Just going by what it says in wikipedia. I'm not at all tech saavy but i assume it's accurate as these controllers are still around.

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.

This is also interesting. Apparently sony came out with dual analog sticks before nintendo used one with the 64 console.

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,^[3] (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. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analog_stick

c03n3nj0 said: Oh snap! Sony better come back with something to make it interesting.

You can trust Sony to hit back with some serious bashing ;)

Why are Nintendo and Nintendo fans acting so scared. Its like they are afraid of Sony.

Its funny how Move has revealed so many Ninty fanboyz on this sight. They act like only Nintendo should succeed when its better for the industry to have all the game companies being successful.

So the N64 came out in 1996.  All of the blurrred out pics in EGM and Gamepro in 1995 showing "Nintendo's top secret controller", those mean nothing.  Nintendo apparently did not have such a controller until approximately four hours before the N64 launch.  Gotcha!  And even though it was called an analog stick for months and months before the launch, it's not an analog stick?

Remember how Nintendo pioneered the use of Disc based media in consoles? Oh wait, they stayed with cartridges 5 years past their prime. Pretty sure Sony was the first to use DVD in the PS2, so is the Wii a ripoff?  Reportedly Sony shopped the PS1 to Nintendo and Nintendo told Sony they were crazy and should go away.  That worked out well for big N in the first and second generation of modern games huh?

Remember how Nintendo had an online gaming network that let you play with dozens of other gamers with unique usernames and voice chat? Oh, they still don't have that?

If by gameplay innovations they mean the innovation of remaking the same game from the 80s or early 90s 8 times and leaving 90% of it the same (see Mario kart, Smash bros, New Super Mario Bros etc) then yes, they do indeed own that innovation. I'll take the innovations of games with the scale of movies, interactive drama, customizable level creators and photo realistic graphics thank you very much.

saying that wall of 90% shovelware and retreads that is the Wii section of Best Buy is the innovative future of gaming is like me saying that movies like Twilight are the future of innovative cinema in the US. If thats true heaven help us.

The arrogance of Nintendo with their current slate of decided mediocrity when it comes to games is just maddening.

I'm going to of course catch flack for saying anything bad about Nintendo, but if the PR guy quoted can lead off with calling Sony an inferior copy machine it kind of sets the tone doesn't it?

  This Gen Little Big Planet, Uncharted 2 and Heavy Rain have been as innovative as anything I've seen come from Nintendo in over a decade.