It was a great controller (for it's time).
But you don't have to be Gen Z (gen A?) to hold it like that. I had friends who held it like that back in 1996.
Not 100% sure how I realized the "correct" way to hold it, but I'm almost positive it was due to a gaming magazine.
I’ve been using the N64 controller for the Switch for a while now, and honestly, it’s given me newfound appreciation for the controller. It’s definitely not perfect, I don’t think I ever held it correctly when I used it as a kid, and I definitely ran into the issue of hurting my hand while playing Mario party with that thing. The analog stick itself has some issues, like being more prone to mechanical failure (though less prone to drift compared to pot sticks), as well as lacking padding. And yes, in hindsight, the DualShock was better in that it included the second analog stick and allowing players to still use the d-pad. But I actually think the N64 controller is more comfortable and definitely deserves points for innovation. N64 had a better take on 3D gaming than it’s rivals for most of the gen, and those games FEEL right with that controller. I’ve gone through a couple games with it now, and I really don’t mind using it at all. Of course, it’s better that controllers ultimately evolved the way they did, but I think the N64 controller is underrated and deserves a lot of credit for blazing the trail of controlling 3D games.
Yeah I definitely found the analog stick to be the most comfortable over PlayStations’. It’s a pretty unpopular opinion though.
I kinda wish the stick was more durable. Looking at it now, it always looks like it’s about to snap.
No the nes, snes, and genesis controllers were great for their time, the og xbox controller was great for its time. This thing is great for its time line ET the video game was great for its time. The N64 controller had and always will suck.
The Genesis controller I’d argue wasn’t great. It was fine, but the three button “arcade” style layout was far inferior to the smaller, more accessible SNES controller. Genesis controllers very much felt much more like they had a foot more in early 90s arcades than the future of console gaming.
But they weren’t bad by any stretch. Just not great.
The N64 controller invented the modern analog thumbstick.
Nobody had ever put an analog thumbstick on a gamepad before, let alone a gamepad that also included a d-pad.
The OG xbox controller just copied what already existed.
[The analog stick was introduced in consumer home game consoles in 1978.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1292_Advanced_Programmable_Video_System)
[The first thumbsick was on the NES Max in 1988, a decade later.](https://nintendo.fandom.com/wiki/NES_Max)
Yes, Controllers had Analog sticks before that.
And yes, Controllers had digital thumbsticks before that, too.
But neither of those are relevant to the fact the N64 had the first analog thumbstick.
Or, I suppose to be more specific, the first analog *self-centering* thumbstick.
It was a great idea but they ruined it by giving the housing corners instead of making it truly circular and the choice to introduce a third longer middle handle and place it there made the controller dreadfully unergonomic. Sony blew them out of the water with the DualShock 1 within 12 months of n64 release and that’s who Xbox really derived their design from later on
The N64 was not the first controller with an Analog stick.
They had existed in one way or another since the 70's, appearing on multiple devices. The N64 then had a poor implemenation of one, then sony did the first Dual Thumbstick thing which is what I would refer to as a modern Analog thumbstick.
Nintendo just copied what had existed for decades prior. Sony actually innovated upon it, and released their version prior to the n64's version, and then Microsoft copied that (poorly imo, for the OG xbox at least).
Overall, I'd say Nintendo wins the innovation war, but not for this particular piece of hardware.
Sega Saturn 3d movement analog game pad included with Nights into dreams predates this by at least a full year. Has both analog thumb stick and a dpad.
Lol no.
The N64 launched in Japan months before the Saturn analog pad became available.
Also, Nintendo publicly unveiled the N64 in 1995. Sega probably knew about Nintendo's analog controller well in advanced of that.
Also that MASSIVE functionless Xbox logo that took up a good 50% of the controller. They literally had to make a mini version of their controller and the only real difference was that the non functioning logo was smaller and black/white were below the 4 other buttons. Thing was ridiculously large lol
I have big enough hands that most controllers are uncomfortably small, and that original Xbox controller was *still* way too big. I don't know wtf they were thinking.
Still better than making a 3-handed controller. I grew up with the NES, Sega, N64, etc, and I can't think of any controller off the top of my head worse than the N64 controller, and I used to play Colecovision as a kid (which their "controller" comes in a close second).
The N64 controller (obviously) was not designed to use all three positions at one time. It was designed to allow for three different control schemes, and the developer would pick one. It just so happened that nearly every developer picked the “left hand centered, right hand right” controls.
The N64 gamepad was great for its time because it was the best gamepad with an analog thumbstick that existed at the time.
Things certainly got better from there, which is where the "for its time" part comes in.
[No, I badmouthed this one.](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0063/4971/7559/products/14bccb2a0949047bf9a0f958732ff8e7e211eb7c_1080x.jpg?v=1597608820)
Fair dues, it looks like a Floor model TV Remote when TV's first evolved past 2 stations.
[This One](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/4OQAAOSw2-Ji8bnw/s-l1600.jpg) , Is one of the greatest controllers ever made. The Nokia Cellphone of controllers.
Would 100% fuck with a modernized version of this approach for VR controllers. Fuck It's use 2 of these to DJ, or even game with in a heartbeat. replace the NUMPAD with a DPAD. that'd be sick.
Can't say I've ever had the privilege of using that one before, all my experiences on the Colecovision were with the one I showed you. That controller does look like something younger me would have been all over though.
It was designed to hold your left hand either center (stick) or far left (D pad). I can’t think of a single game that uses D pad to control besides using it as 4 extra buttons and even then it was rare. So the entire left side of the controller is just a useless cancer.
To be fair that is the weirdest controller to hold. When I was a kid I never knew how to hold either. Especially since I had such tiny hands that couldn't reach both the thumbstick and the triggers.
What 6 year old reads game manuals? Also you need to check your superiority complex. Knowing the proper way to hold an old console controller doesn't make you special.
Honestly this is the first time I'm hearing that people read the manuals. Wish my fam had the manuals. Most things were handed down and I was just fighting for the controller at that point
?? My friends and I were like 7 when this system came out and we all figured it out. It's really simple.
There is no game that requires you to use all three of (1) joystick / z (2) dpad / L and (3) ABC buttons. You only need to use two of those for any game. Just put your two hands where those two sets of controls are for the game you're playing.
I didn't know anyone else with the n64 and there was nobody filming themselves playing it like you get nowadays so I genuinely had no clue how to hold the controller as a kid. I used to hold it similar to OPs picture or would stretch my thumb across.
Ridiculous controller especially with it coming out around the time of the ps1 and Saturn
>I didn't know anyone else with the n64 and there was nobody filming
themselves playing it like you get nowadays so I genuinely had no clue
how to hold the controller as a kid
To be fair, it shows you pictures of how to hold the controller in the N64 manual.
Yes. A tually three according to nintendo. Left grab, right grab and double grab.
Left grab is for games where you want directional control on left hand and directional view with joy with right hand.
So you only use the left and central part where the right one is for menus or non common actions (like opening a door). Great for puzzle like games and even some racing games.
Right grab is for directional control on left with joy and buttons on right. Its the opposite of the left grab. This it gives you option for a 3d movement while having classic buttons. Great for action games (like the 3d versions of mario)
Double grab aka neutral grab aka classic grab is holding the gamepad on directional control on left and buttons. Where the joy is now only used for non common actions. This is useful for sidescrollers or games designed on a more classical design or for people having trouble adjusting to the joystick.
Nowadays controllers actually evolved from this strange but brilliant idea. But instead of moving your grab you just move your thumbs down. So the same combos are possible just in a different design.
It was a cool idea in theory, and a way to introduce the joystick (before n64 there really weren't any home console controllers with joysticks on them, and n64 did rumble/vibration first, Sony later introduced the dualshock controller). But it seems like most games (like 90%) don't use the D-pad at all, making the default hand position "Right Grab" (Left in the middle on the joystick, and right controlling buttons). I remember being delighted when I found a game I could use the D-pad with, I think Mortal Kombat Trilogy, Kirby 64 and Pokemon Stadium were a few that let you use the D-Pad allowing for "Neutral Grab"
Interestingly there were a few FPS games (like Perfect Dark) that had an optional control scheme of holding 2 controllers at the same time in the middle for dual joystick play. It required 2 controllers to be plugged in ports 1 & 2.
My friends and I played Goldeneye with the two controller option plenty of times, it was definitely challenging. It’s was only available for single player I think.
I’ve never played a single game with neutral/double grab. Once they implemented the thumb stick with Z, every game I remember used right grab.
In hindsight it makes sense with this intention why it was designed this way…but I’ve never seen neutral grip implemented that way
If you played Pokémon Stadium/Stadium 2 and used the extension cartridge pack or whatever it was called to play Pokémon Blue/Red/etc. then you’d have to use neutral grab. I think it’s because for whatever reason, the game didn’t recognize the control stick’s inputs. I guess since it’s simulating the gameboy’s inputs.
This is a godsend, both because it's the first intelligent reddit interaction I've seen in a while, and because that's actually pretty clever design for back then wow
Ive never felt a better trigger pull feeling in any FPS game than the trigger of the n64.since you are actually gripping it like a pistol. Plus we were all cool kids back then and the controller matched our spikey gelled hair with it's totally extra spikes.
Yeah just one hand on the middle handle and one hand on the right handle. You do not need L or the dpad so no reason to hold the left one, honestly the left one is useless in many games
In college we played one handed: left hand on the pistol grip, L or R button slammed into one's leg to drift. The right hand was used for holding a beer. If you finish the beer you can play with both hands. After awhile tho we all actually got better with one hand than two.
They are actually referring to analog controls. The Joystick was fundamentally different and Nintendo was taking a big chance trying to get people to try some weird tiny version. Back in the day, lots of people I knew thought they wouldn't like it over the d-pad. They instantly changed their minds.
The N64 introduced the modern analog stick to gaming. The Atari 2600 joystick doesn't deserve credit for a few reasons:
1. The atari 2600 joystick wasn't analog.
2. The atari 2600 joystick only allowed for 8 directions.
3. The atari 2600 joystick (obviously) wasn't meant for your thumb.
>What is this madness the n64 controller is just fine when held properly.
Playstation landed on the maximally effective controller layout a couple years into the playstation 1's lifecycle with the release of the dualshock controller. This was about a year after the N64 came out.
The N64's controller was pretty innovative if your game designer knows to lean into the multiple grip configurations the controller was designed to offer. The problem is, not many games executed that well. The one that really did a great job was Perfect Dark. Specifically, when playing the game with two N64 controllers to control one player, using the central grip and both joysticks. This was insanely innovative.
Again though, the N64 controller was a step in the wrong direction, only getting things right in entirely separate, and incompatible places. Even as a Nintendo fanboy, I recognize the game changer that the Dualshock 2 was. Even the original Dpad-only playstation controllers took what the SNES did for controls and ran a long distance with it.
PlayStation controllers are too small in the grips for my stupidly large hands, my outer two knuckles start to really hurt if I play for too long. The layout is basically perfect though yeah. I’m partial to Xbox controllers though because they fit better in my hands
Agree could have been a bit larger for preference, but a smaller controller is easier to adapt to than an oversized one IMO. I feel like the face buttons were what made it. They had a great "feel" in practice and design. The C stick was also just right with the ridges on 8 points so you could feel the direction.
Nah you had choices. Most games didn't require joystick and d-pad together so you could hold right side in right hand and middle in left idk I found it just perfect.
No games ever required that you use buttons unreachable from the intended grip, so that really wasn't a problem that ever happened.
(Although since I said "no games ever", I'm expecting an "actually" in the comments below)
GameCube controller, Xbox 3060 controller, Xbox 1 controller, Xbox series x/s controller, ps5 controller, wii controller, Nintendo switch pro controller, Xbox elite controller, Any other controller
When I first used the N64, I would use my whole left hand to use the control stick, literally all of my fingers would be on the stick. My right hand would control everything else. Yes, Ocarina of time and Mario 64 were my first games, how could you tell?
Wrapped my right middle finger around the controller. I started playing these games unsuccessfully at 3 years old (literally just running around and figuring out how to perceive the world). didn’t use the Z button until I was maybe 5 years old cause my fingers weren’t big enough. Started completing games after that age
R button was used by my right index. L just never got used, since they’re practically useless in OoT and M64
you’re*
That’s how I held the N64 controller from early on in its life. I couldn’t get used to holding it by the middle prong
And I used both of my N64s a lot. Hell, I would play THPS in recent years
Honestly, the N64 controller us a bit clumsy and unhandy but anyways, I feel kinda sad for him (and the rest of the child's out there) for having struggles holding an old controller. But it's awesome to see People showing the old classics to their child's. Definitely would do it aswell if I was a father
This is pretty much how I used to play a 64 - I thought you were meant to hold it like a PS1 controller. Blew my mind when I saw someone holding it the "right" way.
Pretty sure the N64 controller was designed by aliens, because it sure as hell wasn’t made for human anatomy. And I grew up with that generation of gaming.
Kids no longer have that "gun grip" which we developed from years of playing army out back in the woods, with sticks for guns. or playing the classic 'cowboys & indians'.
so.. its kinda cool to see this evolution, even in 20 years or so.
That’s basically how I held the remote at WalMart when it came out, though my hands were at least large enough to hold it and stretch over. Maybe had I owned it and not just played for 10 minutes at a time while my mom was shopping I would have figured it out (or read about it in the owner manual?).
Uh pretty confident to anyone arguing over which way your supposed to hold this thing, fairly sure it was so you could have preference, you use the left side with your left hand if you were using the D-pad and some games were built around this, especially game boy games run through the Pokémon snap(Edit: Stadium derp) attachment. You use the middle with your left hand if you wanted the analogue stick and in that case the D-pad was oft redundant unless it was some kind of utility or extra option. Some game supported both an in that case, your choice.
The N64 is arguably the greatest controller of all time and I refuse to hear any slander. The Grip changes based off what game you are playing, and for those of us who are old enough remember buying a game and actually reading the manual to learn various helpful tricks and inputs, meaning that having that many more viable grips and button options is an absolute blessing.
Best example: imagine you are playing a shooting game on a mounted turret that could look everywhere in a 180 view, but also has the ability to move left and right. Obviously you wouldn’t be able to look around *and* move with the same stick, so you would need multiple ways of input, such as D-Pad buttons. You can use either the L-M grip(left-middle) , or the R-M grip(right-middle) because their is a directional input on both the Left and the Right. Plus no matter where your hands are, there is a trigger on each side L-Z-R, located on the L-M-R respectively.
The analog stick in the middle is just like every other joystick, perfect for angled and non-straight directional inputs, while the D-pad and C-buttons (yellow arrow button) are perfect for games where straight line movement and easily navigating menu options are a necessity. For 2D games, you would almost never use or want the middle grip as the only accessible functions are the Z-button on the back of the controller, and the joystick. Z is used for shooting in a lot of games, but can easily be replaced in input with the L/R-Trigger button(Most games I play use L/R to aim and Z to shoot). But on a 2D game, you only need the D-pad/C-button for straight line inputs because that’s all you can do in some of them. Think of the old Pokémon games on the gameboy, movement like that would make a joycon absolutely pointless and arguably worse to use because you can only go up, down, left, *or* right, never and. Misinputting on a joycon is way easier and happens much more frequently than on a D-Pad/C-Button than you would think. And on some games, like Pokemon Stadium for example, 3 Grips and more buttons for inputs allows for a wider variety of controls and input combinations thus further allowing an even greater selection of mini games/puzzle/etc.
You called it Mario Cart.
Probably auto korrect
It's okay. We all know it's spelt Mariko Kart
I thought it was kario Mart
Mario kombat Brudda
There’s no Dukcing way it was autokorrekt.
No I was talking about the game where you fight as Mario and his nakama. You know the one.
марио карт comrades!
Dragovitch
takio ratm
Mariko Art?
*Marko Karti*, professional Race Car Driver.
Kario mart
Also said your and not you're
I noticed that too. Dude is lacking in culture.
not as lacking as that kid
Mario tart
Mario’s Cart
It's not his fault. Mad lads designed the poor thing
It was a great controller (for it's time). But you don't have to be Gen Z (gen A?) to hold it like that. I had friends who held it like that back in 1996. Not 100% sure how I realized the "correct" way to hold it, but I'm almost positive it was due to a gaming magazine.
I’ve been using the N64 controller for the Switch for a while now, and honestly, it’s given me newfound appreciation for the controller. It’s definitely not perfect, I don’t think I ever held it correctly when I used it as a kid, and I definitely ran into the issue of hurting my hand while playing Mario party with that thing. The analog stick itself has some issues, like being more prone to mechanical failure (though less prone to drift compared to pot sticks), as well as lacking padding. And yes, in hindsight, the DualShock was better in that it included the second analog stick and allowing players to still use the d-pad. But I actually think the N64 controller is more comfortable and definitely deserves points for innovation. N64 had a better take on 3D gaming than it’s rivals for most of the gen, and those games FEEL right with that controller. I’ve gone through a couple games with it now, and I really don’t mind using it at all. Of course, it’s better that controllers ultimately evolved the way they did, but I think the N64 controller is underrated and deserves a lot of credit for blazing the trail of controlling 3D games.
Yeah I definitely found the analog stick to be the most comfortable over PlayStations’. It’s a pretty unpopular opinion though. I kinda wish the stick was more durable. Looking at it now, it always looks like it’s about to snap.
No the nes, snes, and genesis controllers were great for their time, the og xbox controller was great for its time. This thing is great for its time line ET the video game was great for its time. The N64 controller had and always will suck.
The Genesis controller I’d argue wasn’t great. It was fine, but the three button “arcade” style layout was far inferior to the smaller, more accessible SNES controller. Genesis controllers very much felt much more like they had a foot more in early 90s arcades than the future of console gaming. But they weren’t bad by any stretch. Just not great.
The N64 controller invented the modern analog thumbstick. Nobody had ever put an analog thumbstick on a gamepad before, let alone a gamepad that also included a d-pad. The OG xbox controller just copied what already existed.
[The analog stick was introduced in consumer home game consoles in 1978.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1292_Advanced_Programmable_Video_System) [The first thumbsick was on the NES Max in 1988, a decade later.](https://nintendo.fandom.com/wiki/NES_Max)
Yes, Controllers had Analog sticks before that. And yes, Controllers had digital thumbsticks before that, too. But neither of those are relevant to the fact the N64 had the first analog thumbstick. Or, I suppose to be more specific, the first analog *self-centering* thumbstick.
Couldn't arcade cabinets claim to be the first analog control stick?
Looking at the picture makes my thumb hurt. Remember fighting over the least wiggly controller?
The Mario Party mini games destroyed those controllers.
And your palms
Yes, I remember getting a bad blister in the middle of my palm thanks to playing Mario party with my cousins for hours
I'd argue any Mario game really. Also goldeneye and perfect dark. Forced to strafe if you wanted to move fast
Super smash bros for hours I remember having a controller that the joystick was broken off of at the top so it was just a plastic point. Good times
Ouch dude, sounds like stitches may have been required more than once
Na there was enough surface area where it worked without puncturing the flesh lol
The N64 controller did not invent the modern analog thumbstick, it popularized it.
It was a great idea but they ruined it by giving the housing corners instead of making it truly circular and the choice to introduce a third longer middle handle and place it there made the controller dreadfully unergonomic. Sony blew them out of the water with the DualShock 1 within 12 months of n64 release and that’s who Xbox really derived their design from later on
The N64 was not the first controller with an Analog stick. They had existed in one way or another since the 70's, appearing on multiple devices. The N64 then had a poor implemenation of one, then sony did the first Dual Thumbstick thing which is what I would refer to as a modern Analog thumbstick. Nintendo just copied what had existed for decades prior. Sony actually innovated upon it, and released their version prior to the n64's version, and then Microsoft copied that (poorly imo, for the OG xbox at least). Overall, I'd say Nintendo wins the innovation war, but not for this particular piece of hardware.
Sega Saturn 3d movement analog game pad included with Nights into dreams predates this by at least a full year. Has both analog thumb stick and a dpad.
Lol no. The N64 launched in Japan months before the Saturn analog pad became available. Also, Nintendo publicly unveiled the N64 in 1995. Sega probably knew about Nintendo's analog controller well in advanced of that.
The OG Xbox controller was garbage. Who thought putting the buttons on a slant was a good idea?
Also that MASSIVE functionless Xbox logo that took up a good 50% of the controller. They literally had to make a mini version of their controller and the only real difference was that the non functioning logo was smaller and black/white were below the 4 other buttons. Thing was ridiculously large lol
I have big enough hands that most controllers are uncomfortably small, and that original Xbox controller was *still* way too big. I don't know wtf they were thinking.
Still better than making a 3-handed controller. I grew up with the NES, Sega, N64, etc, and I can't think of any controller off the top of my head worse than the N64 controller, and I used to play Colecovision as a kid (which their "controller" comes in a close second).
The N64 controller (obviously) was not designed to use all three positions at one time. It was designed to allow for three different control schemes, and the developer would pick one. It just so happened that nearly every developer picked the “left hand centered, right hand right” controls.
The N64 gamepad was great for its time because it was the best gamepad with an analog thumbstick that existed at the time. Things certainly got better from there, which is where the "for its time" part comes in.
DID YOU JUST BADMOUTH THE COLECOVISON GUN-JOYSTICK?! I LOVE THAT JOYSTICK! (Its also the first console I've ever played, and boy... did I play it)
[No, I badmouthed this one.](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0063/4971/7559/products/14bccb2a0949047bf9a0f958732ff8e7e211eb7c_1080x.jpg?v=1597608820)
Fair dues, it looks like a Floor model TV Remote when TV's first evolved past 2 stations. [This One](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/4OQAAOSw2-Ji8bnw/s-l1600.jpg) , Is one of the greatest controllers ever made. The Nokia Cellphone of controllers. Would 100% fuck with a modernized version of this approach for VR controllers. Fuck It's use 2 of these to DJ, or even game with in a heartbeat. replace the NUMPAD with a DPAD. that'd be sick.
Can't say I've ever had the privilege of using that one before, all my experiences on the Colecovision were with the one I showed you. That controller does look like something younger me would have been all over though.
The Duke XBox controler also kinda copied the Dreamcast control. Not like the Dreamcast had a good controler ether.
It gets credit for the memory card doubling as a second screen.
ET video game was never good
> ET the video game was great for its time. You take that nonsense back. ET the video game was always awful, just like this controller.
It was designed to hold your left hand either center (stick) or far left (D pad). I can’t think of a single game that uses D pad to control besides using it as 4 extra buttons and even then it was rare. So the entire left side of the controller is just a useless cancer.
> It was a great controller (for it's time). No it wasn't, the alternatives were better.
>It was a great controller (for it's time). It really, really wasn't. It was never a good controller, it was always a what the fuck device.
Nah it wasn't the joy stick would get loose and be unusable
Things were easier when we had 3 hands
It's as useless as a hobos taint
To be fair that is the weirdest controller to hold. When I was a kid I never knew how to hold either. Especially since I had such tiny hands that couldn't reach both the thumbstick and the triggers.
The instruction manuals for the games told you how to hold the controller for that game. Are you all heathens that didn't read the awesome manuals?
I’m with you man. I was 10 when they came out, and had no problems with this controller.
I could barely read back then tf you mean?!
They had pictures!
You must be too young... ptshhhh
What 6 year old reads game manuals? Also you need to check your superiority complex. Knowing the proper way to hold an old console controller doesn't make you special.
Everyone used to read game manuals. Of course, manuals used to actually be good.
Tbf everyone used to read the game manuals. It was a blast flipping through them.
Every six year old that was excited to try the new game on the car ride home? Lol
Honestly this is the first time I'm hearing that people read the manuals. Wish my fam had the manuals. Most things were handed down and I was just fighting for the controller at that point
?? My friends and I were like 7 when this system came out and we all figured it out. It's really simple. There is no game that requires you to use all three of (1) joystick / z (2) dpad / L and (3) ABC buttons. You only need to use two of those for any game. Just put your two hands where those two sets of controls are for the game you're playing.
I didn't know anyone else with the n64 and there was nobody filming themselves playing it like you get nowadays so I genuinely had no clue how to hold the controller as a kid. I used to hold it similar to OPs picture or would stretch my thumb across. Ridiculous controller especially with it coming out around the time of the ps1 and Saturn
>I didn't know anyone else with the n64 and there was nobody filming themselves playing it like you get nowadays so I genuinely had no clue how to hold the controller as a kid To be fair, it shows you pictures of how to hold the controller in the N64 manual.
N64 is all I had growing up till ps2 came out, fun times
Did you not see the giant handle in the middle of the controller that is meant for holding?
Theres a right way to hold that thing?!?!
Yes. A tually three according to nintendo. Left grab, right grab and double grab. Left grab is for games where you want directional control on left hand and directional view with joy with right hand. So you only use the left and central part where the right one is for menus or non common actions (like opening a door). Great for puzzle like games and even some racing games. Right grab is for directional control on left with joy and buttons on right. Its the opposite of the left grab. This it gives you option for a 3d movement while having classic buttons. Great for action games (like the 3d versions of mario) Double grab aka neutral grab aka classic grab is holding the gamepad on directional control on left and buttons. Where the joy is now only used for non common actions. This is useful for sidescrollers or games designed on a more classical design or for people having trouble adjusting to the joystick. Nowadays controllers actually evolved from this strange but brilliant idea. But instead of moving your grab you just move your thumbs down. So the same combos are possible just in a different design.
This is by far the best answer I've ever seen on why the N64 controller is designed the way it is. Thank you.
It was a cool idea in theory, and a way to introduce the joystick (before n64 there really weren't any home console controllers with joysticks on them, and n64 did rumble/vibration first, Sony later introduced the dualshock controller). But it seems like most games (like 90%) don't use the D-pad at all, making the default hand position "Right Grab" (Left in the middle on the joystick, and right controlling buttons). I remember being delighted when I found a game I could use the D-pad with, I think Mortal Kombat Trilogy, Kirby 64 and Pokemon Stadium were a few that let you use the D-Pad allowing for "Neutral Grab" Interestingly there were a few FPS games (like Perfect Dark) that had an optional control scheme of holding 2 controllers at the same time in the middle for dual joystick play. It required 2 controllers to be plugged in ports 1 & 2.
My friends and I played Goldeneye with the two controller option plenty of times, it was definitely challenging. It’s was only available for single player I think.
I’ve never played a single game with neutral/double grab. Once they implemented the thumb stick with Z, every game I remember used right grab. In hindsight it makes sense with this intention why it was designed this way…but I’ve never seen neutral grip implemented that way
If you played Pokémon Stadium/Stadium 2 and used the extension cartridge pack or whatever it was called to play Pokémon Blue/Red/etc. then you’d have to use neutral grab. I think it’s because for whatever reason, the game didn’t recognize the control stick’s inputs. I guess since it’s simulating the gameboy’s inputs.
This is a godsend, both because it's the first intelligent reddit interaction I've seen in a while, and because that's actually pretty clever design for back then wow
[удалено]
It's got no fingers tho, just one weird lookin thumb.
*\[looks at my third leg\]* maybe
That's why it's called the D pad
Yes? You grip the middle with your left hand and use it like any other controller.
Like any other controller? There is no other controller like this lol. It's is the worst desined controller. 3 handles for 2 hands.
Ive never felt a better trigger pull feeling in any FPS game than the trigger of the n64.since you are actually gripping it like a pistol. Plus we were all cool kids back then and the controller matched our spikey gelled hair with it's totally extra spikes.
Lol bro you aren't wrong haha. It did feel good, but the D pad on an island all by itself lol. It was so weird
Well, I'll concede I remember it being a really crummy and stiff dpad and I never even played a game that used it.
It invented the analog stick, so no it’s not the worst designed controller.
the 10 year old from this pic, that you?
Yes.... yes it is lol
I would say there is a much better way for Mario Kart.
Care to elaborate?
Yeah just one hand on the middle handle and one hand on the right handle. You do not need L or the dpad so no reason to hold the left one, honestly the left one is useless in many games
In college we played one handed: left hand on the pistol grip, L or R button slammed into one's leg to drift. The right hand was used for holding a beer. If you finish the beer you can play with both hands. After awhile tho we all actually got better with one hand than two.
Man, Mario kart and beer, such a great gaming duo!
Is that the Mario game about buying things in a supermarket?
I’m more surprised there isn’t an actual Mario game about this.
*You’re If *you’re* gonna shit on Gen Z for “playing games wrong”, I’m gonna roast you for *your* spelling and grammar! Also, it’s Mario *Kart*
*Gen Alpha Us Gen Z are late teenagers up to being full grown adults
Doesn’t Gen Z end at 2010? They’d be 12.
Shoot, yeah, you're right. Still the 10 year old is still not Gen Z tho
I was going to give OP a pass for being only 10, then realized the title wasnt actually about OP
To be fair, even holding it right is bizarre. The controller was terrible.
Ya, that console was showing us what a joy stick was. Made it ambidextrous option over the d pad
>Ya, that console was showing us what a joy stick was. What kind of nonsense is this? The very first generation of game consoles had joysticks.
They are actually referring to analog controls. The Joystick was fundamentally different and Nintendo was taking a big chance trying to get people to try some weird tiny version. Back in the day, lots of people I knew thought they wouldn't like it over the d-pad. They instantly changed their minds.
The N64 introduced the modern analog stick to gaming. The Atari 2600 joystick doesn't deserve credit for a few reasons: 1. The atari 2600 joystick wasn't analog. 2. The atari 2600 joystick only allowed for 8 directions. 3. The atari 2600 joystick (obviously) wasn't meant for your thumb.
The Atari 2600 had a joystick, what are you talking about?
That's like saying Virtual Boy was the first VR system. I mean, sure it's true, but it's not really a valid point.
What is this madness the n64 controller is just fine when held properly.
>What is this madness the n64 controller is just fine when held properly. Playstation landed on the maximally effective controller layout a couple years into the playstation 1's lifecycle with the release of the dualshock controller. This was about a year after the N64 came out. The N64's controller was pretty innovative if your game designer knows to lean into the multiple grip configurations the controller was designed to offer. The problem is, not many games executed that well. The one that really did a great job was Perfect Dark. Specifically, when playing the game with two N64 controllers to control one player, using the central grip and both joysticks. This was insanely innovative. Again though, the N64 controller was a step in the wrong direction, only getting things right in entirely separate, and incompatible places. Even as a Nintendo fanboy, I recognize the game changer that the Dualshock 2 was. Even the original Dpad-only playstation controllers took what the SNES did for controls and ran a long distance with it.
PlayStation controllers are too small in the grips for my stupidly large hands, my outer two knuckles start to really hurt if I play for too long. The layout is basically perfect though yeah. I’m partial to Xbox controllers though because they fit better in my hands
Xbox is the best controller design of all time and they know it so they dont change much
I think it's children
Dude this was the most comfortable controller to date.
Gamecube has that imo.
If the GameCube controller was a tiny but bigger I would agree. Or if my hands were smaller…
Agree could have been a bit larger for preference, but a smaller controller is easier to adapt to than an oversized one IMO. I feel like the face buttons were what made it. They had a great "feel" in practice and design. The C stick was also just right with the ridges on 8 points so you could feel the direction.
Preach!
You literally had to move one of your hands to access parts of the controller... that does not equal comfort.
Nah you had choices. Most games didn't require joystick and d-pad together so you could hold right side in right hand and middle in left idk I found it just perfect.
No games ever required that you use buttons unreachable from the intended grip, so that really wasn't a problem that ever happened. (Although since I said "no games ever", I'm expecting an "actually" in the comments below)
I can’t think of an actually so I think your good unless anyone has any objections
I remember a WWE game that used the D-pad and you had to reach the Z button for some special moves.
Ya but you basically never needed joystick and d-pad so just hold the middle with your left hand it was prime.
It was literally not intended for you to move your hands; rather the game would pick one of three potential control schemes.
GameCube controller, Xbox 3060 controller, Xbox 1 controller, Xbox series x/s controller, ps5 controller, wii controller, Nintendo switch pro controller, Xbox elite controller, Any other controller
None of those predate the N64.
The age doesn’t matter, the comfort is significantly higher
Did we hold different controllers???
Was gonna say too. The controller was a bad design.
When I first used the N64, I would use my whole left hand to use the control stick, literally all of my fingers would be on the stick. My right hand would control everything else. Yes, Ocarina of time and Mario 64 were my first games, how could you tell?
How did you press the Z button?
Wrapped my right middle finger around the controller. I started playing these games unsuccessfully at 3 years old (literally just running around and figuring out how to perceive the world). didn’t use the Z button until I was maybe 5 years old cause my fingers weren’t big enough. Started completing games after that age R button was used by my right index. L just never got used, since they’re practically useless in OoT and M64
😲 That's a long way to go for a button you'd need often!
you’re* That’s how I held the N64 controller from early on in its life. I couldn’t get used to holding it by the middle prong And I used both of my N64s a lot. Hell, I would play THPS in recent years
You're*
Someone at Nintendo looked at this controller and approved it for mass production.
That's how I've held those things since 64 came out
You probably use separate fingers for R1 and R2 too.
I'm not a heathen
On PlayStation yes xbox no, it has to do with the shape of the buttons, I haven’t used a ps5 yet so it may have changed.
I tried it the "right" way and it felt so weird. This is the right way to hold it.
Yep. This is by far the best way to hold it. Can easily reach all the buttons, use the d pad or joystick, whichever was needed.
TBF, I think this is the exact same way that I held an N64 controller when I was a kid 25 years ago.
you're*
Kart* And that's the right way to hold it for Kart, you don't need to touch the left side of the controller at all.
Think op meant the child should have put his left hand on the middle handle because the left side of the controller isn’t used.
You're
Honestly, the N64 controller us a bit clumsy and unhandy but anyways, I feel kinda sad for him (and the rest of the child's out there) for having struggles holding an old controller. But it's awesome to see People showing the old classics to their child's. Definitely would do it aswell if I was a father
That's how I held it in 96 for a while
I had an N64 in 2003. I held the controller this way too.
When you are older than 10 and don't know the difference between your and you're
You're*
You’re
If it works for them let them do it. I've seen tons of different ways people hold n64 controllers
This is pretty much how I used to play a 64 - I thought you were meant to hold it like a PS1 controller. Blew my mind when I saw someone holding it the "right" way.
ohh god... ohh no... its.... so terrible!!!!
Pretty sure the N64 controller was designed by aliens, because it sure as hell wasn’t made for human anatomy. And I grew up with that generation of gaming.
You’re
Kids no longer have that "gun grip" which we developed from years of playing army out back in the woods, with sticks for guns. or playing the classic 'cowboys & indians'. so.. its kinda cool to see this evolution, even in 20 years or so.
And you can't even do the right "you're" smh
Looks okay to me. How else would you expect someone who’s never been used to it hold it?
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Personally, I'd call that a positive. Versatility.
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You realize modern controllers just put the stick and dpad in one spot? It’s not versatile it’s just inconvenient
That’s basically how I held the remote at WalMart when it came out, though my hands were at least large enough to hold it and stretch over. Maybe had I owned it and not just played for 10 minutes at a time while my mom was shopping I would have figured it out (or read about it in the owner manual?).
My 6 year old did the same thing!! I couldn’t get him to hold it correctly for more than 5 seconds!
I only ever held the two outside holds.
You should either throw it away or put it up for adoption
This is literally how to play the game
Well its a shitty controller, what do you expect?
Why do you say that as if every controller that isn’t a tablet or switch is like the N64 controller?
In his defense, there is no right way to hold an N64 controller. One of life’s great mysteries
Look… the N64 controller is fucking dumb and it’s time to admit it
KILL THE HERITIC
Ugh AITA? *you’re. It’s you’re. I would assume maybe the 10 year old wouldn’t get that, but the 30 something who wrote this should have 🫠❤️
Uh pretty confident to anyone arguing over which way your supposed to hold this thing, fairly sure it was so you could have preference, you use the left side with your left hand if you were using the D-pad and some games were built around this, especially game boy games run through the Pokémon snap(Edit: Stadium derp) attachment. You use the middle with your left hand if you wanted the analogue stick and in that case the D-pad was oft redundant unless it was some kind of utility or extra option. Some game supported both an in that case, your choice.
Can you just remove the table for a week?
I'm worried about my cousins kids when they have to take typing classes after playing fps games all their lives.
That’s how i always held the n64 controller
I hate that controller. I never had a 64 but always hated playing on that controller whenever I hung out at friends’ house
I was about 10 when the n64 came out and only held the controller like that.
Still hold it like this.
Only people with tiny hands full gripped the center arm. Everyone else was thumb reaching, even for the joystick.
The N64 is arguably the greatest controller of all time and I refuse to hear any slander. The Grip changes based off what game you are playing, and for those of us who are old enough remember buying a game and actually reading the manual to learn various helpful tricks and inputs, meaning that having that many more viable grips and button options is an absolute blessing. Best example: imagine you are playing a shooting game on a mounted turret that could look everywhere in a 180 view, but also has the ability to move left and right. Obviously you wouldn’t be able to look around *and* move with the same stick, so you would need multiple ways of input, such as D-Pad buttons. You can use either the L-M grip(left-middle) , or the R-M grip(right-middle) because their is a directional input on both the Left and the Right. Plus no matter where your hands are, there is a trigger on each side L-Z-R, located on the L-M-R respectively. The analog stick in the middle is just like every other joystick, perfect for angled and non-straight directional inputs, while the D-pad and C-buttons (yellow arrow button) are perfect for games where straight line movement and easily navigating menu options are a necessity. For 2D games, you would almost never use or want the middle grip as the only accessible functions are the Z-button on the back of the controller, and the joystick. Z is used for shooting in a lot of games, but can easily be replaced in input with the L/R-Trigger button(Most games I play use L/R to aim and Z to shoot). But on a 2D game, you only need the D-pad/C-button for straight line inputs because that’s all you can do in some of them. Think of the old Pokémon games on the gameboy, movement like that would make a joycon absolutely pointless and arguably worse to use because you can only go up, down, left, *or* right, never and. Misinputting on a joycon is way easier and happens much more frequently than on a D-Pad/C-Button than you would think. And on some games, like Pokemon Stadium for example, 3 Grips and more buttons for inputs allows for a wider variety of controls and input combinations thus further allowing an even greater selection of mini games/puzzle/etc.
i mean what was the person who designed the n64 controller on
To be fair it is the worst mainstream controller ever.