Controller (video games)

A game controller (gamepad in English) is an input device used to interact with a video game either on a console or on a computer. The controller allows you to move and interact with the elements of the game to carry out the various actions necessary to meet the objectives that can be viewed thanks to a screen or television.

Mandos designed for Xbox One and Playstation 4.

The creation of the first controller was accompanied by the development of the first video game console in the 1960s, the first console to have a controller was the NES. The development of an electronic entertainment system based on interactive images on a television created the need for a device through which this interaction will be achieved. Thus Ralph Baer, creator of the first video game system, accompanied his creation, the Odyssey console, with a pair of joysticks (joystick) for the game between two participants. The modern D-pad design was developed by Gunpei Yokoi for the Game & Watch Donkey Kong. This particular design was patented and later garnered a Technology and Engineering Emmy Award.

Mando designed for the Nintendo 64.

Controllers were originally born for consoles in the form of a lever, but when videogames reached personal computers, they also became an essential device like the same keyboard or mouse. A controller is characterized by being a board that can carry buttons, triggers, levers (usually two) or crossheads that can be analog or digital, each element designed for a specific function in the game.

Since the release of the Dual Shock, in 1998, (second version of the PlayStation controller) controllers called in that way were used for that console; So until recently, the PlayStation 4 used the DualShock 4. And with the new generation of consoles, the DualSense is currently used, from the current PlayStation 5

There was also a gamepad revolution in 2012, thanks to the new Wii U (Nintendo) controller, which incorporates a 6.2-inch touchscreen, plus NFC technology and a sensor bar, allowing it to simulate the look of a laptop.

Other game control devices

• Video Game Controller
• Command lever
• Light Gun
• Palanca