Gemini-Phoenix
01-04-2011, 01:20 AM
Having grown up with a plethora of classic consoles, I have seen the evolution of the control pad - From paddles to joysticks, to digital control pads, and then to dual-analog thumbsticks (And now to motion control, but that doesn't count).
Over the years we have had to adapt to the way we play our favourite games. My hands have held many controllers, of all shape, size, and style, some being more comfortable than others. Looking back, it's hard to understand how we ever put up with some dreadful controller design. The Atari Jaguar controller springs to mind, as does the Dreamcast, as well as several others. Controllers have evolved to the point where the two main current generation controllers (The PS3 DualShock3 and X360 Wireless) are supposed to be the result of years of research and perfection, blending aesthetics with ergonomic design and functionality.
Every generation the controllers get more complex, and we have to train ourselves into learning how to use the tools in our hands to control what we see on the screen. Today's controllers typically have around a dozen buttons each, as well as two separate methods of directional input - One digital, and one dual-analog - Whereas back-in-the-day we would be used to significantly less. That didn't necessarily mean we would have less fun with older games though!
I've personally progressed from an Atari 2600 joystick, through the 8bit and 16bit era's, and then to the modern day post-PlayStation era. I was fine up until around 1997 when Sony decided to release the Dual Analog Controller (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_Analog_Controller), which is what I consider the turning point for gaming, and a controller which shaped the way we would play games for the next decade...
Now I had already trained myself to use the one-buttoned Atari joystick in such a way that it was comfortable to use, cradled in your left hand, left thumb on the big red button, joystick in the other. The NES and Master System controllers were something different, and took a little getting used to, but it was the 8bit controllers which would have an everlasting effect on what we would generally accept as a "normal" layout, with directional control on the left and action buttons on the right. Everything which followed would adopt this basic form factor, up until the time Sony introduced dual-analog controls (Have you ever seen a controller with the D-Pad and buttons switched sides?)
The problem I seem to have is that I spent so many years training my brain into thinking that LEFT = movement and RIGHT = action, but no longer was that true with Sony's new controller. Now we had to train our brains into controlling two different axis of movement simutaneously. However, whilst many people have found the transition easy, I have never been able to fully get used to dual-analog controls - Most probably because I am a retro gamer at heart, and still play all the classic 8bit and 16bit games
I have to admit, I sometimes struggle in regards to controlling with my right digit. This is mostly evident in console FPS games where I generally tend to be let down by my "lazy right thumb", simply because it's not accustomed to delicate aiming. It's almost as if my right thumb been reduced to a secondary function, numbed over the years through brute force button mashing, where the other digits on my right hand play a more active role in performing those actions these days
I'm not saying that dual-analog controls aren't a good innovation, because they are. I enjoy playing console FPS games now more than I ever did before dual-analog came along (Even though I prefer mouse & keyboard controls), and I couldn't imagine what FPS games would be like without them (Although GoldenEye's controls would probably have become the standard control method I guess?). I suppose a new gamer would find the controls very natural to use, as would anybody who has learnt to adapt, but it's just one of those things that i've never really been able to do...
Over the years we have had to adapt to the way we play our favourite games. My hands have held many controllers, of all shape, size, and style, some being more comfortable than others. Looking back, it's hard to understand how we ever put up with some dreadful controller design. The Atari Jaguar controller springs to mind, as does the Dreamcast, as well as several others. Controllers have evolved to the point where the two main current generation controllers (The PS3 DualShock3 and X360 Wireless) are supposed to be the result of years of research and perfection, blending aesthetics with ergonomic design and functionality.
Every generation the controllers get more complex, and we have to train ourselves into learning how to use the tools in our hands to control what we see on the screen. Today's controllers typically have around a dozen buttons each, as well as two separate methods of directional input - One digital, and one dual-analog - Whereas back-in-the-day we would be used to significantly less. That didn't necessarily mean we would have less fun with older games though!
I've personally progressed from an Atari 2600 joystick, through the 8bit and 16bit era's, and then to the modern day post-PlayStation era. I was fine up until around 1997 when Sony decided to release the Dual Analog Controller (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_Analog_Controller), which is what I consider the turning point for gaming, and a controller which shaped the way we would play games for the next decade...
Now I had already trained myself to use the one-buttoned Atari joystick in such a way that it was comfortable to use, cradled in your left hand, left thumb on the big red button, joystick in the other. The NES and Master System controllers were something different, and took a little getting used to, but it was the 8bit controllers which would have an everlasting effect on what we would generally accept as a "normal" layout, with directional control on the left and action buttons on the right. Everything which followed would adopt this basic form factor, up until the time Sony introduced dual-analog controls (Have you ever seen a controller with the D-Pad and buttons switched sides?)
The problem I seem to have is that I spent so many years training my brain into thinking that LEFT = movement and RIGHT = action, but no longer was that true with Sony's new controller. Now we had to train our brains into controlling two different axis of movement simutaneously. However, whilst many people have found the transition easy, I have never been able to fully get used to dual-analog controls - Most probably because I am a retro gamer at heart, and still play all the classic 8bit and 16bit games
I have to admit, I sometimes struggle in regards to controlling with my right digit. This is mostly evident in console FPS games where I generally tend to be let down by my "lazy right thumb", simply because it's not accustomed to delicate aiming. It's almost as if my right thumb been reduced to a secondary function, numbed over the years through brute force button mashing, where the other digits on my right hand play a more active role in performing those actions these days
I'm not saying that dual-analog controls aren't a good innovation, because they are. I enjoy playing console FPS games now more than I ever did before dual-analog came along (Even though I prefer mouse & keyboard controls), and I couldn't imagine what FPS games would be like without them (Although GoldenEye's controls would probably have become the standard control method I guess?). I suppose a new gamer would find the controls very natural to use, as would anybody who has learnt to adapt, but it's just one of those things that i've never really been able to do...