Control Method

The controller. This all-important tool often gets overlooked and seldom gets its due. Gaming consoles each offer their own take on how the controller should be shaped and feel, but even the days of the NES third-parties designed controllers to meet the demands of gamers. 

Button Placement 

The ease at which you can pull a trigger or press a combination of buttons can be the difference between success and failure. Early on video game controllers adopted an inline button arrangement. For example the NES controller sets its “A” and “B” buttons side-by-side. So did the Turbo GFX 16 and Genesis controllers (the Genesis controller had a slight curve to it). Next came the SNES controller, adding shoulder triggers and two additional fire buttons in a diamond configuration that is now standard. The diamond configuration was perfect for platformers that commonly employed a run and jump button. It felt like such a natural motion to hold the run button down with the tip of your thumb only to tap the jump button with the pad of your thumb at that precise moment to cross a gap. RPGs, fighting and sports games would benefit from the additional buttons. Now individual buttons could be mapped to teammates, spells and menus and special attacks. From the SNES to the PlayStation 5 and XBOX Series the only significant change regarding the number of buttons on a controller has been the addition of two secondary shoulder triggers.

Programmable Buttons and Turbo Function

My first experience with using a controller that added features not included in a stock controller was the legendary ACSII Controller made by ACSII Hardware for use with the Super Nintendo. This controller had both slow-motion and turbo settings. Unlike other turbo controllers of the time, each face button had a dedicated switch for operating the turbo function. This gave the ACSII Controller a unique look and made it easy to change settings on the fly. To the best of my knowledge no other third-party has made use of this controller’s turbo setting scheme, instead using the hold one button while pressing another button method. Presently third-party controllers offer such features as turbo, remapping and macros. Some third-party controllers even have additional buttons that can be assigned to macros or act as other buttons, changing how games are played. 

Controller Shape: Hand Feel

That controller is going to be in your hands for a considerable amount of time; it should feel right. The shape of the controller evolved through the years. At the start controllers had straight edges and sharp corners. Present-day controllers have smooth edges and oversized grips making them more ergonomic. This reduces hand fatigue during marathon play sessions. The shape of the controller should allow your hands to wrap easily around the controller and comfortably reach the buttons, analog sticks and directional pad. In my experience the Xbox 360 controller does this best. If the positions for the directional pad and left analog stick were reversed it would be perfect.

The Future

As I close my discussion about controllers I predict that controllers will become further universal. At inception game controllers were as diverse and unique as the console they were meant to function with. Presently video game controllers share the same layout: Eight buttons, two analog sticks and one directional pad or D-pad. The only difference is the placement of the left analog stick and D-pad. This very fact has made it possible to use controllers cross-platform with the help of third-party hardware and software. It is my guess, or maybe wishful thinking, that in the future video game controllers will be truly cross-compatible allowing gamers the freedom to choose their control method.