Topic: Nintendo Wins an Emmy

[WindyMan]

Contrary to numerous reports, it's not for the Wii remote.

Nintendo Wins Emmy Award    

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has awarded Nintendo an   Emmy® Award for its invention of the plus-shaped D-pad, one in a long string   of Nintendo's controller innovations. The award was presented in recognition   of the technological achievement of the D-pad, which radically changed how   people interact with their video games and, by extension, their televisions.   Nintendo received the award in Las Vegas during the Technological &   Engineering Emmy Awards, which kicked off this week's Consumer Electronics   Show.    

The D-pad first debuted in the United States in 1985 on the controllers   for the Nintendo Entertainment System®, and has been standard on all video   games controllers ever since. The D-pad replaced joysticks and represented an   early example of how Nintendo was willing to shake up the status quo in the   search for a better gaming experience.    

"Nintendo has long been a pioneer in the way that people interact with   their games," said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. "Our   commitment to pushing the envelope continues today with our motion-sensitive   Wii Remote controllers, which again rewrite the rules. We are grateful for   this award and thank the academy for the honor."

[MarioAllStar]

I assume Sony got a similar award for the PSP's square button.

In all seriousness, Nintendo has done a lot for the video game industry. Just about every one of their controllers introduced something new.

Game and Watch / NES = D-pad
SNES = shoulder buttons
N64 = analog stick
GameCube = "clicky" analog shoulder buttons
Wii = pointer, motion sensing
Virtual Boy = Dual D-pad
Select GameBoy cartridges = tilt sensing

Correct me if I am wrong, but Nintendo was the first to implement the above into a home gaming machine, or at least a mainstream one (e.g., there were various motion controlled gaming machines before the Wii, mainly dedicated sports simulations, but they don't really count a full-on gaming consoles).

[MegaByte]

Add rumble to N64 and wireless to the GC.  And yes, most of the things were done before in some sense, but never gained popularity until Nintendo (re)introduced them.

[Kairon]

I personally don't count clicky triggers, as they haven't caught on and been used well quite rarely.

But Nintendo also has loads of other videogame innovations and contributions in fields other than control input.

~Carmine "Cai" M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

[Pryopizm]

This is kinda like getting a trophy for "Everybody gets a trophy day."

[IceCold]

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Add rumble to N64 and wireless to the GC. And yes, most of the things were done before in some sense, but never gained popularity until Nintendo (re)introduced them.

Well, it wasn't wireless - some controllers had been using IR before, but the WaveBird used RF signals so you didn't need to point at the receiver and the range was amazing.

Apparently, the NES controller shared the award with the DualShock 2. I don't think I need to rant again about that damn controller.

[wandering]

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Game and Watch / NES = D-pad

Speaking of the Game and Watch....

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The D-pad first debuted in the United States in 1985 on the controllers for the Nintendo Entertainment System®, and has been standard on all video games controllers ever since.

It seems Sony isn't the only one who lies on press releases about Emmys! (emmies? emmy awards?)