The all-time 11 most groundbreaking controllers
GamePro has compiled the 874th "all-time best controller" list based on "most influential, revolutionary, and... groundbreaking" input devices. Here are the ones that made the list:- NES
- Mouse and keyboard
- Dual Shock (PSX)
- Xbox Controller S
- Wii Remote
- Nintendo 64
- Atari 2600
JoystiqJoystick - SNES
- Wavebird
- Dreamcast
- The Zapper (NES)
[via Digg]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Henry Everett @ Jun 15th 2006 7:30PM
Why does PSX's rumble feature get higher than the N64?? It was Nintendo that invented the damn thing!
guywhoknows @ Jun 15th 2006 7:32PM
How the heck did the Wii Remote show up behind Xbox and Playstation's controllers? Opinion aside, the mere technical specs and usage of the Wiimote should be enough to put it ahead of them.
Oro @ Jun 15th 2006 7:32PM
6/11 are Nintendo controllers? Not bad :p
I don't think that it's fair, though, to put the Wii controller on there when it hasn't even been released yet. There's no telling how great or little the impact of it is going to be.
The_Tecknishen @ Jun 15th 2006 7:33PM
How is the Xbox controller higher on the list than the Dreamcast controller? I think it's faily obvious that several ideas were borrowed from the Dreamcast controller to make the Xbox controller.
ElChibo @ Jun 15th 2006 7:33PM
Wii remote should be popped up to 3rd, and dualshock should be replaced with the N64 controller. If im not mistaken, wasnt the N64 analog showed off before the dualshock? I don't even understand why the controller S is up there, it's a standard controller, nothing new. The zapper is way more groundbreaking than that
epobirs @ Jun 15th 2006 7:34PM
I'm some snide sort is going to suggest the original Xbox controller was groundbreaking, if you dropped it.
Oh wait, it was me. I still use mine, though. I even bought some backups.
FreQ @ Jun 15th 2006 7:35PM
Shouldn't N64 be a little higher on the list ?
I do believe they had the first analog stick...
C'mon gamepro.
And why is the XboX controller even ON the list. How did that innovate anything ?
Ando @ Jun 15th 2006 7:36PM
How is Controller S more groundbreaking than Wii? Because it was smaller than Microsoft's original, mammoth Xbox controller? Wii remote should be third.
And how the hell is the PSX more groundbreaking than N64? All they did was take whatever Nintendo did and double it. Oh, and where is the touchscreen on this list. It was done before the DS on PDAs, and now DS has taken it mainstream.
GamePro is full of a bunch of dumbasses.
Fuzz @ Jun 15th 2006 7:36PM
Ya, Nintendo brings analog control and rumble to the masses, and they get shoved below the dualshock and the *gasp* xbox controller???
And the Wii remote isn't even out yet! How can it possibly be classed as groundbreaking? It could blow chowder, for all we know.
It's thursday night, and I sure would like to have some of whatever the hell it is Gamepro is smoking.
GunForHire @ Jun 15th 2006 7:37PM
Where's the 360 controller? First wireless pad as standard, and arguably the best as well. WTF?
Ando @ Jun 15th 2006 7:38PM
Oro, it meets all three of the criteria. It is groundbreaking, revolutionary, and it's obviously already influenced Sony.
Kirby Tilt and Tumble should be on this list as well. Way to screw up one of the easiest lists ever GamePro.
haegen @ Jun 15th 2006 7:39PM
don't get me wrong, i am totally stoked for the wii, but i don't see how you can list something as "revolutionary" before it is even released to the general public. i know many people in the glamorous, star-studded world of videogame journalism have had a chance to get their hands on it, but until we can all have the opportunity to play and believe (or not), you can't say that it is either revolutionary or groundbreaking. these kinds of distinctions are usually given in hindsight, after the impact (or lack thereof) of the controller can truely be seen.
Ando @ Jun 15th 2006 7:40PM
GunForHire, not only is the wireless controller for 360 not standard (tard pack ftl), it being the best is purely your opinion. Other wireless controllers did what the 360 one does first. Wavebird is on the list because it was one of the first widely adopted, and more importantly, GOOD wireless controller.
Master Shake @ Jun 15th 2006 7:40PM
I'm surprised the Xbox 360 controller didn't make it. Everywhere I go, people usually vote for it been the best. I think even Sony fanboys would say that the 360's controller rocks. Its the PERFECT size, for big handed people and small handed people alike. New features brought into the world that other companys have stolen (Guide button - Sony stole it) and etc.
epobirs @ Jun 15th 2006 7:41PM
THere was nothing particularly new about analog sticks when the N64 launched. The Atari 5200 and Vectrex both had them in the console field and they'd long been found on 8-bit Apples and PCs. Nintendo's innovation was realizing the usefulness of analog for 3D games.
retro @ Jun 15th 2006 7:41PM
WAAAAAAA? What a bunch of fools! The PS1 controller and COntroller S are more groundbreaking than the wiimote? Idiots!
Felix Andrews @ Jun 15th 2006 7:44PM
...aside from perhaps having two sticks instead of one, there is absolutely nothing original about the PlayStation Dual Shock. In fact, with its poor stick placement, it's not even a very good controller - not for this day and age, anyway.
And the Xbox S controller, despite being rather nice to hold, has precisely zero innovations of its own.
Mouses and keyboards aren't even designed for gaming in the first instance - while they're very nice for FPS and RTS, you're not going to see anyone playing Prince of Persia with them. Not well, anyway.
This is, frankly, bilge. The compiler should be taken out and shot... with a NES Zapper.
Jeff @ Jun 15th 2006 7:47PM
"Shouldn't N64 be a little higher on the list ?
I do believe they had the first analog stick..."
Um, no?
The Atari 5200 had the first analog stick in a mass market console (computers had it even earlier, IIRC).
Let's give some credit to the true pioneers of the industry here. Nintendo didn't invent *everything*. Atari invented the modern-day joystick, Atari put the first true analog stick in a console, Mattel probably invented the gamepad. Nintendo didn't even invent rumble - remember, they're paying royalties to Immersion same as everybody else.
r-deezy @ Jun 15th 2006 7:47PM
This list is good and gravy for now - but if the Wiimote is as good as advertised I would expect it to easily hop into the top 3.
How about a Joystiq official reevaluation (or poll) somewhere in the 1st-2nd quarter of 2007??
How about the Power Pad for the NES? Would we have a Dance Dance Revolution pad without it?
Robotic House Plant @ Jun 15th 2006 7:49PM
How is the Wii controller on the list when it's not available for sale yet? Has anyone played a completed game with it yet?
Since we're listing things that are not yet available, why not include direct brain link? Controlling games with your mind.
jimmcq @ Jun 15th 2006 7:50PM
What? No SpaceOrb?
http://www.3dgamers.com/articles/more/37/
How could they skip the SpaceOrb? I love that thing!
greg @ Jun 15th 2006 7:52PM
no saturn controller on that list is a terrible thing.
the last, greatesat 2d controller hands down
Jason C, @ Jun 15th 2006 7:52PM
N64 controller was the best ever. It was amazing the way it was made
greg @ Jun 15th 2006 7:54PM
p.s. the article mentions the dreamcast having analog triggers.
the saturn had that too on its 3d pad.
Eruc @ Jun 15th 2006 7:57PM
The N64 controller shouldn't be on the list. Basically because it's the most uncomfortable piece of shit ever. Not to mention that its not practical at all (I have to lift my hand off of the controller and move it to a different position to press certain buttons? wtf?), and its one of ugliest things to ever grace a pair of human hands.
Petey @ Jun 15th 2006 7:59PM
In case nobody understood, this is not a classification, it's only a list of the 10 greatest controllers of all time... Joytsiq misleaded some of you by adding numbers, the list could start with anyone on the list... personnaly my love goes to the Wavebird... not very fond of the buttery analog sticks of the dual shok...
Kevin @ Jun 15th 2006 8:01PM
The 360 controller should be in the top five for the simple facst that it is 1. The first mass market proprietary wireless controller (the Wavebird wasn't standard) perfect ergonomic design, and Sony stealing its guide button and shoulder placement buttons (two bumpers and two triggers. If anything, the 360 controller should replace the Dualshocks spot.
As for the N64 complaints, it just wasn't a very good controller. The design made it inconvenient to access every function (ie. go from analog stick to D-pad). The lack of a second analog stick of any sort really hindered the possible freedom that games could've allowed.
Henry @ Jun 15th 2006 8:02PM
#19, you obviously have never used an N64 controller. While it may be ugly as sin, it is as comfortable if not more than any other controller out there.
And it should be up there because it was the first controller to use the analouge stick and a rumble feature.
So shush.
AoE @ Jun 15th 2006 8:05PM
Where's the 2nd model of the Genesis controller? those 6 buttons were pretty great for streetfighter... or what about the NiGHTs 3d controller? you know, the first (correct me if i am wrong) us of an analog stick on a console? (and no, the PS1 if you'll recall came with d-pad only originally; dual-shock controllers came AFTER the NiGHTs 3d controller)
embassy @ Jun 15th 2006 8:10PM
c'mon yall...the 64 controller was groundbreaking for its time...how can u knock it for having only ONE joystick when it was the 1st controller to HAVE an joystick..??..thats just stupid...and it wasnt designed to have direct access to all the buttons...it was designed to be held in a number of different ways..it was really 3 controllers in one...give it its props...was it perfect..??..hell no...but it was a good start...
and yeh the WII has no business being on there..for all we know it cud be the holy grail of controllers..or it cud be the powerglove 2...
and i wud replace the controller S with the 360 controller like others have mentioned...
AoE @ Jun 15th 2006 8:10PM
ah, should have read the comments first... Atari had everyone else beat by more than a decade on the analog it seems... kudos to Jeff for setting us all straight!
Jose C @ Jun 15th 2006 8:22PM
The N64 controller introduced home console gamers to the analog stick and later to the rumble pack and it's ranked below the dual shock and the X-box controller who basically copied it all???
some list...
Nick @ Jun 15th 2006 8:22PM
Petey, I was just reading through the comments, and the very next one ignored yours. The actual gamespot article is not listed with numbers. That's Joystiq's (or Digg's) doing. They aren't ranked, just noted.
That said, I think the list was fine...perhaps a little useless, though.
Probot @ Jun 15th 2006 8:27PM
#16
"Nintendo didn't even invent rumble - remember, they're paying royalties to Immersion same as everybody else."
They aren't paying royalties actually, because they are using different (proprietary) technology for force feedback. IIRC, they were the first to use rumble with a game, though it wasn't standard (or actually in the controller).
I like your last pararaph though. You list the same thing twice for Atari and then congradulate Mattel on something they "probably" invented (but didn't).
Nintendo has contributed a lot to controller designs. And once you got used to it, the N64 controller worked well.
Escalating exaggerations lead us no where.
Fanboy: "Nintendo invented every button, control stick and rainbow."
Anti-Fanboy: "No they didn't. Nintendo never invented anything. Nintendo doesn't exist."
I hate the internet.
Andir @ Jun 15th 2006 8:29PM
OMG!!! Why are all these controllers on here?? They all stole the button from Atari!
electronic @ Jun 15th 2006 8:32PM
#16
"remember, they're paying royalties to Immersion same as everybody else."
umm... nope. they made their own kinda of rumble different to the immersion one so no royalties there.
Anticrawl @ Jun 15th 2006 8:40PM
Alright how is the xbox controller, that copied Dreamcast's setup, redesign as a smaller version groundbreaking?
What the hell is up with the wavebird gracing the list with it's presence. Like 30 people bought those and Nintendo already had fantastic wireless controllers for the snes that added 0 extra bulk. When I saw the little light up squares at the bottom of the Wiimote I thought of my old set of snes wireless controllers.
I could go on about the order but it isn't worth it. GamePro has lost what little respect I had for it left.
"These are desperate times, pay attention, look up and read the signs."
Anticrawl
Yeah
StChristoph @ Jun 15th 2006 8:40PM
The main difference between the Atari and the N64 is that the 64's analog stick was a thumbstick and not a full handed pole. That reason alone is why the analog stick worked well, because it only took one finger, that being the same finger gamers were used to navigating with anyway.
Also, the Xbox controller S did nothing new or influential, and I don't even find it comfortable.
Brandon @ Jun 15th 2006 8:44PM
OK, aside from the Wii which hasn't come out yet, it seems they're making a list of most used controllers, not groundbreaking. To not put the gamecube controller on there, granted that the wavebird is on there, but i mean they at least tried a new idea with the A button as a center button, the rest rotating around the home button. That was quite natural in games to use that configuration as opposed to four buttons in a baseball diamond that all the kids do these days. It wasn't perfect, no, i hated that z button placing as well as the feel of it clicking down, and they should have used a regular sized stick instead of the tiny nub of a c-stick.
And I am a huge fan of the Xbox-S controller, but by no means does it belong on that list. The 360 controller, maybe, which is actually my current favorite, but I wouldn't put it on there simply because its a rehash of the S controller with wireless added. Not to say it was stolen from Nintendo, but the fact that Nintendo did the wireless first (as in quality wireless, I had wireless with NES but it sucked) puts them off the list. And by the way, I loved 64, but that controller sucked. It was comfortable and useable yes, but limited games often by making developers shun the d-pad or give it unnecessary functionality instead of taking full advantage of it. But damn, do I miss that z-button.
rdaneel72 @ Jun 15th 2006 8:45PM
What?!?!?! No Intellivision controller? What a bunch of dumbasses!
Dan @ Jun 15th 2006 8:45PM
Shit list. Wavebird should be higher, because it was the first 1st-party controller to use wireless. And it was extremely comfortable and lightweight.
Wow, Dualshock and Xbox Controller at the top 4. You got to be kidding me. While these controllers are great, they're nothing "ground-breaking". The people at GamePro are morons.
Anticrawl @ Jun 15th 2006 8:49PM
Yeah to number 27 it seems Sega was overlooked. If you were ever going to play an arcade game on a console it was retarded to think of any option other than the sega genesis pad. It just had that wonderful feeling of being at the arcade without being as expensive as the SNK monstrosity.
You know what, I'm gonna go play some arcade style fighters on my genesis(yes the model controller with 6 buttons on the right).
Anticrawl
dsub @ Jun 15th 2006 8:56PM
first off, this is list is a joke. I'd like to see the reasoning behind some of this. The N64 controller should be second on this list as it was the first successful use of an analog stick.
Also, the Wiimote and Mouse and Keyboard shouldn't even be on here. The Wiimote isn't even out yet, so aside from some early opinions at E3, we really have NO IDEA just how "groundbreaking" it really is. The mouse and keyboard shouldn't be on this list because they weren't even designed with games in mind. They are two devices that were designed for separate purposes that just happend to work well when applied to certain types of games.
The dualshock and Controller S aren't really groundbreaking at all, as neither one really has any one feature that was completely new when it was released.
Personally, just for the sheer comfort of the damn things, I think the Gamecube and 360 controllers are my top two favorite controllers of all time.
J. @ Jun 15th 2006 8:58PM
Xbox Controller S (or for that matter any Xbox controller), what a joke. It make the list because it's a prime example of a company admitting, and tout de suite, they messed up with their gargantuan original?
No trackballs? No flight sticks? No dancepads? All-time, my butt. Remember the Neg-con? Thanks to the we-know-what's-best-for-you mentality of today's Microsofts, we'll never see innovation like that anymore.
AssemblyLineHuman @ Jun 15th 2006 9:03PM
*fact*
Okay, first of all, everyone click on the article, and read a little bit of it. You'll see that this isn't an article ranking anything. It's simply a list of "the 11 most ground breaking controllers of all time." That said, it would be nice if the Joystiq article used bullets rather than numbers.
*opinion*
This isn't really a list of groundbreaking controllers at all. Sure, the dual-shock controller is iconic. Sure, the dual-shock controller is influential to some extent. But groundbreaking? If taking the SNES pad, adding two shoulder buttons, adding two analog sticks (because they were in the N64 controller), and adding rumble as a standard (because Nintendo released the Rumble Pak) is groundbreaking, I'm going to tie it to a PC for the gaming and software support and glue it to a Macintosh for the art and media capabilities. Surely, that will be the most groundbreaking invention the world of computers has seen in years. I'm not saying the dual-shock controller isn't a good thing. It is arguably the best combination of positive thing about the modern game controller. It's just not groundbreaking. Same goes for the Xbox Controller S (although it did at least improve upon game controllers for shooters) and Dreamcast controller.
The SNES controller did introduce the shoulder buttons, but aside from that important innovation, it's just an NES controller with two more face buttons. The Zapper can hardly be considered influential, revolutionary, or groundbreaking. Yes, it was a wonderful peripheral that provided countless hours of fun, but up until now with the Wii, we weren't even seeing much influence from it at all.
IMO, the vast majority of controllers on this list are just there because we do not have 11 truly "influential, revolutionary, and just downright groundbreaking" controllers. Virtually every controller, minus the NES controller, the Atari 2600 controller, the N64 controller, and the mouse and keyboard (if you consider it a video game controller), has just been a continuation of previous console controllers with minor tweaks. The Wii controller could very well make a list like this in the future, but since it hasn't had a chance to face the test of time, we can't really be certain about that either.
Edmund @ Jun 15th 2006 9:34PM
Thank you Joystiq for reminding why I stopped reading Gamepro back in 1992. The Wii controller made the list when it could possibly end up bombing? The dual shock placed above the N64? Xbox made the list? And above the Dreamcast? Where is the dancepad, the flightstick, bongo drums, TOUCH SCREEN for Christ's sake!? Xbox made the list and all of these got the shaft?
Give me a break. What a bunch of uneducated morons. It's nice to see the NES at #1 where it belongs and it's nice seeing the zapper on there but this list is an absolute joke.
Ninegauger @ Jun 15th 2006 9:37PM
If I remember correctly the old analog joystiqs were not self-correcting (I believe I read this, I couldn't tell you from experience)and thus not very good. The N64 joystick was revolutionary because it was used with your thumb... they even called it the thumbstick.
The N64 controller also basically fortold the use of dual-something control for First Person Shooters as demonstrated by Turok... so that's Iguana Entertainment's contribution where you used the C-buttons as you WASD and the analog stick for aiming. Sony just tacked another analog stick. In other words the Sony controller is entirely derivative of others' ideas and has been dethroned by the 360 Controller in any case.
Oh and am I the only one that thought the Dreamcast controller is among the worst? Not terribly comfortable and I couldn't hit the Start button without moving my hands, what a controller for Microsoft to copy...
Six-Button Genesis controller is king! I had to buy those Street Fighter Controllers because all the first party ones fail to play Street Fighter.
Basically Nintendo invented the modern console controller with a wee bit of credit going to Sony for seeing the advantage of a second analog stick though they still haven't managed an ideal placement of them which Microsoft has figured out and maintains.
Edmund @ Jun 15th 2006 9:38PM
Oh now I get it, this list wasn't originally numbered. That makes more sense but this list is still just as absurd.
nanomess @ Jun 15th 2006 9:45PM
This is a really bad list. They don't really seem to no where they're coming from / don't know the complete history of who did what (I don't). However, I do believe that it was a mistake for them not to have mentioned the genesis/megadrive 6 button controller beside the snes controller. And for one thing the megadrive kidney bean shape has lead to what is now a standard (i.e. it's been stretched and made more comfy).
Also the Saturn controller easily had the best d-pad. I just wish I could find a black pc usb version to buy (lik-sang/play-asia are both sold out).
LongshotX @ Jun 15th 2006 10:14PM
N64 controller was horrible. What the hell where the thinking when they made those 3 space ship wings that posed as handles. It was stupid. Instead of a dedicated analog for the camera they put 4 dumb directional buttons. Total idiots. The N64 controller should be lower on the list.