scottie on 02 July 2011
Balley Astrocade device doesn't count. A thumbstick like device is not a thumbstick. Honestly, apart from the fact that you use your thumb to control it, from that picture it bears no relation to a thumbstick. Might as well call spacebar a thumbstick.
Vectrex looks more like a joystick to me - they were released 15 years before the Vectrex.
Oh, so apparently I did call it minor. I suspect what I meant at the time was that horsepower upgrades are minor compared to user interface or functionality upgrades.
