The Moving Finger Trivia Quiz

Answer: Atari 2600

While the Magnavox Odyssey can claim the title of the first video game console, the Atari 2600 was certainly the first mainstay of home video game consoles. The aforementioned joystick made playing accessible for gamers of any ability, and the hardware was sufficient to support quite a large library of games.

Answer: It looked like a touch-tone phone, designed to hold overlays. It also had some side buttons and a miniature joystick.

The ColecoVision controller was long and phonelike. On the controller, each game could include a plastic overlay for the controller that would map any or all of the 10 numeric keys. This innovation (which originated with the Intellivision controller) allowed for much more player input without compromising performance or comfort (until you lost the overlay, after which you presumably guessed and mashed buttons randomly).

Answer: Nintendo Entertainment System

The NES reinvented the video game industry. After the flooding of the video game market and subsequent 'video game crash' of 1983, Nintendo emerged with new and superior engineering, design, and marketing. Part of their success included their easy-to-use and now iconic controller--many video gamers of my era still reference the "up, up, down, down" code featured in many Nintendo games.

Answer: The Power Glove

The Power Glove was a much-hyped but poorly-designed disaster. NES released only two games--"Super Glove Ball" and "Bad Street Brawler"--playable with the device. Two more games were announced but never released, possibly due to lack of interest. In theory, you could use the glove to play other NES games, but due to its poor design and functionality, this was essentially impossible in practice.

Answer: Atari Jaguar

The Jaguar was the last console that Atari would produce, probably with good reason. The controller itself was repeatedly described as "too complicated" or "needlessly complex." Additionally, controller overlays were viewed at this point as old-generation and detracting from game play. IGN dubbed the Jaguar controller "the worst video game controller of all time."

In addition to these issues, the Jaguar console suffered from a dearth of strong titles. This appears to have been partially due to hardware issues which made programming for the Jaguar difficult and tedious, although competition from other successful consoles such as the Super NES and Sega Genesis was a significant factor.

Answer: Its scope. It was nearly 1 yard/1 meter long, and featured an overwhelming array of buttons.

"Steel Battalion" was a 'mech' game; if you're not familiar, a mech typically is a walking machine that does battle with other walking machines. The "Steel Battalion" controller was huge (88 cm/35 in. wide) and intimidating--it had over 40 buttons/controls, including 3 foot pedals. There were buttons to start the machine up, buttons to detach gas tanks, fire extinguisher buttons, windshield wiper buttons...you get the idea.

Once gamers got used to the scope of the controller, the game itself, as well as its sequel, got generally positive reviews. However, "Steel Battalion" is often used in a cautionary sense--Capcom broke even on the game, and learned the lesson that most people aren't willing to spend that kind of money on a game controller that plays one or two games.

Answer: They were too fat.

The original Xbox controllers were huge, and immediately garnered nicknames such as the "Duke," the "Alarm Clock," and the "Fatty." They were so big that the buttons could be difficult to reach, and some people (like children or those with small hands) had difficulty using them at all. Microsoft eventually remedied this problem by replacing the original controllers with the S controllers, which were considerably smaller. Still, the original controllers are remembered with loathing. IGN ranked the original Xbox controller as its 2nd worst controller of all time, and the controller remains a feature on most "bottom 10" lists.

Answer: X, Circle, Square, and Triangle

The Playstation controllers--primarily made by Sixaxis and Dualshock--is a very successful analog joystick. The analog feature (which means essentially that each joystick is position and pressure-sensitive) gives great control over gameplay. Additionally, due to some clever electronics, each button on the controller is pressure-sensitive.

These features allow for high levels of game control, as well as very intuitive gameplay.

Answer: The Magic Flute, a controller/flute that can actually be played to link areas in the Legend of Zelda series.

Unfortunately, though several "Zelda" games have required obtaining/playing a flute, no such controller exists.

Several games, like "Karaoke Revolution", do use microphone peripherals which generally detect your pitch as you play. The "Rock Band" and "Guitar Hero" series (and others) use increasingly-realistic-looking musical equipment for their gameplay. There are dozens of other rhythm-based and music-based game controllers.

Answer: Nintendo Wii

The "Wiimote", as it has been nicknamed, is a highly successful motion-sensing remote. Its excellent engineering makes picking up and playing games highly intuitive, broadening the Wii's appeal far beyond that of the traditional video gaming community--two of the console's top-selling games are "Wii Sports" and "Wii Fit".

The Wii remote has immersed people into the gaming experience to such a degree that there are numerous accounts of broken televisions, cabinet windows, knickknacks and other items due to accidentally flung Wii remotes.