🤯 Did Sony Create A Better System & Controller Thanks To NINTENDO?!?
240The Super Nintendo (SNES) is my favorite console ever, but in a strange way, it's also the reason we got the PlayStation. The story of Nintendo and Sony’s partnership—and subsequent bitter split—is gaming legend, giving us the console wars we know and love today! But we need to answer this question: Did Sony create a better system and controller thanks to Nintendo?
We all know the gist: Sony and Nintendo were collaborating on the Super Famicom CD (a CD-ROM add-on for the console) using Sony's expertise, but Nintendo ultimately got cold feet and secretly cut a disastrous deal with Philips, leading to those infamous Mario and Zelda games on the CD-i.
But the real legacy of the SNES lives on in the original PlayStation hardware, and in some crucial ways, Sony managed to improve on the design.
The Evolution of the Controller
When you look at the Super Famicom controller (or the SNES controller) and the PlayStation controller, the inspiration is undeniable.
The Shape and Angles: Sony had to split the D-Pad and use different face buttons (Triangle, Circle, X, Square) due to Nintendo's patents on the traditional cross D-pad and ABXY layout. However, if you compare the overall angles, grips, and general feel, the original PlayStation controller is clearly an evolution of the SNES's comfortable design.
Doubled Down on Shoulder Buttons: This was a brilliant optimization. Where the SNES controller had just L and R shoulder buttons, Sony doubled up, giving us L1, L2, R1, and R2. This instantly gave developers more control options for 3D environments, a key advantage for the next generation.
Small Details: Even the slight protrusion or shape at the bottom of the Super Famicom controller's grips was smoothly incorporated and refined into the PlayStation design. There is a lot of the SNES inside the PS1 controller.
PS1 vs. N64: The Next Evolution
The connections extend to the competition as well. The Nintendo 64 controller also took cues from the SNES—you can see it in the D-Pad's placement, the A and B button lookalikes (the C-buttons), and its two shoulder buttons. However, Sony used the SNES foundation to create a much clearer path forward for 3D gaming.
The original PlayStation took the best parts of the SNES controller's ergonomics and modernized them, offering a far less confusing design than the N64, and providing crucial features like dual analog sticks and built-in rumble that would become the industry standard.
I may love the SNES more, but I'll admit the PlayStation controller took its design and perfected it for the 3D era.
Did you know about this deep link between the SNES and the PS1? And can you still see this SNES DNA in the PS5 DualSense controller today? Let me know in the comments!
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