ONM Remembered – #07
“Looks the biz and plays better than most.”
from Official Nintendo Magazine issue 94 (July 2000)
Although I’ve rarely experimented with them, I can’t help but be fascinated how many varieties of game controller are made for each console. Some just aim to directly emulate the official controller, some do it with cheaper materials or more features, while some controllers try and completely reimagine it. The N64 was home to so many differently-shaped controllers! Some shorted the prongs, some squashed the length of the pad, some made it into a two-pronged shape, and some just looked flash by sporting sleek translucent plastic.
I mentioned before that my friends and I have burned through gamepads something shocking, N64 controllers especially. I’m pretty sure we had about seven to nine controllers for it in total. I think only one or two were third-party pads, while the rest were Nintendo’s home brand. One of them (sadly not pictured here), the Shark Pad, had some really nice translucent plastic and sported nice chunky buttons, but then the Z Button collapsed in on itself, and that was that. Pity.
I always wanted to get my hands on that Mirage Wild Things controller – that image always made it look really appealing. The chunky buttons, the short and stubby pad design, the classy gold colouration, like a match made in heaven! I never saw it in stores, though, and I’ve already a surplus of knackered N64 pads, I’m in no rush to get more.
Given the humongous number of PC gamepads and how most consoles sport USB ports, you’d think we’d be in an era where controllers were totally interchangeable between systems… but I guess not. It’s a crying shame, because I absolutely love how varied controllers are, and being able to swap them between games or consoles with ease would be a dream.
There are adapters, sure, but they’re still rather limiting in how much compatibility you’ve got, not to mention the price. Wouldn’t it be fun to just drag out the old Mega Drive and plug in an N64 pad? Or how about playing the PlayStation with a SEGA Saturn controller? Or busting out a no-name brand PC controller with a DA-15 port and getting it to work on the Xbox 360? Or… anything at all? Jeez, man, I’m still hoping to get some use out of those things.
So the official Nintendo controller was the only one to get the official Nintendo magazine AWESOME rating. Who’d have thought it.
Back in the day, I pretty much stopped playing video games early on into the Super Nintendo era…but from my limited exposure, it seems like the N64 was the high-point in game-controller-breakability.
Something about the spindly little joystick (which most games make you use, right?), and the overall weird “batman + florida”-shaped design just screams “bad idea”.
Is my guess correct?