Controller pad for Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) video game console, made by Nintendo Company Ltd, 1986

Prior to the NES, most game console controllers consisted of a joystick, or separate direction buttons to input movement. In contrast, the NES controller features the cross-shaped d-pad (directional pad), designed previously for Nintendo’s ‘Game and Watch’ handheld single game devices. It provided a less bulky alternative to joysticks, and went on to become an industry standard, still present in modern game controllers.

In 1983 the video game industry in the US went into drastic decline, caused in part by a saturated market of consoles and games, often of low quality, and a subsequent loss of confidence in video gaming. The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), a redesigned version of the company’s Famicom (Family computer) console, became Nintendo’s first home console released outside Japan. The NES was intentionally named and designed to distance itself from previous consoles and their poor reputation. It also contained the 10NES – a lockout chip that prevented the console from running cartridges unapproved by Nintendo. As a huge commercial success, the NES is attributed with helping to revive the video game industry following the 1983 crash and securing Nintendo’s place as a world leading video game company. It was released in North America in 1985 staying on the market until 1995.