Session 2

Controller Evolution:

Question 1

How has the evolution of the standard controller affected the gameplay of console based games? Give examples for major changes in controller design.

Controler Timeline: HERE

The Controllers of today have come far since the Atari 2600 controller from 1997, they have mainly evolved to give the gamer as much control over the game they’re playing as possible, they have also evolved because of advances in game technology.

The most obvious changes are the shape and ergonomics of the controller, controllers of today usually have two scrolls, which are needed for controlling characters in a 3D environment, one scroll for moving your character about the playing field, the other for moving the camera about.

Usually the left scroll is used for character movement, the right for camera movement, this is the default scroll layout, I’ve yet to see a game that uses the scrolls (default settings) being the reverse layout.

3D environments being a thing of today, back in 1997 there wasn’t many three dimensional games (if any), so although the controller is basic, it worked for the games of its time, games such as pong.

But I can see that they have mainly evolved for specific types of games, and user friendliness.

Question 2

Choose one gaming peripheral (Non standard controller). Explain the difference in feedback that these peripherals offer players as opposed to standard controllers in games. Give examples of these.

ps3 controller wheel

Here we have a handheld controller and a wheel controller.

The idea of the wheel controller is that the player is drawn more into the game as well as giving the player more control over the game. The difference is that the PlayStation controller is universal, meaning it can be used for every game available on the PlayStation platform. The wheel is designed for a specific type of game, “racing/driving” games.

If or when you get used to using the wheel controller, you will be able to perform a lot better in racing games because the controller layout is tailored to represent real life driving.

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