Agame controller,gaming controller, or simplycontroller, is aninput device orinput/output device used withvideo games or entertainment systems to provide input to a video game.Input devices that have been classified as game controllers includekeyboards,mice,gamepads, andjoysticks, as well as special purpose devices, such assteering wheels fordriving games andlight guns forshooting games. Controllers designs have evolved to includedirectional pads, multiple buttons,analog sticks,joysticks,motion detection,touch screens and a plethora of other features.
Game controllers may beinput devices that only provide input to the system, orinput/output devices that receive data from the system and produce a response (e.g."rumble" vibration feedback, or sound).
Controllers which are included with the purchase of a home console are referred to as standard controllers, while those that are available to purchase from the console manufacturer or third-party offerings are considered peripheral controllers.[1]
One of the first video game controllers was a simple dial and single button, used to control the gameTennis for Two. Controllers have since evolved to includedirectional pads, multiple buttons,analog sticks,joysticks,motion detection,touch screens and a plethora of other features.
Game controllers have been designed and improved over the years to be as user friendly as possible. TheMicrosoft Xbox controller, with itsshoulder triggers that mimic actual triggers such as those found on guns, has become popular forshooting games.[2]
Before theseventh generation of video game consoles, plugging in a controller into one of a console's controller ports was the primary means of using a game controller, although since then they have been replaced by wireless controllers, which do not require controller ports on the console but arebattery-powered.USB game controllers could also be connected to acomputer with a USB port.
Input devices that have been classified as game controllers includekeyboards,mouses,gamepads, andjoysticks. Special purpose devices, such assteering wheels fordriving games and light guns forshooting games, are also game controllers. Some controllers are designed to be best for one type of game, such as steering wheels fordriving games, ordance pads for dancing games.
Agamepad, also known as a joypad, is held in both hands with thumbs and fingers used to provide input. Gamepads can have a number ofaction buttons combined with one or more omnidirectional control sticks or buttons. Action buttons are generally handled with the digits on the right hand, and the directional input handled with the left. Gamepads are the primary means of input on most modernvideo game consoles. Due to the ease of use and user-friendly nature of gamepads, they have spread from their origin on traditional consoles topersonal computers, where a variety of games and emulators support their input as a replacement forkeyboard andmouse input.[3] Most modern game controllers are a variation of a standard gamepad. Common additions include shoulder buttons placed along the edges of the pad, centrally placed buttons labeledstart,select, andmode, and an internal motor to providehaptic feedback.
As modern game controllers advance, so too do their user ability qualities. Typically, the controllers become smaller and more compact to more easily, and comfortably, fit within the user's hand. Modern examples can be drawn from systems such as the first Xbox console, whose controller has changed in a variety of ways from the originalXbox 360 controller to the Xbox One controller introduced in 2013.
Apaddle is a controller that features a round wheel and one or more fire buttons. The wheel is typically used to control movement of the player or of an object along one axis of the video screen. As the user turns the wheel further from the default position, the speed of control in the game become more intensive.
Paddle controllers were the first analog controllers and they lost popularity when "paddle and ball" type games fell out of favor. A variation, the Atari driving controller, appeared on theAtari 2600. Designed specifically for the gameIndy 500, it functioned almost identically in operation and design to the regular paddle controller. The exceptions were that its wheel could be continuously rotated in either direction, and that it was missing the extra paddle included on the previous model. Unlike a spinner, friction prevented the wheel from gaining momentum.
Ajoystick is aperipheral that consists of a handheld stick that can be tilted around either of two axes and (sometimes) twisted around a third. The joystick is often used forflight simulators.HOTAS (hands on throttle and stick) controllers, composed of a joystick and throttle quadrant (see below) are a popular combination for flight simulation among its most fanatic devotees.
Most joysticks are designed to be operated with the user's primary hand (e.g. with the right hand of a right-handed person), with the base either held in the opposite hand or mounted on a desk.Arcade controllers are typically joysticks featuring a shaft that has a ball or drop-shaped handle, and one or more buttons for in game actions. Generally the layout has the joystick on the left, and the buttons on the right, although there are instances when this is reversed.
Atrackball is a smooth sphere that is manipulated with the palm of one's hand. The user can roll the ball in any direction to control the cursor. It has the advantage that it can be faster than a mouse depending on the speed of rotation of the physical ball. Another advantage is that it requires less space than amouse, which the trackball was a precursor of. Notable uses of a Trackball as a gaming controller would be games such asCentipede,Marble Madness,Golden Tee Golf andSegaSonic the Hedgehog.
A throttle quadrant is a set of one or morethrottle levers that are most often used to simulate throttles or other similar controls in a real vehicle, particularly an aircraft. Throttle quadrants are most popular in conjunction with joysticks oryokes used in flight simulation.
Aracing wheel, essentially a larger version of a paddle, is used in mostracingarcade games as well as more recentracing simulators such asLive for Speed,Grand Prix Legends,GTR2, andRichard Burns Rally. While mostarcade racing games have been using steering wheels sinceGran Trak 10 in 1974,[4] steering wheels for home systems appeared onfifth-generation consoles such as thePlayStation andNintendo 64. Many areforce feedback (seeForce Feedback Wheel), designed to give the same feedback as would be experienced when driving a real car, but the realism of this depends on the game. They usually come with pedals to control the gas and brake. Shifting is taken care of in various ways including paddle shifting systems, simple stick shifters which are moved forward or back to change gears or more complex shifters which mimic those of real vehicles, which may also use a clutch. Some wheels turn only 200 to 270 degreeslock-to-lock but higher-tier models can turn 900 degrees, or 2.5 turns, lock-to-lock, or more. TheNamcoJogcon paddle was available for the PlayStation gameR4: Ridge Racer Type 4. Unlike "real" video game steering wheels, the Jogcon was designed to fit in the player's hand. Its much smaller wheel (diameter roughly similar to asoda can's) resembles the jog-and-shuttle control wheel used on someVCRs. TheWii gameMario Kart Wii is bundled with theWii Wheel: a steering wheel-shaped shell that theWii Remote is placed inside thus using the Wii Remote's motion sensing capabilities to control thekart during the game. Hori also has a steering wheel that is made for theNintendo 3DS gameMario Kart 7. When the steering wheel is placed on the back of the console, then it will have the same ability as inMario Kart Wii by using thegyroscope infirst-person mode.
Ayoke is very similar to a steering wheel except that it resembles the control yoke found on many aircraft and has two axes of movement: not only rotational movement about the shaft of the yoke, but also a forward-and-backward axis equivalent to that of pitch control on the yoke of an aircraft. Some yokes have additional controls attached directly to the yoke for simulation of aircraft functions such as radio push-to-talk buttons. Some flight simulator sets that include yokes also come with various other aircraft controls such as throttle quadrants and pedals.[5] These sets, including the yoke, are intended to be used in aflight simulator.
Pedals may be used for driving simulations or flight simulations and often ships with a steering-wheel-type input device.[6] In the former case, an asymmetric set of pedals can simulate accelerator, brake, and clutch pedals in a real automobile. In the latter case, a symmetric set of pedals simulates rudder controls and toe brakes in an aircraft. As mentioned, most steering wheel controllers come with a set of pedals. There are also variations of the pedal controller such as the proposed rotating pedal device for a cycling game, which relies on an ergometer to generate user inputs such as pedal rpm and pedal resistance.[7] A variation of this concept surfaced in 2016 when a startup called VirZoom debuted a set of sensors that can be installed in the pedal and handlebars, turning a physical bike into one controller for games on theHTC Vive andOculus Riftvirtual reality (VR) platforms.[8] The same concept is behind a product called Cyber ExerCycle,[9] which is a set of sensors attached to the pedal and connected to the PC viaUSB for bicycle simulation games such as NetAthlon andFuel.
Amouse andcomputer keyboard are typicalinput devices for apersonal computer and are currently the main game controllers forcomputer games. The mouse is often used with amousepad to achieve greater speed, comfort, accuracy and smoother movement for the gamer. Some video game consoles also have the ability to function with a keyboard and a mouse. The computer keyboard is modelled after thetypewriter keyboard and was designed for the input of written text. A mouse is a handheldpointing device used in addition to the keyboard. For games, the keyboard typically controls movement of the character while the mouse is used to control the game camera or used for aiming. While originally designed for general computer input, there are several keyboard and mouse peripherals available which are designed specifically for gaming, often with gaming-specific functions built-in. Examples include peripherals byRazer, the "Zboard" range of keyboards andLogitech's 'G' series. The numerickeypad found on the keyboard is also used as a game controller and can be found on a number of separate devices, most notably early consoles, usually attached to a joystick or a paddle. The keypad is a small grid of keys with at least the digits 0–9. AGaming keypad is a specialized controller used forFPSs,RTSs and some arcade type games. These controllers can be programmed to allow the emulation of keys, and macros in some cases. These generally resemble a small part of a keyboard but may also feature other inputs such asanalog sticks. They were developed because some of these games require a keyboard to play, and some players find this to be awkward for such a task. The mouse and keyboard input is also known by the abbreviation "MnK".[10]
Atouchscreen is an input device that allows the user to interact with the computer by touching the display screen. The first attempt at ahandheld game console with touchscreen controls was Sega's intended successor to theGame Gear, though the device was ultimately shelved and never released due to the high cost of touchscreen technology in the early 1990s.[11] The first released console to use a touchscreen was theTigergame.com in 1997. Nintendo popularized it for use in video games with theNintendo DS andNintendo 3DS; other systems including theTapwave Zodiac as well asSmartphones and the vast majority ofPDAs have also included this feature. The primary controller for Nintendo'sWii U console, theWii U GamePad, features an embedded touchscreen. Modern touch screens use a thin, durable, transparent plastic sheet overlaid onto a glass screen. The location of a touch is calculated from thecapacitance for the X and Yaxes, which varies based upon where the sheet is touched. One console that is touchscreen developed by Sony is thePlayStation Vita which has a 5-inch OLED touchscreen. TheNintendo Switch features a 6.2 inch touchscreen, whereas its successor, theNintendo Switch 2 features a 7.9 inch touchscreen.
Motion controllers include theSega Activator, released in 1993 for theMega Drive (Genesis). Based on the Light Harp invented by Assaf Gurner,[12] it could read the player's physical movements and was the first controller to allow full-body motion sensing. However, it was a commercial failure due to its "unwieldiness and inaccuracy".[13] Nintendo'sWii system released in 2006 utilizes theWii Remote controller, which usesaccelerometers to detect its approximate orientation and acceleration and an image sensor,[14] so it can be used as a pointing device. TheSixaxis,DualShock 3, andPlayStation Move controllers for Sony'sPlayStation 3 system have similar motion sensing capabilities. In 2007, peripheral developer Jason O. Johnson, head of Split Fish Gameware, introduced a first of its kind, disruptive, Dual Mouse/Motion Nunchuck Combo controller called "FragFx" to improve accuracy of FPS gaming on consoles.[15][16] In 2010, Microsoft released theKinect for theXbox 360. This motion sensing controller uses cameras to track a player's movement. Microsoft released a revised version of the Kinect with the launch of theXbox One. This controller was bundled with the console on launch, and was removed from the default bundle in June 2014. Sony'sEyeToy similarly uses cameras to detect the player's motions and translate them into inputs for the game. Controllers with gyroscopes may be used to create a pointer without a camera; for example theJoy-Con andNintendo Switch Pro Controller are used for this in games such as ports ofWorld of Goo andSuper Mario Galaxy from the Wii.[17][18]
An adaptive controller is collections of various input methods that can be combined in multiple ways to create a controller that works for the user. The adaptive controller was designed for people with physical disabilities that would prevent them from using a gamepad or mouse and keyboard. An example would be PlayStation's access controller which allows for a large joystick, eight buttons on a circular pad, and four ports to plug in additional buttons or accessories.[19] Xbox and Logitech have collaborated to make an adaptive controller with two large touch pads, a D-pad, three buttons, and 16 ports to plug in additional accessories. These accessories can include joysticks, pedals, triggers and buttons.[20]
Alight gun is a peripheral used to "shoot" targets on a screen. They usually roughly resemble firearms or ray guns. Their use is normally limited torail shooters, orshooting gallery games likeDuck Hunt and those which came with theShooting Gallery light gun. A rare example of a non-rail first person shooter game isTaito's 1992video gameGun Buster, afirst-person shooter that used ajoystick to move and a light gun toaim.[21] Though light guns have been used in earlierarcade games such asSega'sPeriscope in 1966[22] andMissile in 1969,[23] the first home console light gun was released for theMagnavox Odyssey in 1972; later on,Nintendo would include one standard on their Famicom andNES, called theNES Zapper. Nintendo has also released a "shell" in the style of a light gun for the more recentWii Remote called theWii Zapper which comes bundled with the gameLink's Crossbow Training.
Rhythm game accessories used forrhythm games can resemble musical instruments, such asguitars (from multi-button guitars inGuitar Freaks, theGuitar Hero series, and theRock Band series to real guitars inRock Band 3 andRocksmith),keyboards (Rock Band 3),drums (Donkey Konga,Drum Mania, theRock Band series and theGuitar Hero series), ormaracas (Samba de Amigo) have also seen some success in arcades and home consoles. Other rhythm games are based around the art of Djing orturntablism (DJ Hero), or playing asynthesizer (IIDX) using aturntable shaped peripheral with buttons.
Wireless versions of many popular controller types (joypads, mice, keyboards) exist, and wireless motion controls are an emerging class for virtual reality.
Althoughgamepads are generally developed for use with consoles, they are also often used forPC gaming andmobile gaming. Modern controllers, such as Sony'sDualShock 4/DualSense, Nintendo'sSwitch Pro Controller/Switch 2 Pro Controller and Valve'sSteam Controller, supportUSB andBluetooth, allowing them to be directly connected to most PCs. Oldergamepads can be connected through the use of official or third-party adapters. Controllers typically require the installation ofdevice drivers to be used on contemporarypersonal computers.[30] The device may be directly supported, or it may require the use of a specialized program which maps controller inputs to mouse and keyboard inputs. Examples of this kind of software include JoyToKey,[31] Xpadder,[32] and antimicro, which isfree, open-source, andcross-platform.[33][34]
Some controllers are specially designed for usage outside of consoles. In this case, support for mapping to different devices is built into the controller itself, such as with theNostromo SpeedPad n52, which can act as either akeyboard,mouse, or joystick; or with theSamsungAndroid GamePad andBackbone One, designed for use withAndroidmobile phones.
The usage of gamepads over the mouse and keyboard has been referred to as a debate, with players ofMMORPGs,RTS games, andfirst-person shooters tending to prefer the mouse and keyboard due to the wider variety of inputs and the high precision of the mouse when compared to ananalog stick.[35] Likewise, players ofracing games,fighting games, andaction RPGs tend to prefer controllers for their analog inputs and ergonomic button layouts.
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