Nintendo Entertainment System

Nintendo had simplicity and functionality in mind when making the controllers for the original Nintendo Entertainment System. “The game controller used for the both the NES and Famicom featured a brick-like design with a simple five-button layout: two round buttons labelled "B" and "A," a "Start" button, a "Select" button, and a cross-shaped D-pad which had been designed by Nintendo employee Gunpei Yokoi to replace the bulkier joysticks that most earlier gaming consoles had utilized” (Wikipedia). Nintendo also produced an assortment of interactive controllers for the NES. “A number of special controllers designed for use with specific games were released for the system, though very few such devices proved particularly popular. Such devices included, but were not limited to, the NES Zapper (a light gun), the Power Pad, and the ill-fated R.O.B. and Power Glove” (Wikipedia).

NES Controller

One of the first controllers that offered players the ability to use only the thumbs to control the game. It also incorporated the cross-shaped button that was used in the Nintendo handheld.

NES Zapper Light Gun

"It allowed players to aim at the TV and, depending on the game, shoot pixelated ducks, clay pigeons, gangsters, and many other obvious targets. The Zapper has a comparetively resistant trigger that takes quite a bit of force to pull back. The trigger manifests a loud characertistic 'pang' noise when pulled. The shape of the gun is comfortable, but there is no real grip to speak of. After a while, sweat and grease would build up on the surface of the plastic, making it difficult to hold. Additionally, enough trigger pulling over a duration would cause many people to have their muscles become tired in their hand or forearms. Since then, light guns now have much less resistance on their triggers" (Wikipedia).

NES Power Pad

"The Power Pad is a floor mat game controller released in the United States for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is a gray mat with twelve pressure-sensors embedded between two layers of flexible plastic. Released in 1987 as the Family Fun Fitness pack for the Japanese Famicom Disk System. It was originally developed by Bandai, but Nintendo soon bought the rights to it, and released it in 1988 as the Power Pad, along with the game World Class Track Meet. The accessory is laid out in front of the video display for various games, generally plugged into the second controller port, with players stepping on the large buttons to control gameplay. There are two illustrated sides to the pad: Side A, which is rarely used, has eight buttons, while side B has twelve buttons numbered from 1-12. Games using the Power Pad often test players on their timing and coordination, memory, "running" speed, or allow them to play music with their steps. Games such as Dance Dance Revolution can trace the lineage of their control mechanisms back to the Power Pad" (Wikipedia).

NES Power Glove

"This controller was unique in the fact that it was a glove instead of the normal controller. On the glove it included a set of controls like a normal controller. It also included a program button and buttons labeled 0-9. A person would hit the program button and a numbered button to do various things (such as increase or decrease the firing rate of the A and B buttons). Along with the controller, someone could move their hand in various movements to control the character

on-screen" (Wikipedia).

For the Gamer

ControllerTimeline