In the second part of our look at the evolution of games controllers, we take a look at the current crop of consoles and predict what the next generation controllers will be like.
Rob Wilson

In March 1997, one of the greatest games ever was released in the UK. Mario 64 stunned everyone it touched. Miyamoto had made the Mario transition from 2D to 3D worlds seem effortless. With the new-found love for 3D in the gaming world, thanks to the increasing power of graphics cards, a new standard controller was demanded. A digital D-pad was clumsy and inaccurate for 360-degree movement, so what did Miyamoto and his team do? Simple: they added an analogue stick to the middle of the pad, placed a couple of extra "c" buttons on the face, a trigger button on the underside of the controller and kept the D-Pad intact where it was.

The result was the most bizarre but amazing controller. It looked like a something from the rejects of starship design on Star Trek but played like the Liverpool of the '80s. After only an hour's use the controller was like second nature. As well as the analogue stick providing easy 3D control, the trigger button added a new dimension to control. The Z-Trigger is best utilised on GoldenEye (and various other first-person shooters) for use of firing weapons. I actually feel I'm firing the guns and not just tapping a button. Also, another noticeable inclusion was an expansion slot actually fitted into the N64 pad. This allowed memory cards and new Rumble Paks to simulate effects in the game, another revolutionary step involving motors which rotated at different speeds, causing small rumbles for effects such as engine noises and heavy rumbles for effects such as explosions.