Controller
コントローラ
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Virtual Boy Controller
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The input device designed for Nintendo’s short‑lived Virtual Boy console. The design was unusual compared with other controllers of the era, with a quite modern layout in addition to the providing the power connection for the console.
Description
The Virtual Boy Controller features a distinctive “dog bone” shape with two symmetrical grips, each containing its own D‑pad. This dual D‑pad layout was intended to give players more nuanced control in the pseudo‑3D environments the Virtual Boy generated, though in practice most games released only used one pad at a time. The face also included two red action buttons (labeled A and B), Start and Select buttons in the centre, and shoulder triggers on the back of each grip.
The controller operated on simple digital inputs, with no analog sticks or rumble features as would be introduced with the Nintendo 64. Its dual D‑pad concept foreshadowed later innovations and controller layouts, but at the time it was seen as unconventional and underutilised.
One of the most notable aspects of the Virtual Boy Controller was that the console’s power connector was built into the controller itself. Players inserted either a battery pack or mains power tap directly into the controller, which then connected to the headset via a cable. This design kept the headset lighter, but it also meant the controller was inseparable from the system’s core functionality.
Reception was mixed with some praising the ergonomic grips and responsive buttons, while others found the dual D‑pad redundant. Retrospectively the Virtual Boy Controller was one of Nintendo’s more experimental designs that reflects gamepad’s evolution.
