Sega: ages of innovation

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Online gaming and motion sensitivity - why Sega was years ahead of its time

With NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams on the way, interest in the original has risen. The game responsible for giving the world the analog control stick just isn't the same if you try to play it with a standard 8-directional digital pad. Sega's controllerbeat N64's odd-looking analog pad to the market (admitedlyby only a fewweeks in the US, but not in Japan) and featured design traits still seen in controllers today, such as fully analog shoulder buttons. Players could not only lean their Manx TT Superbike smoothly into corners with the circular analog eyeball, but feed in the power gradually and apply the brakes without skidding by squeezing the triggers gradually.

Although analog steering wheels had been around for a while and Namco's NegCon had brought increased analog control to PSone before it, the NiGHTS pad (as it became known) paved the way for almost every console released after it. Dreamcast's pad, the Xbox and Xbox 360 controllers and the GameCube's ultra-ergonomic design all bear distinct similarities to the NiGHTS pad. Even PS3 now has analog triggers on its shoulders instead of pressure-sensitive buttons, finally acknowledging that perhaps it was a good idea after all.

Above: Joypads just didn't look like this before the 3D Control Pad but now its features are everywhere

Although analog steering wheels had been around for a while and Namco's NegCon had brought increased analog control to PSone before it, the NiGHTS pad (as it became known) paved the way for almost every console released after it. Dreamcast's pad, the Xbox and Xbox 360 controllers and the GameCube's ultra-ergonomic design all bear distinct similarities to the NiGHTS pad. Even PS3 now has analog triggers on its shoulders instead of pressure-sensitive buttons, finally acknowledging that perhaps it was a good idea after all.

Justin Towell
Justin Towell

Justin was a GamesRadar staffer for 10 years but is now a freelancer, musician and videographer. He's big on retro, Sega and racing games (especially retro Sega racing games) and currently also writes for Play Magazine, Traxion.gg, PC Gamer and TopTenReviews, as well as running his own YouTube channel. Having learned to love all platforms equally after Sega left the hardware industry (sniff), his favourite games include Christmas NiGHTS into Dreams, Zelda BotW, Sea of Thieves, Sega Rally Championship and Treasure Island Dizzy.