Quantcast

A Brief History Of Virtual On Twin Stick Controllers

By Spencer . August 4, 2009 . 9:16am

After listening to consumer feedback Hori redesigned their premium priced Virtual On Twin Stick controller for the Xbox 360. Before we get to the new design let’s take a look at some old Sega models.

 

A Brief History Of Virtual On Twin Stick Controllers

Sega Saturn

 

A Brief History Of Virtual On Twin Stick Controllers

Sega Dreamcast

 

A Brief History Of Virtual On Twin Stick Controllers

Xbox 360, original version

 

A Brief History Of Virtual On Twin Stick Controllers

Xbox 360, revised and currently final version.

 

Notice how the controller got ridiculously large? If you’re spending 30,000 yen ($315) you want something sturdy, but Hori could have designed a simpler controller for much less.


Read more stories about & & & & on Siliconera.

  • Parable

    Playing Vitual On without the giant arcade machine just sounds sad to me. I’ve been a big console gamer my whole life ever since I got a Sega Master System but I have fond memories of Virtual On at the arcade. And honestly, with how easily pissed people get at games and the furor with which some people play games, wouldn’t a heavier and/or bulkier Dual Stick Controller be more likely to increase handling and improve gameplay? This is one of the few times that I don’t believe smaller/thinner is better. Of course this is my personal opinion and I know it may not hold true for most people.

    • Badfish

      Agreed. I believe you should have a sturdy controller. I too remember playing this at the arcade and dreamcast.

  • TurkeyPotPie

    The odd thing is how the distance between the sticks seems to vary between the two Hori prototypes (and compared to the older Saturn and DC sticks). I would assume they would try to match the arcade cabinet’s stick placement?

    Anyway, I never saw a Virtual On arcade cab, and I could never get into the Saturn or DC ports. I bought the DC Twin Sticks thinking that maybe they would help me “get” the game, but I never found the DC game all that fun (it didn’t help that none of my friends were interested in playing the title). However, as the posters above have noted, a heavier base is a definite plus especially given how you move the sticks for this game. I doubt a smaller stick would have resulted in much of a price reduction; the high price is probably due more to the limited numbers and Hori knows they can charge a high price to people who are fanatical about this game.

  • Name

    Lol, I actually have the saturn controller. Most durable controller I have

Video game stories from other sites on the web. These links leave Siliconera.

Siliconera Tests
Siliconera Videos

Popular