An analog stick, also known as control stick, joystick or thumbstick, is an input device for a controller that is used for two-dimensional input. An analog stick is a variation of a joystick, consisting of a protrusion from the controller; input is based on the position of this protrusion in relation to the default "center" position. While digital sticks rely on single electrical connections for movement, analog sticks use continuous electrical activity running through potentiometers to measure the exact position of the stick within its full range of motion. The analog stick has greatly overtaken the D-pad in both prominence and usage in console video games.
The GameCube controller analog stick
The Sony PlayStation DualShock (1997) features two analog sticks.
Cromemco JS-1 analog joystick, the first known for microcomputers
The Nintendo 64 Controller popularized the thumbstick.
A game controller, gaming controller, or simply controller, is an input device or input/output device used with video games or entertainment systems to provide input to a video game. Input devices that have been classified as game controllers include keyboards, mice, gamepads, and joysticks, as well as special purpose devices, such as steering wheels for driving games and light guns for shooting games. Controllers designs have evolved to include directional pads, multiple buttons, analog sticks, joysticks, motion detection, touch screens and a plethora of other features.
A player holding a North American Super Nintendo Entertainment System controller
A modern recreation of the controller for the 1958 video game Tennis For Two
A Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, a typical modern two-stick gamepad
Paddle controllers were popular early in the 2nd console generation for Pong games.