NES Controller



The NES Controller was the game controller used for both the NES and the Famicom Disk System. It featured an oblong brick-like design with a simple four button layout: two round buttons labelled "A" and "B", a "START" button and a "SELECT" button. The controllers utilized the cross-shaped joypad designed Gunpei Yokoi for Nintendo Game & Watch systems to replace the bulkier joysticks on earlier gaming console controllers.

The Famicom featured two game controllers, both of which were hardwired to the back of the console. The second controller lacked the START and SELECT buttons, but featured a small microphone, though relatively few games made use of this feature. The earliest produced Famicom units initially had square A and B buttons. This was changed to the circular designs because of the square buttons being caught in the controller casing when pressed down and glitches within the hardware causing the system to freeze occasionally while playing a game.

Today, the NES Controller has become one of the most recognized symbols of its console. Its look was mimicked in many products, and certain Wii games such as Super Paper Mario and Metroid: Other M have NES controller-like control scheme, with the Wii Remote being held sideways. It is also one of the pawns in Nintendo Monopoly.