The Nintendo 64 gamepad. The Wiimote. The Joy-Cons. When it comes to controllers, Nintendo has never shied away from devising wild and unique ideas for their devices. That's why it got rather interesting during the latest shareholder's meeting, where Nintendo was asked about their thoughts for the future of gaming controllers.

Looking at this year's E3, it seems like the mainstream for video games is the same as it has been for the past 30 years, namely, looking at the screen and playing with controller in hand. How do developers regard this, and do they think it will continue?

Nintendo's supervisor of business development, Shinya Takahashi, responded by saying Nintendo has been innovating how people play games, with titles like 1-2-Switch, and the Nintendo Labo VR kits.

We are always dreaming up new things. For example, for 1-2-Switch, the first game released for Nintendo Switch, we suggested that people play by looking at each other and not at the screen. And for VR, we thought about how we could change not just the controller but also the gameplay itself, and came up with the Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 04: VR Kit. The software exhibited at this year's E3 just happened to be mostly the type that is played with controller in hand, looking at the screen. However, I think you can see from the software we've created that we are always trying out new ideas.

Shigeru Miyamoto then took the opportunity to reply, stating that Nintendo has set industry trends for decades, with the advent of the original D-pad and analog stick for the NES and N64 respectively. He also says that Nintendo is in the process of creating a controller that surpasses the current design of the Joy-Cons, and can be used with ease, making for something to set the standard for the next generation of systems.

Nintendo was the first to create the style of playing video games with a plus-shaped directional pad and additional buttons, which has now become the industry standard. It was also Nintendo that changed the original plus-shaped directional pad, which operated digitally in eight directions, into the first analog input device that moves freely in all directions for Nintendo 64. This, too, is now common. We are proud to have created a variety of user interfaces that have now become industry standards.

And, as of now, in terms of accuracy and reliability, I believe this style is the clear winner. At the same time, I also believe that we should quickly graduate from the current controller, and we are attempting all kinds of things. Our objective is to achieve an interface that surpasses the current controller, where what the player does is directly reflected on the screen, and the user can clearly feel the result. This has not been achieved yet. We have tried all kinds of motion controllers, but none seem to work for all people. As the company that knows the most about controllers, we have been striving to create a controller that can be used with ease, and that will become the standard for the next generation.

Source (Q13)

 

[Bladexdsl]

they just need to remake the wavebird that's all it will take

 

[MarkDarkness]

Why not f# recall or issue a version of the JoyCon with an analog pad that does not self-destruct in less than a year? Would be cool huh...

 

[Justeego]

Hot take: Gamecube controller is comfy, but button layout is kinda horrible

Like I said before GCC layout is ok, it's not the best but far from terrible.
my experience:
NES:ok it's the first, credit for inventing dpad
SNES: the peak of the Nintendo golden age, refinement and perfection of digital control
N64: design is horrible, still has the credit of pioneering analog stick, low quality stick didn't age well
GCC: design is right, analog stick on top is very good and a step forward compared to Sony, analog triggers are nice, layout is ok. The problem here is the lack of buttons, Dual Analog during previous generation did set the bar, why there is not left shoulder button? Only one start button?
Wii: I see what they were looking for, they achieved it, the problem here is still the lack of buttons (the use of motions to replace buttons is the worst thing could happen and people still hate motion controls to this day because of this) and the worst offender is the lack of right stick, this limited gameplay too much.
Wii Classic/Classic Pro: why did I need to connect them to wiimote? Ok they are cheap to produce but I'd like a premium controller with Bluetooth, IR and motion controls included
Wii U: bulky, heavy and distracting (while fun to watch gamepad it's distracting)
Wii U Pro Controller: very good, the best Nintendo Controller out there, wtf why no motion controls? (Splatoon)
Joycon: very nice for a portable device, very nice to split them and play coop (very good if buy handles), feels like a cheap Chinese controller when playing dock, soon or later all sticks develop drifting
Switch Pro Controller: very good, the best Nintendo Controller out there, why the company that invented dpad had made the worst one ever?

 

[pedro702]

Nintendo suck when it comes to controllers.

N64: Crap analogue that youd be afraid to even touch it without it getting slacker than a hookers minge.
CUBE; Actually good controller to hold, but having the octagon shape around your analogues never gave it that smooth 360 control and feel
WIIMOTE: Worse controller ever, old inferior tech, failed to do what nintendo promised (tho one game i knew of did)
WIIU PAD: Another shit controller, too big, bulky
SWITCH: cheap crap, ive gone through 3 pairs of these already because they dont attach to the tablet properly and the control goes haywire.

yes nintendo are known for always changing shit, but rule is, if its not broke then dont fucking fix it.

nintendo should look at setting standards for its next gen console not some bullshit gimmick controller.

interesting how you just choose to forget the good ones...

+nes controller was great for its day

+Snes controller was amazing it even added shoulder buttons and 6 buttons controller right of the bat on home console was amazing.

-n64 was crap hands down sure it was the first to have the analog stick we all got nowadays but you couldnt acess all of the buttons at any time unless you had 3 hands, sure they hanted like diferent style controlls like arcade and such but its only good thing imo was the analog stick that brook ery easily too.

+Gc controller is one of the best there is a reason that every console got gc adapters after the gc, to this day the gc contoller still fells better in my hands than any ps or xbox controllers, if it had 4 standard shoulder buttons imo nintendo should have made it their standard one

-wiimote sucked big time yes and the nunchucks and such were crap.

+/- wii classic controller/classip pro controller i mean classic one was great for old shool games with the big dpad and round small shape but crap for modern games while classic pro was decent overal but very poor stick values and lost analog triggers.

+/-wiiu gamepad awnful batery life and bulky, but i still use it to this day to play any wiiugame like handheld and i like it so im thorn here.

+wiiu pro controller, altough both analogs are on top this controller is great, amazing dpad confortable to hold and a massive 80 hours battery life, you cant compete with that.

+/- switch joycons i mean in portable mode they do what they are suposed to do imo, and the ability to do 2 players on a go is good but yeah they can be improved but they arent awnful, on docked mode they are preety crapy tough the grip and joycons just dont look or feel very good imo

+switch pro controller filled with tech from hd rumble, gyro, good batery life, good to hold, i mean i dont know anyone who ever said anything bad about this one ever excpt from being pricey i guess.


So yeah nintendo did some great ones
nes,snes,Gc,wiiu pro and switch pro

some bad
n64,wiimote+nunchuck

and some that have their ups and downs
wiiu gamepad,wii classic controller/pro.

overal they did better good ones than bad ones, and for the wiiu and switch the pro controllers works in almost 99% of the games of the system and mitigate the default ones fails imo.

 

[Edgarska]

Just make the Wii U Pro controller again and give it analog triggers.

 

[pedro702]

Just make the Wii U Pro controller again and give it analog triggers.

great one but i think switch pro is better , but for me the cube controller remade with 4 shoulder buttons and 2 actual analog sticks would kick its ass

 

[StupidGamer1]

Woah, someone's salty... Well first of all, the GCN controller. The octagon shape was actually pretty nice. You always knew which direction you were going. It was very handy on some games. The Wiimote. I don't see why you're calling it bad when it was designed for motion in mind. That's why there's the classic controller or using the GCN controllers for games that didn't require the Wiimote. The Wii U Gamepad. Yeah, that was... Meh. Didn't mind it much but they could've done better. The Switch Joycons. Nothing is wrong with them. Are you looking after them properly? I always put them in my Switch once I'm done with them. You could've saved a lot of money just by getting the parts that are faulty. (Analog sticks mostly being the culprit.) I'm still using the joy-cons that came with the console. Which was on launch day. March 3rd 2017 and I've only had to replace my analog sticks once. Never had a problem with attaching them.

Pay no mind to this poster. All he ever does is whine and complain about Nintendo,their systems,games,hardware etc. Retro boy also feels Sony and Mircrosoft is flawless about everything in every way. Feels they have no faults..according to him anyway. Retro boy also fails to see that Sony and Microsoft fail to do anything different and play it safe. Nintendo at least tries to do something different. Now, that statement makes me look like a fan boy. Seeing how I am a PC dominant gamer, I have respect for the switch for what it does which is bring gaming everywhere and anywhere with you. Sure battery life leaves a LOT of be desired but if you get a nice enough power bank you can achieve 6 hours or more depending on the amount of battery can hold in terms of power. In closing,Retro boy's opinion is his own and holds little to no merit and PC beats the living $*(t out his precious soyny (censorship happy) with their RIP OFF wii mote speaker and RIP off track pad. PC/Switch is my choice for gaming. That's all.

 

[wiindsurf]

Controllers are human interface devices where comfort and familiarity play a crucial role. Noone wants to learn how a keyboard and mouse work everytime they sit in front of a new computer from a different manufacturer. I just want to have the same comfortable interaction with a comfortable controller from my comfortable couch and please leave me alone.
Sure innovativion is great, and the Wii remote did great things, but I personally think the Wii would have been an even greater success with an even wider uptake by both players and dev companies if they had simply included a classic controller in the box? Surely it wouldn't have cost them much and it would have given the Wii the best of both worlds.
By not including one, they were trying to make a statement that the Wii was different, yet failing to realise there is a section of the gaming market who doesn't want "different" and that's not gonna change no matter how much candy you throw at them.
Nintendo unfortunately tries so hard to innovate it sometimes becomes blind to the beauty in the simpler and familiar things...

 

[pedro702]

Controllers are human interface devices where comfort and familiarity play a crucial role. Noone wants to learn how a keyboard and mouse work everytime they sit in front of a new computer from a different manufacturer. I just want to have the same comfortable interaction with a comfortable controller from my comfortable couch and please leave me alone.
Sure innovativion is great, and the Wii remote did great things, but I personally think the Wii would have been an even greater success with an even wider uptake by both players and dev companies if they had simply included a classic controller in the box? Surely it wouldn't have cost them much and it would have given the Wii the best of both worlds.
By not including one, they were trying to make a statement that the Wii was different, yet failing to realise there is a section of the gaming market who doesn't want "different" and that's not gonna change no matter how much candy you throw at them.
Nintendo unfortunately tries to so hard to innovate making it sometimes blind to the beauty in the simpler and familiar things...

well the wii oustold ps3 and xbox360 so techneically they were right lol it made them win that console war even tough the console is full of shovelware, no hd and so on.

 

[DANTENDO]

Pay no mind to this poster. All he ever does is whine and complain about Nintendo,their systems,games,hardware etc. Retro boy also feels Sony and Mircrosoft is flawless about everything in every way. Feels they have no faults..according to him anyway. Retro boy also fails to see that Sony and Microsoft fail to do anything different and play it safe. Nintendo at least tries to do something different. Now, that statement makes me look like a fan boy. Seeing how I am a PC dominant gamer, I have respect for the switch for what it does which is bring gaming everywhere and anywhere with you. Sure battery life leaves a LOT of be desired but if you get a nice enough power bank you can achieve 6 hours or more depending on the amount of battery can hold in terms of power. In closing,Retro boy's opinion is his own and holds little to no merit and PC beats the living $*(t out his precious soyny (censorship happy) with their RIP OFF wii mote speaker and RIP off track pad. PC/Switch is my choice for gaming. That's all.

I can see you crying when last of us 2 is released

 

[Edgarska]

great one but i think switch pro is better , but for me the cube controller remade with 4 shoulder buttons and 2 actual analog sticks would kick its ass

I don't really like the Switch Pro, I prefer the top symmetric sticks of the Wii U Pro. The size was also perfect for my hands.

 

[StupidGamer1]

I can see you crying when last of us 2 is released

I hated the first one,what makes you think I'll like the 2nd game?

 

[DANTENDO]

I hated the first one,what makes you think I'll like the 2nd game?

I don't want to go off topic in this thread but don't be a sony hater as they hav done wonders since the ps1 days

 

[skullskullskull]

I thought the semi modular wii controller was a neat idea. It gave devs more flexibility with input devices and was a great way to transition to wireless controllers, especially for old people. You had one thing that you paired with the wii once and then just plugged stuff into that.

Did not like that the lack of buttons and everything having motion controls because of the lack of buttons though.

 

[gbAlfei]

Nintendo suck when it comes to controllers.

N64: Crap analogue that youd be afraid to even touch it without it getting slacker than a hookers minge.
CUBE; Actually good controller to hold, but having the octagon shape around your analogues never gave it that smooth 360 control and feel
WIIMOTE: Worse controller ever, old inferior tech, failed to do what nintendo promised (tho one game i knew of did)
WIIU PAD: Another shit controller, too big, bulky
SWITCH: cheap crap, ive gone through 3 pairs of these already because they dont attach to the tablet properly and the control goes haywire.

yes nintendo are known for always changing shit, but rule is, if its not broke then dont fucking fix it.

nintendo should look at setting standards for its next gen console not some bullshit gimmick controller.

The point isn't that they make the best controllers, but rather that when they change something, they change it. The big changes that they've made have all stayed in the industry. The N64's analog stick, the NES' D-Pad, the SNES' shoulder buttons, the Wii's motion controlled gaming, in a way. Also, how have you gone through three pairs of joycons? I've only gone through a single joycon and that was because my dog chewed it to pieces

 

[StupidGamer1]

I don't want to go off topic in this thread but don't be a sony hater as they hav done wonders since the ps1 days

keep believing that *claps* sony fanboys are such cancer *rolls eyes*

 

[UltraDolphinRevolution]

Wiimote is the best due to the pointer.

 

[jt_1258]

I honestly don't get why people liked the Playstation controllers. They were awkward to hold and the sticks were not comfortable. The gamecube controller is easily the most comfortable one to hold. The button layout makes sense if you consider the fact that not every game consistently utilizes all four face buttons. Unless you play a ton of tony hawk..

tbh, if if I had to choose between the controllers available in the gen I would pick xbox's controller despite not like the xbox at all. perticularly cause it's the same as the modern standard ninetendo controller. I prefer it over the dual shock do to the button placement. I do however swing more towards nintendo's controllers as the accept and cancel buttons feel backwards on the other controllers

 

[piratesephiroth]

Only good Nintendo controller is the GCN.

Nope, it's the worst of all. It's good for playing Smash Bros and nothing else.

NES and SNES are good for their time.

Those were the absolute best for their time.

 

[FAST6191]

[NES and SNES]
Those were the absolute best for their time.

Among the mainstream I would probably take a 6 button megadrive one over the SNES offering. Outside the mainstream then there were devices with microswitched controllers. Going back earlier for my C64 I had a nice joystick pad thing that was great.

Similarly if we are doing for the time then we presumably get to also include arcades and that makes beating even more likely.