Description
A replacement or additional standard controller for the original release of the PlayStation system.

Review
What can there be said for what many have claimed the ultimate gaming controller? Released way back in 1995 with the system, the original PlayStation controller posed quite the intimidation factor. Here was a controller that not only provided 4 thumb buttons and the usual Start and Select, but now added two rows of Trigger buttons on top. At any given time, a player could have 8 buttons pressed at once, plus a direction on the D-Pad. Heck, even THAT was mind boggling. How could they separate the directional pad into 4 distinct directions? So what if it was really just one piece under the mold, it was too wacky!

Fast forward 12 years later, and the controller that changed everything truthfully really hasn’t changed at all. If you were to follow the development of the pad, there have only really been 3 additions to it; analog functions, rumble, and with the PS3, tilt functions.

Makes you wonder what the PS4 controller will look like.

• Packaging Variations



• 4 color variations besides grey



• Sony officially 'maxed out' the number of buttons one could toss at a standard controller. With 10 total input buttons and the directional pad, they set an industry standard that most followed up until the Nintendo Wii was released.



• There were actually 2 versions of the controller. The original Japanese model was given extra cord length and several minor changes, thus creating the SCPH-1080.



• This was the first time a controller layout used shapes rather than letters or numbers to designate their assignments.



• Start Button is shaped like a 'Play' symbol.



• America and Japan have two different understandings of the X and O button. In Japan, where they read right to left, the O stood for Accept, and the X for Cancel. In America, since we read the opposite direction, Sony decided to re-assign the buttons as well. There are a select few US released games that use the original Japanese configuration.
  
  

As companies looked for better ways to both display their products and help fend off retail theft, the plastic shell packages came into form. They’re actually quite nice in design and Sony continues to use this set-up even today with the PS3 controllers. When compared to the original cardboard version, the backs are completely the same, the side panels have been dumped, and the front image is now replaced with the actual controller.