What were they thinking?

You're supposed to hold the outer two handles and shove the middle one up your ass for stability.

You have to remember, when they released this controller, analog wasn't really a thing -- people were use to d-pads. As a result, they were in the tough position, they needed to make it so that you could use either the d-pad or analog stick with your left hand. and if it were a traditional two-prong controller with the d-pad in a location like that found on the 360 or GameCube controller, it would be difficult for using for movement in more traditional games. It turned out that everybody ended up loving analog and the d-pad was barely used, but they had no way of knowing that this is how it would turn out at the time. It seems retarded in retrospect, but it made sense from the perspective of a new technology that Nintendo was unsure how people react to.

>>382106763
So I was doing it right this whole time? And to think my friends thought I was doing it wrong.

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>>382106763
Fuck have a (You)

>>382107182
It seems like it would have been easy to create a dualshock-type controller, but again, this was the fucking mid 90's. The only reason controllers like that exist is because they were built off of the groundwork laid by the trident.

I don't see the problem with this controller.

I've only seen this meme come up in recent years, why is that? Some YouTube thing?

Even kids on the Sony or god forbid Sega Saturn side of the fence were able to hop into Goldeneye and Mario Kart and all that just fine.

>>382107412
>I've only seen this meme come up in recent years, why is that? Some YouTube thing?
It's because most people on this board are suffering from a spectrum disorder.

There were no set standards for controllers yet and the analog stick was brand new for them. They kept the D-pad as a back-up plan in case analog controls would flop, but they didn't really know where to put it, so they made two ''modes'' you could play in.
Obviously, playing modern games where you utilize all buttons in some way would be a disaster, but at the time, the D-pad + L were interchangeable with stick + Z, so it worked out fine.

>>382106634
A way to switch between analogue control or D-pad control. Having both simultaneously seemed redundant at the time.

On the right hand side you have the literally arcade-perfect 6 buttons of two rows configuration. And you've got one shoulder button accessible and one trigger underneath.

The trigger was particularly cool button placement, perfect for shooters.

Not sure why people don't like the N64 controller - it's not bad, just different. The analogue stick could have been more durable though - but when it's in good condition it's actually one of the most precise thumbsticks ever made due to using a unique optical encoders technology.

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>>382106634
>people back at time completely understood the controller and called it "genius"

Woah... so OP is the power of... being underaged...

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>>382106634
I don't get what everyone's problem was. I had no issues with it. It was perfect.

>>382106634
>Hold it one way for 3D games
>Hold it the other for 2D
Wow Nintendo must have been high! xD

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>>382107763
>Reviewer said something therefore it's true
Wew

>>382106634
>where the fuck do we put a stick

>>382106634

dildos

Joystick gimmick, needs to go, I'm sick of gimmicks in my consoles REEEE

>>382108380
Yeah, what's your point? The OP asked ''What were they thinking?'' and it was perfectly explained here >>382107763
Dual stick schemes weren't standard and they wanted to make left-handed people be able to comfortably play Goldeneye and shit. Made sense at the time.

>>382107697
Agreed.

Turok had probably the best use of that control layout (I remember being ridiculously happy when I found it as an option in golden eye. It was a great game pad for shooters.

>>382108867
Are you saying Nintendo should have just not bothered?

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They were thinking they would freak people out with a completely new and unfamiliarly shaped controller, so they made it partially similar to the old and safe SNES pad, resulting in the unnecessary LEFT prong.

pic related is what they should have done, but were too scared and conservative

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>>382106634

>>382109095
>We're too scared and too conservative
>So they come up with the most abstract controller ever

Pick one

>>382109095
>what are ergonomics