D-pad
Videos
The D-pad is a compact input method developed for video games, designed to translate thumb movement into directional control through a flat, cross-shaped surface that rests on four internal switches.
D-pad on the original NES controller (officially called the +Control Pad), which was recognized with an Emmy award
Gremlin's 4-button arcade input method
Palisek's D-pad patent drawing
Donkey Kong (1982) Game & Watch adaptation with the familiar cross-shaped D-pad
Joystick
Videos
A joystick, sometimes called a flight stick, 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. Also known as the contro
D-pad
…from being pressed at once and enhancing tactile feedback. When introduced, the D-pad offered a space-saving, precise input method at a time when bulky joysticks dominated the market. While analog sticks have largely superseded D-pads as the primary directional input in three-dimensional gamepads, the D-pad's…
Cockpit of a glider with its joystick visible
A prototype Project Gemini joystick-type hand controller, 1962
Sega's MotoPolo (1968), an arcade electro-mechanical game with joystick controls
CH Products Mach II analog joystick for Apple II computers. The small knobs are for (mechanical) calibration, and the sliders engage the self-centering springs.