I think this kind of missed the point of control evolution. It's not the buttons, it's not the control sticks, it's the convenience factor.
PONG - Simple analog wheel. Linear precision control only. Pretty easy to use.
Atari - Various input methods, most notable being joystick + button. Still linear precision control only, and very stiff.
NES - D-pad input. Linear precision control, easy to use.
SNES - See: NES.
N64 - Analog input. Non-linear precision control, a bit too loose.
PS2 - See N64, but too stiff instead.
Wii - Analog, camera, and motion input. Non-linear precision control, but imprecise for motion input (MotionPlus should help with this).
PS3 & 360 - See PS2.
PC - Key-based input. Linear input only.
Sky Render - Sanity is for the weak.
