Topic: Analog stick history?

[bowwman]

Who made the first console analog stick? ... I had always thought Nintendo did with the N64 ... am I wrong?

--BoWWman--

[Savior]

Ninty had the analog stick on its N64... then Sega followed suit on the Nights/Saturn and Sony as well

[bowwman]

Ah ... so I was right .. the Big N was first ... theres a dude here at work who said that sega came out with one for the genesis ...for some game ...

--Bowwman--

[IceCold]

Nintendo invented the analogue stick...but failed to protect it from being copied - therefore all the others followed suit. Hopefully, if the Revolution controller or anything about it is as innovative as the analogue stick, they protect it well

[KDR_11k]

Of course that whole patenting bullshit prevents us from getting the perfect system in the near future because all features are patented by different companies.

[Talon]

Nintendo was definately the first company to use the analog stick straight out of the box with the N64. Nintendo have innovated the video game industry countless times but the industry cant continue to evolve if they stop their competitors from using any technology that has a hint of resemblence to something they have created. Its a really touchy subject, though I'd love to see Nintendo on top again I still want there to be a Sony and a Microsoft to keep Nintendo on their toes and to continue to innovate and reinvent the industry not regain the arrogance they flaunted in the SNES era.

[Stimutacs Addict]

yea but do you think nintendo would conduct business arrogantly if they got back on top? I'd figure they would be much more modest after 6 yrs of oppression (actually when i phrase it like that im not so sure)

[IceCold]

And besides, I'd rather Nintendo be on top than be a third party developer

[JDMJOSH]

Nintendo didnt invent the analog stick.  god your all so dumb.  guess no here has ever heard of atari

[PaLaDiN]

Of course, with your superior intellect, I'm sure you knew the difference between an analog stick and a joystick and just pretended to post something stupid for a lark.

[darknight06]

The Atari 5200 actually used an analog joystick for it's games.  Kaboom was one of the games that used it extensively on the 5200 as a way to get around the fact that there was no paddle on it. I think Breakout was on it too. The technology itself was really old, it's just that it never got any real huge use on a home console until the N64.  By the way those comments were really uncalled for.  Not everybody was playing videogames in their cribs during the Atari era and even fewer probably even have a clue as to what the Atari 5200 even was the way that system tanked.   I can see why most might not have known that, but hey we live and learn right?

Oh, and about the whole arrogant Nintendo deal back then, keep in mind who was running the company at that time.    

[Talon]

Quote
do you think nintendo would conduct business arrogantly if they got back on top?

I wasnt suggesting that if they regained their number one position they would be arrogant, what I meant is if they do get it back dont have the arrogant attitiude they had in the SNES era. I do understand the Yamuachi is not president anymore but he still has some input in the direction the company is headed whether it be suggestions or not.

The arrogant attitude seems to be a common trend with the market leader just look at recent statements made by Ken Kutaragi "The PSP is the most beautiful thing ever created".  The arrogance is spawned by a feeling of invincibility while your on top but if Ken Kutaragi pulled his head out of his arse he would realise that SONY's enormous market share is not going to increase but decrease in the next generation and quite possibly be overtaken by Nintendo and Microsoft.

So if Nintendo did manage to gain an increased market share becoming number one, I hope they stay down to earth and not get caught up in their own hype.

[darknight06]

Thing is though, they'll probably never be in a position in the industry like that again no matter what happens unless Sony and MS were to just vanish off the face of the earth which ain't happening.

[09n]

Nintendo might never get back on top but I doubt it will ever go third party. It will always be there driving the market with new inovations (gimmicks to Sony and microsoft fanboys) plus its games like ledgend of Zelda will just about keep it aflout. What do ya think is happening now?

[AgentSeven]

Ah, yet another one of Nintendo's inventions that Sony picked up, and spat on. Too bad they won't even be around anymore by the time Nintendo Revolution is out!! LMAO

[Ages]

Quote
Originally posted by: darknight06
The Atari 5200 actually used an analog joystick for it's games.  Kaboom was one of the games that used it extensively on the 5200 as a way to get around the fact that there was no paddle on it. I think Breakout was on it too. The technology itself was really old, it's just that it never got any real huge use on a home console until the N64.  By the way those comments were really uncalled for.  Not everybody was playing videogames in their cribs during the Atari era and even fewer probably even have a clue as to what the Atari 5200 even was the way that system tanked.   I can see why most might not have known that, but hey we live and learn right?

Oh, and about the whole arrogant Nintendo deal back then, keep in mind who was running the company at that time.

I highly doubt the Atari 5200 had an analog joystick.  In all probablility, the system used a digital stick like many of the arcade games of the time had used.  The technology would just be too expensive at the time to implement it in such a primitive system.

I dont think Nintendo INVENTED the analog stick, however they applied it in a cost effective way no company had before, therefore, many assume that the company invented it because it was the first game console to have one.

[darknight06]

No, trust me, it was actually analog.

A little history on the Atari 5200:

The 5200 shared much of it's architecture with the Atari 400/800 computers.  However, it featured a different cartridge connector and completely different input device.  It's was a non-centering analog joystick that allowed for full 360 rotation.  It also featured a keypad and had a pause button.  While it was innovative for its time, it was also very unpratical and didn't work for everything.   Pole Position was actually quite good with this joystick, but Pac-Man played like crap cuz the game was only 4 way and this thing had a time detecting those 4 ways.  Needless to say, while Atari did have it first, Nintendo perfected it much later.
 
WOW, AM I THAT OLD?!  ouch...

[PaLaDiN]

Nintendo didn't perfect the analog joystick, they invented the analog stick. The one you control with your thumb and not your fist.

[darknight06]

Point taken, but the whole concept of analog whether stick or joysitck was on a home console beforehand, that's the only thing I'm trying to straighten out here.  

[Cleon_I]

Analog joysticks were nothing new and certainly nothing revolutionary, even in the days of Atari.  It's just a couple of potentiometers hooked up to Analog-to-Digital converters.  They've been used in various control systems for ages.  The N64's innovation was to make them small enough to be operated by thumb and cheap enough to be included in the basic controller, thereby making the transition from 2D to 3D that much easier for gamers who grew up with the D-pad.

[Gamefreak]

Speaking of the Dpad, that's something Nintendo definitely did invent, and others slapped their foreheads for not thinking of that.

[bowwman]

So I guess, nintendo did come up with the analog "stick" per say? not the technology of course, but the whole idea for using it as a thumb stick? .. lets hope that the Revolution will make the new standard of how we play games ....

--BoWWman--