Listening to: BBC Radio 1

Gizmodo has an article by
David Merkoski (frog design) on the Nintendo
controller and how it might have the same impact that the D-pad has had:

Since becoming the first toy maker to include electronics in its products (the
light-beam gun of 1963) Nintendo has been directly involved in the design of modern-day
game controllers. The invention that stands out most is the directional cross-pad,
or D-pad. This 4-way controller, originally released on a Game & Watch series
Donkey Kong device in 1982, eliminated the need for those bulky joysticks more appropriate
for flying airplanes than saving a princess. And for the last 20 years the D-pad has
been the dominant interactive control paradigm, taking root in cell phones, remote
controls and yes, even the competition.

Well worth a read.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 26th, 2005 at 7:45 pm and is filed under Design/Art, Software. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.