The History of Video Game Controllers By: Jordan Parrott

The first Controller…..  Made in 1972 and designed by Ralph Baer, the first controller came with the Magnavox Odyssey 100. This controller had two knobs with a plug to plug into the console. At the time this was extraordinary because this allowed people to play at home with relative ease.

Moving on  The next significant game controller was made in 1983 and came with the Nintendo Entertainment System(NES). Including a controller that was smaller than the Odyssey's but with more controls. Such as a d-pad, a start and select buttons, and two buttons labeled A and B. The design as a whole was based off the iconic Game & Watch systems.

Next…  The next controller that changed gaming was the controller that came with the super NES. Made in 1990 The design for this was much smoother and rounded yet followed the original design. However they added four new buttons, the X and Y buttons, and the LB and RB buttons. All of these buttons are used and more on today’s current controllers.

The PlayStation  Made in 1994 Sony introduced square, triangle, circle, and cross. A wired controller but the controller was made to fit in your hand and be mush more comfortable than any controller before.

The Dualshock  Sony’s next controller came with the PlayStation 2 and was made in this controller was the best at the time with two bumpers and triggers in the back and two analog sticks. This controller was eventually made into a wireless version also but the fact still stands that it was one best.

Microsoft joins the battle  When Microsoft put out their first console in 2001 called the Xbox it came with a very large controller that was nicknamed the ‘fat’ controller. Yet the controller was very comfortable and the buttons were very well placed.

Microsoft Returns…  Microsoft’s return with the Xbox 360 in 2005 came with a controller that perfected what made Sony’s Dualshock popular. Very durable, sleek, and comfortable making this controller very good for its time.

The prodigal son returns  Nintendo came back in to the console war with the Wii and it’s remote like controller with an additional nunchuck. Made in 2006 this changed game controllers significantly and put Nintendo back up in the top.

Todays Controller Xbox one  In 2013 Microsoft released the Xbox one and with it the controller. This gave a sleeker controller without the bulky battery pack, and adding in a rumble feature in the triggers. PlayStation 4  Sony’s PS4 controller came out in 2013 and added a newer feature, the touch pad. Other than that they made it much more sturdier and lightweight.

Timeline MAGNAVOX ODYSSEY 100 (1972) NINTENDO ENTERTAINME NT SYSTEM (1983) SUPER NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM (1990) SONY PLAYSTATION (1994) SONY PLAYSTATION DUALSHOCK (1997) MICROSOFT'S 'FAT' XBOX (2001)

Timeline Con’t NINTENDO WIIMOTE AND NUNCHUCK (2006) MICROSOFT XBOX ONE (2013) MICROSOFT XBOX 360 S (2005) SONY PLAYSTATION DUALSHOCK4 (2013)

Patents  &ei=16HrU_qNNdDJsQTR7IKoBw&sqi=2&pjf=1&ved=0CCUQ6AEwAQ &ei=16HrU_qNNdDJsQTR7IKoBw&sqi=2&pjf=1&ved=0CCUQ6AEwAQ

Bibliography  "History of the Video Game Controller." ShortList. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Aug