Playing with power: A history of Nintendo's controllers

by Jake

From the Intellivison's disc, keypad, and plastic overlays to the PS3's Sixaxis (ever notice that Sixaxis is a palindrome?) gaming giants love to laud their shiny new controllers just as much as their shiny new consoles. As the Wii U launch date draws close, along with the Wii U GamePad, it is clear that once again Nintendo intends to change the way we "play with power."


Sometimes overlooked and often taken for granted, controllers are the most vital, and familiar, piece of equipment used by gamers. We use them to interact with the realm of video games, striving to master the controller as much as any aspect of the game itself. Who can forget the dexterity we developed in order to place Mario on the very edge of a block before leaping to the top of the flagpole, perform a Killer Combo with Glacius, or shoot open a distant door in Metroid Prime 3.

As we look back through the history of Nintendo's controllers (for this article I stick to Nintendo of America's first party controllers - no love for the Power Glove) it becomes quite evident that Nintendo has always seen the controller as a viable place to exhibit innovation and give us new ways to play video games.

The Nintendo Entertainment System era:

The NES Controller-

Angry Atari 2600 curmudgeons say, "Back in my day, I only had one button on my controller!"

Not the first controller but no doubt the most recognizable. Simple and timeless both in form and functionality. The standard NES controller brought the D-pad to the masses, changing the way gamers played forever by directing them to use their thumbs exclusively (in the arcade, we used our entire hands to grab the joystick and hit the buttons with our fingertips). As a result, "Nintendo thumb" AKA "Nintednditis" became a worldwide epidemic. "Wii Elbow" would plague the globe 20 years later.

This controller not only was beloved by gamers in the 1980's, it has solidified a place in our culture. Today you can find it represented in everything from belt buckles to fully functional coffee tables, even a bra. Heck, nearly 30 year after this icon was released, some Wii games still have us turning our remotes sideways to mimic it!

The NES Advantage-

The turbo buttons were like PED's for Konami's Track and Field

The NES Advantage brought an arcade style joystick and button set up to your living room. It featured the standard A and B buttons plus adjustable turbo (auto rapid fire) and slow motion (which would simply pause and un-pause the game automatically). It was built for 2 player use (by taking turns) and occupied both controller inputs on the console.

The NES Max-

Probably THE coolest looking controller ever released

The NES Max replaced the D-pad with a cycloid (though it looks like a modern day analog nub, it is completely digital) and gave the A and B buttons each a turbo option. In all my years of gaming, I have only seen one NES Max. That's not to say it's a rare item, though. In fact, you can still find them pretty cheap online, it just wasn't a popular item. 

The NES Zapper-

The original Zapper... menacing to ducks, mocked by hunting dogs

This bad boy was certainly beloved and many of us were introduced to it alongside our Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt cartridges. There was a decent selection of games for the Zapper and we could use it to accurately replicate the arcade at home with games like Hogan's Alley and Operation Wolf. Unfortunately, the Zapper's lifespan has pretty much run its course because it is not compatible with modern TV's. 

The orange Zapper redesign... still menacing to ducks, mocked by hunting dogs... and everyone else

As the NES era drew to a close, Nintendo released a top loading NES and modified the iconic NES controller to a dog bone-style. I guess it was like training wheels for the SNES controller.

If it ain't broke don't fix it, just gussy it up a bit!

The Super Nintendo Era:

The SNES controller-

Best controller ever? I think so!

Although, the SNES controller had 3x the buttons of the NES controller, it was still similar enough to be accessible to any video game fan. The 6 button setup was mandatory to ensure decent ports of arcade games, particularly fighting games. Sega later copied the 6 button style for the Genesis (by adding 3 more face buttons) but I always felt the SNES set up to be more intuitive. There was something very tactile and satisfying about using the SNES controller's shoulder buttons to execute a hairpin turn in F Zero, a heavy kick in Street Fighter 2, or Sub Zero's fatality. Fortunately, the excellent design of the SNES controller lives on today in the Wii's Classic Controller and we can still experience it via SNES games on the Virtual Console. 

Super Scope-

Super Nintendo super-sized the light gun...

This behemoth is best known for the pack in cartridge Super Scope Six but it had a few unique side scrolling/shooter games like Yoshi's Safari and Tinstar. 

The SNES Mouse-

I need a PC mouse with this design ASAP!

The SNES Mouse is best known for Mario Paint but it was compatible with many other titles. Point and click, RPG, and shooter games (including the aforementioned Tinstar) used the mouse, too. Even today Mario Paint's music generator is still beloved and used by composers across the internet.

The Virtual Boy "Era"

The Virtual Boy Controller-

The battery pack and AC adapter both plugged directly into this... truly "playing with power." 

For all the foibles associated with this ill-fated console, the controller did set the standard for the shape of things to come. Though no other controller mimicked the symmetrical design, the N64 and Gamecube did have similar handles and expanded on the idea of putting interactive ports on the controller itself. 

The Nintendo 64 Era:

The N64 Controller-

It was sort of intimidating the first time you saw it...

Sure the N64 controller had more buttons than any other Nintendo controller (most notably the Z trigger- which was perfect for Goldeneye and Legend of Zelda), but the big deal was the analog stick. Nintendo didn't invent the analog stick, or the 3D game worlds it was best suited for, but the N64 controller and Mario 64 brought them to the masses.The controller itself was an interactive piece of hardware and provided a port for Controller Paks (memory card), Transfer Paks (for data transfer between Game Boy and N64 games), and the innovative Rumble Pak (added force feedback to game play). 

The N64 Rumble Pak-

It was sort of intimidating the first time you felt it...

Starfox 64 introduced us to the Rumble Pak in 1997 and force feedback is still a crucial part of the gaming world today. Sony learned this post PS3 launch (initially claiming that it was a thing of the past) and later released the Dualshock 3. 

The Voice Recognition Unit- 

It was sort of... not intimidating at all!

The VRU was only compatible with one game in the USA; Hey you, Pikachu! It was plugged into a controller port and the microphone attached to the controller itself (a similar set up was later used for Odama on the Gamecube). 

The GameCube Era:

The GameCube controller-

Still alive thanks to SSBM and the Wii's controller ports!

Nintendo gave in to disc-based media (though it was not a standard disc) and a more traditional dual-stick controller for the GCN. Also, the uniquely-sized and color-coded buttons were made to help keep the gamer's eyes on the screen (not looking down to see which button was which). This was the first Nintendo controller to offer built-in force feedback.

The Wavebird-

Not the Wonderswan... it's the Wavebird!

The Wavebird was not the first wireless controller but it was the best. Although this beast didn't have force feedback, the convenience of wireless control more than made up for it. It was such a thrill to test the boundaries of the Wavebird's range and many gamers were pleased as they stood about in various places of their homes and saw the Wavebird continue to work flawlessly. 

DK Bongos-

Many people chose to stay at work rather than bang these drums all day...

Rhythm games with plastic instrument controllers were gaining popularity in the early years of this century,  and Nintendo jumped on the bandwagon with Donkey Konga. The DK Bongos were required for the Donkey Konga series and DK Jungle Beat. DK Jungle beat was later released for the Wii as part of the New Play Control series (using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk instead of bongos) and received decent reviews. 

The GameCube Microphone-

Get on the mic!

The microphone was used for Odama, Mario Party 6 and 7, as well as Karaoke Revolution Party. The Odama bundle even came with a plastic adapter to snap the mic to a GameCube controller. 

The Wii Era:

The Wii Remote-

Don't we all agree they should have just officially called it the "Wiimote?"

From the mysterious gyroscope patents to the first images of the Wii Remote, none of us really had any idea what Nintendo was thinking with this one... apparently they were thinking of a revolution (and if revolution means winning the console sales war and causing everyone else to develop their own motion controllers, Nintendo succeeded). I was working at GameStop when the first Wii demo units were made available and every time someone gave Excite Truck a try, they were a little "freaked out" by the experience. It is amazing how quickly a mass audience joined Nintendo's revolution. I will never forget when I discovered my Grandma's senior high rise had a "Wii night." I am also convinced that Wii Sports Bowling was a direct contributor to the demise of  2 bowling alleys in my neighborhood. The Wii Remote was simple and versatile, with a familiar button setup and connectivity to the nunchuk and other devices. Not only was the world introduced to a new way to "play with power," we were also entertained by stories of Wii Remotes flying from the hands of users into various objects (living and inanimate) around the house. As a result, Nintendo strengthened the wrist strap and began to ship the Wii Remote with a protective rubber sleeve.

It should be noted that the Wii console is equipped with 4 GameCube controller ports and 2 memory card slots. This was not only useful for backward compatibility with GameCube games but also for Virtual Console titles and Wii games like Super Smash Bros. Brawl.


The Classic Controller-

Does anyone know what the slots on the bottom of this thing were for?

The Classic controller launched with the Wii and was used for many Wii titles and useful for Virtual Console selections as well. It was similar to the SNES controller's setup with the inclusion of 2 analog sticks, a home button, and the addition of 2 more shoulder buttons. The Classic Controller plugged into the Wii Remote making (essentially) a wireless controller.

The Wii Zapper-

And fans everywhere dreamed of revenge on the Duck Hunt dog... those dreams were never fulfilled

The Wii Zapper was not a controller but a controller casing which housed the Wiimote and nunchuk. Although there are many plastic Wii Remote accessories available, the Wii Zapper did serve a purpose by providing more comfortable gameplay. It came with a fun little game called Link's Crossbow Training packed in.

The Wii Wheel-

Yes it is just a piece of plastic but Excitebots would not be the same without it...

The Wii Wheel was packed in with Mario Kart Wii and was obviously a big part of said game because it is prominently featured on the cover of the game itself. Which begs the question-has there ever been another controller or accessory featured on the cover of a video game? Oh yes there is, the Wii Balance Board.

The Wii Balance Board-

As a character in Wii Fit, the balance board may even be more despised than the Duck Hunt dog...

The Wii Balance Board launched with Wii Fit and was compatible with many other games in the Wii library. The Balance Board control scheme is poised to continue in the Wii U era.

The Classic Controller Pro-

The GoldenEye CCPro... It doesn't get much cooler than this!

The Classic Controller Pro added handles, changed the shoulder button set-up, and moved the cord from the bottom to the top.

Wii Motion and Wii Remote Plus-

Why didn't we get "New Play Control" for Metroid Prime 3 after this came out?

A few years into the Wii's lifespan, we finally got true 1:1 motion tracking with the Wii MotionPlus. This little cube snapped on to the bottom of the Wii Remote to up the accuracy for Wii Sports Resort and other compatible games. It was the inclusion with Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 that brought in the biggest sales numbers for the Wii MotionPlus. Nintendo eventually revised the Wii Remote to include MotionPlus and released the Wii Remote Plus. Zelda fans rejoiced as they swung Link's sword skyward as the twilight of the Wii era approached. 

The Wii U Era???

The Wii U GamePad:

It is ambitious but is the world ready for another revolution?

As Wii U specs continue to be released, we are also learning more about the GamePad. Thus far, it looks as though this controller has more functions than any other in history. Standard buttons, D-pad, analog sticks, touch screen, camera, stereo headphone jack, near field communication, and a TV control button pack this new controller to the gills with potential. What remains to be seen is how much effort game developers will put into utilizing all these features.

The Wii U Pro Controller:

Wii are wireless again!

The Wii U Pro looks a bit like the Wii Classic Controller Pro Photoshopped onto an Xbox 360 controller.  It will launch alongside the Wii U console and certainly seems to be designed to accommodate familiarity and comfort.

So what are your thoughts about controllers?
Favorites from the past and/or excitement for the future?
Will people warm up to the Wii U GamePad?
If so, how will Sony and Microsoft respond?



Images taken from Wikipedia and Google Images



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