Controller History
Gamepads, Joysticks, Joy Pad, etc… They go by many
names and came in various styles and sizes, but controllers have always been
the interface between the gamer and the game. They are the input devices that
accept gamer movements and manipulations, and convert it into data that the
console can interpret. Just like the consoles that they belong to, game
controllers have seen numerous evolutions.
Early 1970's (particularly Pong units), the controllers were knob style and
were built into the console deck. You were forced to play at the machine. The
knobs could be turned left or right, and were interpreted by the consoles as
onscreen up / down movement (or left / right movement in some games).
They soon created controllers that you could be held in your hand, but the
controller cords were hard wired into the console, and the cord length was
limited. The hard wired cords also forced gamers to have to turn in entire
consoles for repair if a controller became defective. Knobs were still popular
until the eventual arrival of the “Joystick”.
 Early
Controllers
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