Improvements in Gaming Controllers Technology
Overtime the technology to allow players to play different video games and consoles have vastly changed. With time moving forward so does the advancements and changes of how gamers play today. All of the controllers moving toward a more interactive and comfortable way to play games and consoles. During this article I will go over the vast changes to the controllers of gaming over the years and what is to come in the near future.
Original Controllers
On the left is what to be known as the worlds first ever video game controller. This controller was attached to the console called the Odyssey. Only having two knobs on the side of the box looking controller is what players would use to control the images on the box tv’s back in 1967.
This Console and controller being a later version of consoles by Nintendo was a very small improvement to the gaming controllers was definitely more interactive than the odyssey because of the more buttons and directional pad. This console and controller was released in 1985. Improvements came slow but did improve.Newer
Newer Technology and Controllers
Moving years ahead of the original controllers, the most popular and vastly used controllers today are the Xbox and PS4 controllers. These controller both include two triggers, two bumpers, a d-pad, 4 buttons, two joysticks, start button, and a menu button. What all of these buttons have allowed for gaming has had a huge effect on what games can be made and what can be done with them. Fortnite for example lets players completely customize the bindings of the buttons and compete against each-other with whatever is most comfortable for that certain person. Thus supporting the massive change in controllers over the years. The difference between the Xbox controllers and the PS4 controllers being the menu and size of the controllers.
Xbox
The Xbox controller in comparison to the PS4 controller being a lot larger to hold and heavier as well. In the middle section of the controller you see the two black buttons for the pause and start. Also in the middle at the top is the home button which takes players back to the main Xbox dashboard. The Xbox controller consist of all the things necessary for the console and in my personal opinion is more comfortable to play with then PS4 controllers.
PS4
The PS4 controller in comparison to the xbox controller is clearly a lot slimmer and lighter. In the middle of the controller consist of a newer addition to recent controllers. The touch pad in the middle had never been done before the PS4 was released and is used in unique situations and in games. My reasoning for believing that the Xbox controller is more comfortable than the PS4 controller is because what this controller causes is an uncomfortable reach from your thumbs and index finger to the main four buttons on the right. It also feel very small in your hands and isn't comfortable in my opinion. These two controllers currently are the most used gaming controllers for consoles all around the world and that is why the comparison is necessary. Lots of people pick sides on what they would like to use and what is more comfortable to the players. The PS4 community being larger than the Xbox community in comparison to sales, it goes to show that the PS4 controller could be more widely preferred.
Paddles
Both controllers recently have had an upgrade by multiple outside companies that make custom controllers. These companies being Scuf Controllers and other small companies. What they do is put modifications on the back of the controllers to create more buttons to be used for the fingers that aren’t doing anything on the regular controllers. Why this is a improvement is because it allows players to be able to push the main buttons without taking there thumbs off the joysticks, which are considered and used as the main way of mobility in games. Lot of competitive players use these controllers for an advantage over the players that do not have the access to the easier to use controllers and modifications.
Future Controllers
In the near future the technology for controllers is becoming more unique and realistic. The name for the picture above is the Oculus Rift. What the Oculus provides is a first person gaming experience where the user puts on the headset and plays the game with a 360 field of vision and is essentially in the game. This is very new and unique technology and could be used in a million different ways. Whether it's going down a roller coaster or skydiving the possibilities for what the controller and headset could do are basically endless. The two objects on the sides of the headset are what the player holds in both hands. The player would then use this to implement there hand motions into the game for another endless amount of possibilities. The Oculus Rift will pave the way for the new generation of gaming in the future because of its differences against all of the competitors and its own uniqueness. Allowing players to be able to play the game through a controller is one thing, but allowing players to be in the game through a headset and the controllers as one is a game changer for all of gaming.
As time goes on the amount of technology in gaming will only become better. Games will become more realistic and more fun to play with the newer and better controllers. Starting with the Odyssey controller to the Oculus Rift controller in that short amount of time, try to imagine the amount of games and how different they will be played in the near future.
