Citizendia
Your Ad Here

The D-pad (cross shape on left) first came to prominence on the controller for the Famicom.
The D-pad (cross shape on left) first came to prominence on the controller for the Famicom. The Nintendo Entertainment System (often abbreviated as NES or simply Nintendo) is an 8-bit Video game console that was released by

A D-pad (short for directional pad) is a tetradirectional (4-direction) control found on nearly all modern video game console gamepads, game controllers and on the remote control units of some television and DVD players, with one button on each point. A gamepad, also called joypad or control pad, is a type of Game controller held in the hand where the digits (especially thumbs are used to provide input A game controller is an Input device used to control a Video game. A remote control is an electronic device used for the remote operation of a Machine. Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is Like early video game joysticks, the vast majority of D-pads are digital; in other words, only the directions provided on the D-pad buttons can be used, with no intermediate values. A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling A digital system uses discrete (discontinuous values usually but not always Symbolized Numerically (hence called "digital" to represent information for However, combinations of two directions (up and left, for example) do provide diagonals.

Although digital D-pads offer less flexibility than analog sticks, they can easily be manipulated (requiring little movement of the thumb) with very high accuracy. An analog stick, sometimes called a thumbstick, control stick, or occasionally In recent years, D-pads have been developed which can measure different levels of pressure, giving a degree of analog control.

D-pads have appeared on other kinds of electronic equipment, including A/V remote controls (especially since the appearance of DVD players, which are heavily menu driven), calculators, PDAs, smartphones, and car stereos such as the Autopc. A remote control is an electronic device used for the remote operation of a Machine. DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is A calculator is device for performing mathematical calculations distinguished from a Computer by having a limited problem solving ability and an interface optimized for interactive A smartphone is a Mobile phone offering advanced capabilities beyond a typical mobile phone often with PC -like functionality The AutoPC is a brand of Carputer (the integration of a Personal computer in an automotive environment) jointly developed by Clarion and

Contents

History

A precursor to the standard D-pad was used by the Intellivision console, which was released by Mattel Electronics in 1980. The Intellivision is a Video game console released by Mattel in 1979. Mattel Inc ( is the world's largest Toy importing company based on revenue The Intellivision's unique controller featured the first alternative to a joystick on a home console, a circular pad that allowed for 16 directions of movement by pressing it with the thumb. A precursor to the D-pad also appeared on Entex's short lived "Select A Game" cartridge based handheld system; it featured non-connected raised left, right, up and down buttons aligned to the left of a row of action buttons. Similar directional buttons were also used on the Atari Game Brain, the unreleased precursor to the Atari 2600.

The first "connected" (pad) style D-pad appeared in 1981 on a handheld game system: "Cosmic Hunter" on Milton Bradley's Microvision. The Milton Bradley Company is an American Game company established by Milton Bradley in Springfield Massachusetts, in 1860 The Microvision was the very first hand-held game console using interchangeable cartridges The pad was operated the same way today's D-pads are, using the thumb to manipulate the onscreen "hero" character in any of four directions.

In 1982, Nintendo's Gunpei Yokoi updated this idea, shrinking it and altering the points into the familiar modern "cross" design for their Donkey Kong handheld game. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) is a Multinational corporation headquartered in Kyoto Japan founded on Gunpei Yokoi, also spelled ( September 10 1941 – October 4 1997) was a long-time Nintendo employee creator of the Game is an Arcade game developed by Nintendo, and released in. It is an early example of the platform genre as the Gameplay focuses on maneuvering the main The design proved to be popular for subsequent Game & Watch titles, although the previously introduced non-connected D-pad style was still utilized on various later Game & Watch titles, including the Super Mario Brothers handheld game. The (G&W series were Handheld electronic games made by Nintendo and created by its game designer Gunpei Yokoi from to. is a Platform game developed by Nintendo in late 1985 and published for the Nintendo Entertainment System, a sequel to the 1983 game Mario This particular design was patented.

In 1984, the Japanese company "Epoch" created a handheld game system called the "Epoch Game Pocket Computer". Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) The Epoch Game Pocket Computer is a Handheld game console released by Epoch in Japan in 1984. It featured a D-pad, but it was not popular for its time and soon faded.

Initially intended to be a compact controller for the Game & Watch handheld games alongside the prior non-connected style pad, Nintendo realized that Gunpei's updated design would also be appropriate for regular consoles, and Nintendo made the D-pad the standard directional control for the hugely successful Famicom/Nintendo Entertainment System under the name "+Control Pad". The Nintendo Entertainment System (often abbreviated as NES or simply Nintendo) is an 8-bit Video game console that was released by The Nintendo Entertainment System (often abbreviated as NES or simply Nintendo) is an 8-bit Video game console that was released by All major video game consoles since have had a D-pad of some shape on their controllers. Arcade games, however, have largely continued using joysticks.

A recent trend in modern consoles, beginning with the Nintendo 64, has been to provide both a D-pad and a compact thumb-operated analog stick; depending on the game, one type of control may be more appropriate than the other. The, often abbreviated as N64, is Nintendo 's third home Video game console for the international market In many cases with games that use a thumbstick, the D-pad is used as a set of extra buttons, all four usually centered around a kind of task, such as giving commands to friendly non-player characters.

D-pads are a standard part of the keyboard design for many graphing calculators and are thus used as input devices for both navigating the calculator's interface as well as more specialized uses such as calculator gaming. A graphing calculator (also known as a graphic calculator or graphical calculator) typically refers to a class of handheld Calculators that are capable of Calculator gaming is the phenomenon of programming and playing games on Programmable calculators especially Graphing calculators It is largely a pastime

The actual term "D-pad" was coined by Sega. is a multinational Video game Software and Hardware development company and a former Home computer The company used the term when describing the controllers for the Genesis system in instruction manuals and other literature. The is a 16-bit Video game console released by Sega in Japan in 1988 North America in 1989 and the PAL region in 1990

Consoles with D-pads

Consoles with separate controllers

Handheld consoles

Car Stereos with D-pads

Patents

Footnotes

The Nintendo Entertainment System (often abbreviated as NES or simply Nintendo) is an 8-bit Video game console that was released by The, which stands for Sega Game 1000, is a cartridge-based Video game console manufactured by Sega. The Sega Master System is an 8-bit cartridge-based Video game console that was manufactured by Sega and was first released in 1986. The Sega Master System is an 8-bit cartridge-based Video game console that was manufactured by Sega and was first released in 1986. The Atari 7800 ProSystem, or simply the Atari 7800, is a Video game console released by Atari Corporation in June 1986 The, known as TurboGrafx-16 in the USA is a Video game console developed by the Nippon Electric Company (NEC and released in Japan on October The is a 16-bit Video game console released by Sega in Japan in 1988 North America in 1989 and the PAL region in 1990 The Super Nintendo Entertainment System or Super NES (also called SNES and Super Nintendo) is a 16-bit Video game console that was 3DO Interactive Multiplayer (often called simply 3DO) was a Video game console originally produced by Panasonic in. The Amiga CD32 was the first 32-bit CD-ROM based Video game console released in western Europe and Canada The Atari Jaguar is a Video game console, released by Atari Corporation in. The is a 32-bit Video game console that was first released on November 22 1994 in Japan, May 11 1995 in North America The PlayStation (abbreviated PS, PSone, PS1, or informally as PSX) is a 32-bit fifth generation Video game console The PC-FX is a Video game console released in Japan on December 23 1994 by NEC Corporation. Nintendo 's (also known as the VR-32 during development was the first portable game console capable of displaying "true 3D graphics" The, often abbreviated as N64, is Nintendo 's third home Video game console for the international market The is Sega 's most recent Video game console and the successor to the Sega Saturn. The, often abbreviated as GCN, is Nintendo 's fourth home Video game console and is part of the sixth generation console era. The Xbox is a sixth-generation Video game console produced by Microsoft Corporation. The Xbox 360 is the second Video game console produced by Microsoft, and was developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, and SiS. The Microvision was the very first hand-held game console using interchangeable cartridges The Epoch Game Pocket Computer is a Handheld game console released by Epoch in Japan in 1984. The line is a line of battery -powered Handheld game consoles sold by Nintendo. The Atari Lynx was a Handheld game console released by Atari Corporation in 1989 The Sega Game Gear is a Handheld game console which was Sega 's response to Nintendo 's Game Boy. The Sega Nomad (Also called Sega Genesis Nomad or just Nomad) was a Handheld game console sold for the North American consumer market The is a dual-screen Handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. The PlayStation Portable (officially abbreviated PSP) is a Handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. PSP Slim & Lite as it is known in the PAL territories is the current model of the PlayStation Portable Handheld game console released and manufactured by The AutoPC is a brand of Carputer (the integration of a Personal computer in an automotive environment) jointly developed by Clarion and Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Dictionary

d-pad

-noun

  1. (video games) A plus shaped directional input pad on a video game controller that allows for eight degrees of movement.
© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic