The PlayStation controller was almost a flat SNES like controller without the now iconic protruding grips, it's been revealed.
Teiyu Goto, a designer who has worked on every PlayStation console to date, told Famitsu the story of how the PlayStation controller came to be.
"The Super NES was a huge hit at the time, and naturally we wanted SNES gamers to upgrade to our system," Goto said.
"That's why the management department didn't want the controller to be a radical departure, they said it had to be a standard type of design, or gamers wouldn't accept it."
But Goto ignored management's request for a flat pad and came up with a design that had grips on both ends.
He showed it to Norio Ohga, Sony's president at the time, who liked the grips according to Goto.
"Management", however, still didn't like Goto's crazy ideas:
"They told me that the grip design was simply no good, that gamers wouldn't like it," Goto said.
"We did wind up switching to a flatter controller design, and that survived all the way to the point where it was time to start making molds."
But when Goto came to do a presentation in front of Norio Ohga with the flat controller, the Sony pres hit the roof.
"Ohga was totally livid at me, 'This is no good! Change it! What was wrong with what you showed me earlier?'" Goto said.
"It was a huge boost for me, him saying that in front of everybody -- it made me feel like I had it right all along."
As for the X, circle, square, triangle combination that's become a PlayStation trademark now, it wasn't random at all. In fact, you might say it was needlessly over thought:
"Other game companies at the time assigned alphabet letters or colours to the buttons. We wanted something simple to remember, which is why we went with icons or symbols," said Goto.
"I came up with the triangle, circle, X, square combination immediately afterwards. I gave each symbol a meaning and a color."
"The triangle refers to viewpoint; I had it represent one's head or direction and made it green."
"Square refers to a piece of paper; I had it represent menus or documents and made it pink."
The circle and X represent 'yes' or 'no' decision-making and I made them red and blue respectively."
That explains the reversal of convention in Japanese developed games when it comes to using X to select and circle to go back then.
I'm sure quite a few people around the world will be wondering why they've said 'nearly'.
It is a SNES controller, with a few superficial changes...
The entire Playstation project stemmed from the ill-fated Nintendo/Sony SNES CD add-on, and they modified the designs from that baseline into the eventual Playstation console and controller.
The boomerang has returned! (But thankfully only in image form)
Yea, I don't think it would be too fun to play with a controller like that. It definitely wouldn't work for Super Street Fighter 4. I can't use a d-pad which looks like that!
In a way, I'm glad Sony stuck with the PS2 styled controllers, but the finger sliding back triggers could still do with a good sorting out.
At least 360's are curved inwards, stopping any chances of your fingers sliding off of it! It's just a shame Sony couldn't have done the same.
I didn't realise there was a meaning behind the buttons. Makes sense now. I always thouhgt using shapes was a bit crap really (X and O are obviously okay). Easier to identify single letters and say them out aloud quickly as opposed to Triangleand Square, Cross and Circle (X and O but I always said Cross and Circle)... Silly me
Very interesting! It's nice to see the two things I think Sony were genuinely innovative with on their original controller design being highlighted, namely the "handles" and the symbols on the buttons. I don't think Sony get the credit they deserve for those features.
The handles make controllers much easier to hold (and every subsequent console from every company has had handles, excluding the original Wii Classic Controller... which has since been revised with handles). So Sony should pat themselves on the back for popularising the idea.
I also really like the symbols on the pads. If you look at a SNES pad, a Dreamcast pad and an Xbox pad, none of them have the same colours for each button and the lettering is also different between Nintendo and MS/Sega. All of which makes it very hard when doing QTEs in a game. With a Sony pad I know which button to press instantly thanks to the symbols.
That said, the rest of Sony's joypad designs have been pretty derivative. They didn't add analogue or rumble until Nintendo popularised the feature, they only added SIXAXIS tilt to emulate the Wii. It seems Sony take whatever the competitor is doing and double it, e.g.
-Four L and R buttons instead of the two on the SNES -Two analogue sticks instead of the one on the N64 -Two rumble motors instead of the one on the N64
They were also late to the party with wireless controllers and analogue triggers (and their analogue triggers are really awful thanks to the shape).
So it will be interesting to see if Sony can genuinely innovate with Move or if it's going to be another case of copying the competition. I'm hoping with the PS4 they really try to innovate something new (but preferably not something waggle related).
That was really interesting though I wish Sony had kept the R2 and L2 triggers from ps2 controllers. I have already had 2 ps3 controllers that have had the R2 and L2 triggers broken.
Sony why couldn't you have just copied microsoft at least for the triggers.
At least 360's are curved inwards, stopping any chances of your fingers sliding off of it! It's just a shame Sony couldn't have done the same.
yeah i know what you mean,i feel SONY have messed up when it comes to the triggers
if you look at both the PS3 and 360 controllers from the side(side view on)...you see that the triggers on the PS3 controllers go back too much of an angle
while the 360 triggers go back to just a bit of an angle..my fingers don't actually slide off,or game breaking in anyway,but it does make it less comfortable IMO anyway...i prefer DS2 over DS3
but that said,if the 360 controller had a decent D-Pad i would crown that as king
The 360 pad and dualshock are basically the same. I think I prefer 360 for the triggers but I'm happy with either. I'm surprised nobodies showed up to preach mouse and keyboard yet.
its actually one of the things that made me sell my x box. Shoulder buttons on the x box are useless for streetfighter. I just cant use it. On the other hand It was great for driving games due to the triggers. I think sony have had the controller right from day one. Great all rounder.
The playstation WAS a snes when it first started. It was gonna be teh Nintendo-Sony Playstation and either a snes add on liek the mega cd or a new console with backwards compatability (if i remember) at the time tho nintendo dropped the deal with Sony as they didnt believe cds were a suitable medium for gaming and they went on to use cartridges again for the N64 and they sold sum gaming rights to phillips for the cd-i.
Sony deceided to carry on with the work they had done and eventually released the Playstation.
"as long as it dosnt look or feel anything like the xbox controller ill be happy**.
**Not a fanboy
P.S. Xbox $UCK$"
No your not a fanboy...just a tit.
I'd take the 360 pad over the PS pad any day, cheap little plastic piece of crap.....the PS pad ruined Heavy Rain for me. For once I agree with SVD I always have to check the PS buttons...never have to with the 360, colours always win over symbols...thats why we have Red, Amber and green traffic lights, the human brain processes bright colour identification faster than text/symbols.
I'm surprised nobodies showed up to preach mouse and keyboard yet.
Hi my name is Dr. Emmett Brown, I have come here from the date October 26th, 1985 in a flying DeLorean DMC-12 time machine, powered by plutonium (which generates 1.21 gigawatts of power into the flux capacitor)
If my calculations are correct, according to my theory there will never be a better control input than keyboard and mouse... it's the future!
Things have certainly changed around *here*. I remember when this was all farmland as far the eye could see. Old man Peabody owned all of this. He had this crazy idea about breeding pine trees.
I'm sure quite a few people around the world will be wondering why they've said 'nearly'.
It is a SNES controller, with a few superficial changes...
The entire Playstation project stemmed from the ill-fated Nintendo/Sony SNES CD add-on, and they modified the designs from that baseline into the eventual Playstation console and controller.
as close as it could be to the truth.
i laughed when i saw the word nearly in the headline: it's been a modded snes pad since day 1.
@altitude2k - " I've seen a mod job where someone's gutted the insides of a 360 pad and put in all the workings for the DS3 - somehow still using the 360 sticks.Although there is a bit of kit that will allow you to plug in your wired 360 controller into the PS3 directly. Would like to give that a go. "
How can you use a 360 controller with the ps3 ? If thats true I'd love to use that, I hate the DS3 controller because it barely fits in my hand anymore.
If theres 1 thing I like about 360 even though I dont have 1 my mate has 1, its the controller. It fits perfectly in my hand. If only Sony made a similar design playing with that horrible DS3.
I would just like to point out that any regular reader of Games Master about 6 months before the PS3 released would already have seen this controller. This is unbelievably old news, hell, GamesRadar had it before you! And they're about a day behind on every piece of news!
It says the Japanese style of O to accept and X to go back, but in most, if not ALL Metal Gear Solid games in the UK, it's exactly the same. Thought they would have changed it. Interesting read though.
I'm not sure why there's a picture of the boomerang type shape PS3 controller that was never launched.
Interesting that they could decide to reveal that the SNES was the source of inspiration without mentioning that they had originally worked with Nintendo on the idea that became the Playstation.
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The DualShock has been consistently the worst controller now for the last 3 generations. It's too small, the left analogue stick should be where the D-Pad is and don't get me started on the flimsy, flappy triggers for the PS3 incarnation. Not to mention it is utterly uninspired both ergonomically and aesthetically; ever noticed how in films when people are playing video games they're using an XBox or Nintendo controller and never a PS one? Might have something to do with it being such a bland object.
The DualShock is indicative of Sony's problem: they make the best tech but still don't have the best grasp of how people interact with machines. I also work with Sony equipment in the entertainment industry and can tell you that this view is shared by myself and many others. If only Sony and Nintendo had teamed up. Imagine Sony's power with Nintendo's inspired and intuitive designs and ideas, a potent mix to be sure.
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