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A gamepad is a type of video game controller held in two hands, where the fingers (especially thumbs) are used to provide input. They are typically the main input device for video game consoles.
Features
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Some common additions to the standard pad include shoulder buttons (also called "bumpers") and triggers placed along the edges of the pad (shoulder buttons are usually digital, i.e. merely on/off; while triggers are usually analog); centrally placed start, select, and home buttons[clarification needed], and an internal motor to provide force feedback. Analog triggers, like that of the GameCube controller, are pressure-sensitive and games can read in the amount of pressure applied to one to control the intensity of a certain action, such as how forceful water is to be sprayed in Super Mario Sunshine.[citation needed]
There are programmable joysticks that can emulate keyboard input. Generally they have been made to circumvent the lack of joystick support in some computer games, e.g. the Belkin Nostromo SpeedPad n52. There are several programs that emulate keyboard and mouse input with a gamepad such as the free and open-source cross-platform software antimicro,[1][2] Enjoy2,[3] or proprietary commercial solutions such as JoyToKey, Xpadder, and Pinnacle Game Profiler.[citation needed]
One common issue with modern game controllers is stick drift, where the analog stick registers movement even when not being touched. This problem can affect gameplay accuracy and responsiveness. To diagnose stick drift, various online stick drift tester tools are available, allowing users to visualize stick movement and detect irregular inputs. These tools, often web-based, help determine whether recalibration, cleaning, or hardware repair is necessary.[4][5] Some platforms, like Steam, also include built-in calibration settings to mitigate minor drift issues.
History
[edit]The 1962 video game Spacewar! initially used toggle switches built into the computer readout display to control the game. These switches were awkward and uncomfortable to use, so Alan Kotok and Bob Saunders built and wired in a detached control device for the game. This device has been called the earliest gamepad.[6]
Entry into the mass market
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It would take many years for the gamepad to rise to prominence, as during the 1970s and the early 1980s joysticks and paddles were the dominant video game controllers,[6] though several Atari joystick port-compatible pushbutton controllers were also available.[7] The third generation of video games saw many major changes, and the eminence of gamepads in the video game market.[citation needed]
Nintendo developed a gamepad device for directional inputs, a D-pad with a "cross" design for their Donkey Kong handheld game. This design would be incorporated into their "Game & Watch" series and console controllers such as the standard NES controller. Though developed because they were more compact than joysticks, and thus more appropriate for handheld games, D-pads were soon found by developers to be more comfortable to use than joysticks.[6] The D-pad soon became a ubiquitous element on console gamepads, though to avoid infringing on Nintendo's patent, most controller manufacturers use a cross in a circle shape for the D-pad instead of a simple cross.[8]
Continued refinements
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The original Sega Genesis/Mega Drive control pad has three face buttons,[9] but a six-button pad was later released.[10] The SNES controller also featured six action buttons, with four face buttons arranged in a diamond formation, and two shoulder buttons positioned to be used with the index fingers, a design which has been imitated by most controllers since. The inclusion of six action buttons was influenced by the popularity of the Street Fighter arcade series, which utilized six buttons.[11]
For most of the 1980s and early 1990s, analog joysticks were the predominant form of gaming controller for PCs, while console gaming controllers were mostly digital.[6] This changed in 1996 when all three major consoles introduced an optional analog control. The Sony Dual Analog Controller had twin convex analog thumbsticks, the Sega Saturn 3D Control Pad had a single analog thumbstick, and the Nintendo 64 controller combined digital and analog controllers in a single body, starting a trend to have both an analog stick and a d-pad.
Despite these changes, gamepads essentially continued to follow the template set by the NES controller (a horizontally-oriented controller with two or more action buttons positioned for use with the right thumb, and a directional pad positioned for use with the left thumb).[6]
Three-dimensional control
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Though three-dimensional games rose to prominence in the mid-1990s, controllers continued to mostly operate on two-dimensional principles. Players would have to hold down a button to change the axes along which the controls operate rather than being able to control movement along all three axes at once. One of the first gaming consoles, the Fairchild Channel F, did have a controller which provided six degrees of freedom, but the processing limitations of the console itself prevented there from being any software to take advantage of this ability.[6] In 1994, Logitech introduced the CyberMan, the first practical six-degrees-of-freedom controller; however, it sold poorly due to its high price, poor build quality, and limited software support. Industry insiders blame the CyberMan's high profile and costly failure for the gaming industry's lack of interest in developing 3D control over the next several years.[6] The Wii Remote is shaped like a television remote control and contains tilt sensors and three-dimensional pointing which the system uses to understand all directions of movement and rotation (back and forth around the pitch, roll, and yaw axes). The controller is also multifunctional and has an expansion port which can be used for a variety of peripherals. An analog stick peripheral, called "Nunchuk," also contains an accelerometer[12] but unlike the Wii Remote, it lacks any pointer functionality.
Usage across platforms
[edit]Gamepads are also available for personal computers. Examples of PC gamepads include the Asus Eee Stick, the Gravis PC, the Microsoft SideWinder and Saitek Cyborg range, and the Steam Controller. Third-party USB adapters and software can be employed to utilize console gamepads on PCs; the DualShock 3, DualShock 4, DualSense, Wii Remote and Joy-Con can be used with third-party software on systems with Bluetooth functionality, with USB additionally usable on DualShock 3, DualShock 4 and DualSense. Xbox 360, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S controllers are officially supported on Windows with Microsoft-supplied drivers; a dongle can be used to connect them wirelessly, or the controller can be connected directly to the computer over USB (wired versions of Xbox 360 controllers were marketed by Microsoft as PC gamepads, while the Xbox One/Series X/S controllers can be connected to a PC via its Micro USB/USB-C slot).[13][14][15]
Non-gaming use
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Gamepads or devices closely modelled on them are sometimes used for controlling real machinery and vehicles, as they are familiar to users and (in the case of actual gamepads) provide an off-the-shelf solution. The US Army and US Navy use Xbox controllers[16] for operating devices, and the British Army uses a device modelled on gamepads to operate systems on the Challenger 2 main battle tank.[17] The Titan submersible notoriously used a gamepad for control.[18]
See also
[edit]References
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- ^ Schaaf, Tobiasa (July 2014). "Gamestation Turbo" (PDF). ODROID Magazine. No. 7. p. 17. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 26, 2016.
- ^ Ryochan7. "Graphical program used to map keyboard keys and mouse controls to a gamepad". GitHub. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Yifeng Huang (May 6, 2013), Enjoy2 v1.2 released: control games with your gamepad on OSX, retrieved May 19, 2017
- ^ "Gamepad Tester". HL Planet. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
- ^ "Gamepad Tester". Hardware Tester. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Get a Grip!!!: Joysticks Past, Present & Future" (PDF). Next Generation. No. 17. Imagine Media. May 1996. pp. 34–42. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
- ^ Ahl, David H.; Rost, Randi J. (1983), "Blisters And Frustration: Joysticks, Paddles, Buttons and Game Port Extenders for Apple, Atari and VIC", Creative Computing Video & Arcade Games, 1 (1): 106ff
- ^ "The Next Generation 1996 Lexicon A to Z: Joypad" (PDF). Next Generation. No. 15. Imagine Media. March 1996. p. 35. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
- ^ "6 Button Controller". segagagadomain.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
- ^ Ashcraft, Brian (2008). Arcade Mania!: The Turbo-Charged World of Japan's Game Centers. Kodansha. p. 192. ISBN 978-4-7700-3078-8.
- ^ Levin, Phillip (April 25, 2006). "Nintendo Revolution ::: Advanced Media Network - Mario, Zelda, Revolution Controller, Innovation". Revolution Advanced. Archived from the original on April 27, 2006. Retrieved 2025-08-05.
- ^ Jamin Brophy-Warren, Magic Wand: How Hackers Make Use Of Their Wii-motes, Wall Street Journal, April 28, 2007
- ^ Hanson, Matt. "How to use the PS4 DualShock 4 controller on a PC". TechRadar. Archived from the original on January 19, 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
- ^ Plunkett, Luke (July 23, 2013). "How To Use A Console Controller On Your PC". Kotaku. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
- ^ "From Joysticks to Warfare: Military's Rising Use of Video Game Controllers in Submarines, Tanks". 20 June 2023. Archived from the original on June 20, 2023.
- ^ "Real life gaming: How the British Army modelled tank controls on a gamepad". 14 October 2016.
- ^ "What it was like inside the lost Titanic-touring submersible". 22 June 2023.