Editing Video game console (section)

===Controllers===
{{Main|Game controller}}
All game consoles require player input through a game controller to provide a method to move the player character in a specific direction and a variation of buttons to perform other in-game actions such as jumping or interacting with the game world.<ref name="McGuireJenkins20093">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0G3PKwgvizEC|title=Creating Games: Mechanics, Content, and Technology|publisher=Taylor & Francis|year=2009|isbn=978-1-56881-305-9|page=397|quote=Game pads (such as an Xbox 360 or Guitar Hero controller) often use a combination of digital keys and analog joysticks.|author1=Morgan McGuire|author2=Odest Chadwicke Jenkins|access-date=July 29, 2020|archive-date=July 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729160054/https://books.google.com/books?id=0G3PKwgvizEC|url-status=live}}</ref> Though controllers have become more featured over the years, they still provide less control over a game compared to personal computers or mobile gaming.<ref name="Fullerton2008">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OjIYWtqWxtAC|title=Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games|date=February 8, 2008|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-0-240-80974-8|page=131|quote=Console games usually provide a proprietary controller.|author=Tracy Fullerton|access-date=July 29, 2020|archive-date=July 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729162617/https://books.google.com/books?id=OjIYWtqWxtAC|url-status=live}}</ref> The type of controller available to a game can fundamentally change the style of how a console game will or can be played.<ref name="stanford">{{cite web|url=http://www.stanford.edu/group/htgg/cgi-bin/drupal/sites/default/files2/wlu_2003_1.pdf|title=Evolution of Video Game Controllers|last=Lu|first=William|quote=...the controller also specifies the type of experience the player will have by defining what types of games are best played on it due to its design.|access-date=March 28, 2013|archive-date=April 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423225554/https://web.stanford.edu/group/htgg/cgi-bin/drupal/sites/default/files2/wlu_2003_1.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="McGuireJenkins2009">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0G3PKwgvizEC|title=Creating Games: Mechanics, Content, and Technology|publisher=Taylor & Francis|year=2009|isbn=978-1-56881-305-9|page=104|quote=Video games depend on their control schemes.|author1=Morgan McGuire|author2=Odest Chadwicke Jenkins|access-date=July 29, 2020|archive-date=July 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729160054/https://books.google.com/books?id=0G3PKwgvizEC|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="McGuireJenkins20092">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0G3PKwgvizEC|title=Creating Games: Mechanics, Content, and Technology|publisher=Taylor & Francis|year=2009|isbn=978-1-56881-305-9|page=395|quote=A user interface is the player’s entry point into the game world. It governs how a player experiences the virtual environment, game dynamics, and underlying story put forth in a game.|author1=Morgan McGuire|author2=Odest Chadwicke Jenkins|access-date=July 29, 2020|archive-date=July 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729160054/https://books.google.com/books?id=0G3PKwgvizEC|url-status=live}}</ref> However, this has also inspired changes in game design to create games that accommodate for the comparatively limited controls available on consoles.<ref name="RouseOgden2005">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hXwhAQAAIAAJ|title=Game Design: Theory & Practice|publisher=Wordware Pub.|year=2005|isbn=978-1-55622-912-1|page=108|quote=In many console action games, different buttons on the controller will perform the same action.|author1=Richard Rouse|author2=Steve Ogden|access-date=July 29, 2020|archive-date=July 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729161306/https://books.google.com/books?id=hXwhAQAAIAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>

Controllers have come in a variety of styles over the history of consoles. Some common types include:

;[[Paddle (game controller)|Paddle]]
:A unit with a single knob or dial and usually one or two buttons. Turning the knob typically allows one to move an on-screen object along one axis (such as the paddle in a table tennis game), while the buttons can have additional features.

;[[Joystick]]
:A unit that has a long handle that can pivot freely along multiple directions along with one or more buttons. The unit senses the direction that the joystick is pushed, allowing for simultaneous movement in two directions within a game.

;[[Gamepad]]
:A unit that contains a variety of buttons, triggers, and directional controls{{snd}} either [[D-pad]]s or [[analog stick]]s or both. These have become the most common type of controller since the third generation of console hardware, with designs becoming more detailed to give a larger array of buttons and directional controls to player's while maintaining ergonomic features.

Numerous other controller types exist, including those that support [[motion control]]s, [[touchscreen]] support on handhelds and some consoles, and specialized controllers for specific types of games, such as [[racing wheel]]s for [[racing game]]s, [[light gun]]s for [[shooting game]]s, and [[rhythm game accessories|musical instrument controllers]] for [[rhythm games]]. Some newer consoles also include optional support for a [[computer mouse|mouse]] and [[computer keyboard|keyboard]] devices. Some older consoles such as 1988 [[Sega Genesis]] aka Mega Drive and 1993 [[3DO Interactive Multiplayer]], supported optional mice, both with special mice made for them, but the 3DO mouse like that console was a flop, and the mouse for the Sega had very limited game support. The Sega also supported the optional [[Menacer]], a wireless infrared light gun, and such were at one point popular for games. It also support [[BatterUP]], a baseball bat-shaped controller.

A controller may be attached through a wired connection onto the console itself, or in some unique cases like the Famicom hardwired to the console, or with a wireless connection. Controllers require power, either provided by the console via the wired connection, or from batteries or a rechargeable battery pack for wireless connections. Controllers are nominally built into a handheld unit, though some newer ones allow for separate wireless controllers to also be used.

{{multiple image
| align             = center
| total_width       = 800
| image1            = Magnavox-Odyssey-Controller-FL.jpg
| caption1          = The Magnavox Odyssey dual-paddle controller
| image2            = Atari-2600-Joystick.jpg
| caption2          = The Atari CX40 joystick
| image3            = Nintendo-Entertainment-System-NES-Controller-FL.jpg
| caption3          = The Nintendo Entertainment System gamepad with a single D-pad and four buttons
| image4            = Playstation DualSense Controller.png
| caption4          = A modern controller, the DualSense for the Sony PlayStation 5, with multiple directional controls and buttons
}}