| haxxiy said: Plus, it was Ninty who invented the analogue sticks. |
Vectrex control pad
Many, if not most, 1970s video game consoles featured an analog joystick, see under, the VC 4000 (1978) for more info. In 1982 Atari released the first controller with a potentiometer-based analog stick[2] for their Atari 5200 home console. However, the non-centering joystick design proved to be ungainly and unreliable, alienating many consumers at the time. During that same year, General Consumer Electronics introduced the Vectrex, a vector graphics based system which used a self-centering analog stick, obviously a precursor to the modern design.
For many years, consoles ignored analog technology, instead using the digital D-pad. It wasn't until the emergence of 3D gameplay that the analog stick was brought back for widespread use.
In 1995, Sony (realizing that analog technology could be useful) created a potentiometer-based analog joystick for use in Flight-Simulation games. The Sony Dual Analog FlightStick featured twin analog sticks and was used in games such as "Descent" to provide a much greater degree of freedom than the typical digital joysticks of the day.
In 1996 Nintendo introduced a thumb-operated control stick on their Nintendo 64 controller. While it was still a digital stick, not an analog one,[1], (one that operated on the same principles as a mechanical computer mouse), the Nintendo 64's Control stick still allowed for a great deal of varying levels of pressure and near-360-degree control, translating into far more precise movements than was possible with a D-pad. (Incidentally, the later port of Super Mario 64 to the d-pad-only Nintendo DS portable system in Super Mario 64 DS was criticized by some for imprecise control due to lack of an analog stick on the Nintendo DS.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_64_controller
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analog_stick
