gamepad this article is about the type of video game controller for the tv show see gamepad tv series for primary controller for nintendos wii u console see wii u gamepad for the android device see archos gamepad not to be confused with gaming keypad or joystick the snessuper famicom gamepad japanese super famicom version shown which popularized the layout used by most modern gamepads a gamepad joypad or simply controller is a type of game controller held in two hands where the fingers especially thumbs are used to provide input they are typically the main input device for video game consoles features shoulder buttons also called bumpers and triggers on an xbox 360 controller gamepads generally feature a set of buttons handled with the right thumb and a direction controller handled with the left the direction controller has traditionally been a fourway digital cross also named a joypad or alternatively a dpad and never called arrow keys but most modern controllers additionally or as a substitute feature one or more analog sticks some common additions to the standard pad include shoulder buttons also called bumpers and triggers placed along the edges of the pad shoulder buttons are usually digital ie merely onoff while triggers are usually analog centrally placed start select and mode buttons and an internal motor to provide force feedback nes b and a face buttons there are programmable joysticks that can emulate keyboard input generally they have been made to circumvent the lack of joystick support in some computer games ie the belkin nostromo speedpad n52 there are several programs that emulate keyboard and mouse input with a gamepad such as the free and opensource crossplatform software antimicro history early designs the 1962 video game spacewar initially used toggle switches built into the computer readout display to control the game these switches were awkward and uncomfortable to use so alan kotok and bob saunders built and wired in a detached control device for the game this device has been called the earliest gamepad entry into the mass market the iconic nes controller it would take many years for the gamepad to rise to prominence as during the 1970s and the early 1980s joysticks and paddles were the dominant video game controllers the third generation of video games saw many major changes and the eminence of gamepads in the video game market nintendo developed a gamepad device for directional inputs a dpad with a cross design for their donkey kong handheld game this design would be incorporated into their game watch series and console controllers such as the standard nes controller though developed because they were more compact than joysticks and thus more appropriate for handheld games dpads were soon found by developers to be more comfortable to use than joysticks continued refinements sixbutton genesis controller that was released later the original sega genesis control pad has three face buttons but a sixbutton pad was later released playstation dualshock controller nintendo 64 controller for most of the 1980s and early 1990s analog joysticks were the predominant form of gaming controller for pcs while console gaming controllers were mostly digital this changed in 1996 when all three major consoles introduced an optional analog control the sony dual analog controller had twin concave analog thumbsticks the sega saturn 3d control pad had a single analog thumbstick and the nintendo 64 controller combined digital and analog controllers in a single body starting a trend to have both an analog stick and a dpad despite these changes gamepads essentially continued to follow the template set by the nes controller a horizontallyoriented controller with two or more action buttons positioned for use with the right thumb and a directional pad positioned for use with the left thumb gamepads failed to achieve any sort of dominance outside of the home console market though several pc gamepads have enjoyed popularity such as the gravis pc gamepad threedimensional control though threedimensional games rose to prominence in the mid1990s controllers continued to mostly operate on twodimensional principles in order to move with six degrees of freedom players would have to hold down a button to toggle the axis on which the directional pad operates rather than being able to control movement along all three axes at once one of the first gaming consoles the fairchild channel f did have a controller which allowed six degrees of freedom but the processing limitations of the console itself prevented there from being any software to take advantage of this ability wii remote can be played with two hands like a gamepad the wii remote is shaped like a television remote control and contains tilt sensors and threedimensional pointing which allows the system to understand all directions of movement and rotation back and forth around the pitch roll and yaw axes the controller is also multifunctional and includes an expansion bay which can be used with different types of peripherals an analog stick peripheral called nunchuk also contains an accelerometer but unlike the wii remote it lacks any pointer functionality uses gamepads are also available for personal computers examples of pc gamepads include the asus eee stick the gravis pc the microsoft sidewinder and saitek cyborg range and the steam controller thirdparty usb adapters and software can be employed to utilize console gamepads on pcs the dualshock 3 dualshock 4 wii remote and joycon can be used with thirdparty software on systems with bluetooth functionality with usb additionally usable on dualshock 3 and dualshock 4 xbox 360 and xbox one controllers are officially supported on windows with microsoftsupplied drivers a dongle can be used to connect them wirelessly or the controller can be connected directly to the computer over usb wired versions of xbox 360 controllers were marketed by microsoft as pc gamepads while the xbox one controller can be connected to a pc via its micro usb slot joystick negcon look up gamepad joypad or control pad in wiktionary the free dictionary vtevideo game controllerscontroller types arcade controller balance board digital camera dance pad fishing rod gamepad gaming keypad interactive urinal joystick keyboard light gun microphone motion controller mouse musical instruments nunchaku paddle racing wheel remote control throttle quadrant virtual reality headset wired glove controller partsphysical buttons analog stick arrow keys circle pad dpad discpad face button scroll wheel select button shoulder button start button telephone keypad trigger turbo button sensitive accelerometer haptic technology stylus pen touchpad touchscreen trackball related multitap rob 