo. 7/10

1996 - Nintendo 64

In 1996 Nintendo released the Nintendo 64 which represented the biggest leap in controller evolution that the industry had yet seen. Designed in collaboration with game design guru Shigeru Miyamoto (the man who gave us Mario), the N64 controller shook up the industry with its bizarre looks, but became a solid favourite the instant you felt it in your hands. Instead of a linear “bar”-shape like previous controllers, a much more ergonomic approach was taken with the N64 controller.

The controller featured a central analogue stick, put right in the middle because once again, Nintendo was setting the standard - analogue was in, digital was out (or relegated to the upper left). Also, in an inspired move, the controller featured a button underneath the controller itself, acting like the trigger on a gun. This made for a much more involving experience when playing shooting games, for example. Colour-coding the buttons into logical groups also helped the N64 controller to be a more intuitive peripheral than that of Nintendo’s competitors.

Rating: The design of the N64 controller was beyond the imagination of the competition, who adhered to more conventional controller designs. It provided an unparalleled gameplay experience in 3D games and the introduction of analogue control (e.g. press a little to walk, press hard to run) is something that was instantly adopted by the rest of the industry. Again, Nintendo set the standard and others followed. On a personal note, this is also my favourite controller of all time. 9/10

2001 - Nintendo GameCube

The GameCube arrived in 2001 and the controller resembled a more conventional version of the N64 controller. Gone were the spiky handles to grab and the digital d-pad had been relegated to an even more awkward (some would say uncomfortable) position.

The GameCube controller attempted to simplify things even further, lending credence to the saying “it’s not how many buttons you have, it’s what you do with them” (which I just made up). A large, central green button acted as an “action” button, with surrounding buttons adding other functionality.

Rating: The GameCube controller was a much more conventional controller and although it had some Nintendo charm in the way of big, coloured buttons, it didn’t set any new standards and didn’t provide the new gameplay dynamics that Nintendo’s followers had come to expect from each new console. 6/10

Wii - motion-sensing remote on the right with a detachable thumbstick on the left

In 2005, Nintendo dropped a bombshell on the industry. The controller for the new console - called the “Wii” and due out in Autumn 2006 - was going to be a plain-looking, motion-sensing remote control. Totally doing away with convention, the controller would be held in one hand, and would allow you to play games in a way that is instantly intuitive - playing a tennis game? swing the controller. playing a shooting game? point the controller at the screen. And so on.

The Wii represents a paradigm shift in the way Nintendo thinks about how we interact with games, spurred on by the runaway success of the innovative touch-screen Nintendo DS. Nintendo is yet again banking on being the company that does things differently, and crucially, being the company that brings gaming to the masses. This controller will (wiill) break down the barriers of entry to gaming, turning video game entertainment into something everyone can enjoy, not just the gamers willing to invest time in learning complex game controls.

The Wii is currently being put through its paces by the public at E3 and first hand reports of how it handles will (wiill. damn, that’s way too much fun) be trickling their way onto the internet very soon.

Rating: TIME Magazine recently had a play with the Wii before anyone in the regular gaming press. Their response was overwhelmingly positive, with the reporter saying at the end of his playtest “I don’t so much put the controller down as have it pried from my hands”. Personally, I cannot wait. Bring on the Wii! ?/10

Today, Nintendo finally released public information on the new console - find out everything there is to know here.

75 Comments

  1. Now it’s clear that game control evolution is in Nintendo’s hand.

    Posted by: Kuswanto on May 10th, 2006 at 10:39 pm

  2. When you think abut it, the DS is the first hand-held console you can play with one hand. Just rest it on the table and use the stylus. And now a one-hand friendly controller…brilliant, Nintendo. It’s probably a bit of serendipity but you have made gaming more accessible to people with disabilities, not just those that are unfamiliar with old gaming controllers.

    Even with a silly name like “Wii”, I’ll be buying it on release day.

    Posted by: Chidade on May 11th, 2006 at 10:45 am

  3. Nintendo really is the innovator of the console market. They are continually pushing the boundaries in almost every aspect of gaming. While I am not a gamer, I truly respect what they do for it. Very cool stuff.

    Posted by: P.J. Onori on May 12th, 2006 at 4:38 am

  4. The DS is hard to hold… my hands get tired, but the stylus is nice.

    My vote is for the Super NES controller. Although the US version had monchromatic buttons, the round edges made is nice to hold.

    Posted by: Gumey on May 12th, 2006 at 5:44 am

  5. Wii are the Revolution.

    …okay that was kind of lame, but true.

    Posted by: Linda on May 12th, 2006 at 6:05 am

  6. I’m a massive fan of the N64 pad, Goldeneye controlled so well with it (if you used the stick for looking not movement).
    After seeing the videos of the wii then it is definitely going to be the first console I run out ad buy at launch.

    Posted by: James Hicks on May 12th, 2006 at 6:50 am

  7. [...] So Pingmag decided to dedicate a post on the history of Nintendo’s controllers (great article by the way), and at the bottom, they linked to an article written by Lev Grossman of TIME Magazine (also another fantastic read). Then somehow I found my way to this Blogger posting the ‘pros and cons’ of the Revolution / Wii namechange. Of course, my rash comment (which pretty much defined Mr. Eklund’s entire post) can be found all the way at the bottom. [...]

    Posted by: Machinegun Blues on May 12th, 2006 at 12:48 pm

  8. I agree with Gumsey…the DS really strains your hands after a while, even playing with the stylus.

    The Wii (ugh) looks really cool, though. I can’t wait to get my hands on it.

    Posted by: Jonathan on May 12th, 2006 at 6:00 pm

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  10. You missed a very important one, the Wavebird!

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  14. they should design a controller for nintendo wii using the first model ever.

    Posted by: blag on November 15th, 2006 at 3:29 pm

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  18. [...] back.  Guitar Hero is infectious.  I haven’t really been into video games as much since the controllers got so complicated that you have to be either a genius or under 10 to use them.  This game has made me glad [...]

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  21. You missed a very important one, the Wavebird!

    Posted by: kurye on February 23rd, 2008 at 8:41 am

  22. Well, you missed a couple of controllers, for one, the original NES gun for Duck hunt, and the Super Scope that they brought out for the SNES both of which were controllers of their own.

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