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Microsoft Thinks Xbox ‘Pioneered’ Dual Analogue Controllers
Microsoft’s Xbox 25th anniversary blog post said the original Xbox “pioneered dual analogue controllers”, but the article says that claim is inaccurate. The distinction matters because Sony’s PlayStation consoles had already established dual analogue controls before Xbox launched.
The original Xbox launched on 15 November 2001. The article says dual analogue controllers appeared on the PS1 four years earlier, and the DualShock was included as standard with the PS2 in 2000. It also notes that the Dreamcast introduced pressure-sensitive triggers in 1999, so the phrase may not refer to triggers either.
In short
- Microsoft credited Xbox with pioneering dual analogue controllers.
- The PS1 had dual analogue controls years earlier.
- The Dreamcast introduced pressure-sensitive triggers in 1999.
Explained simply
The original Xbox was Microsoft’s first games console, launched in 2001. A dual analogue controller has two small thumb-operated sticks, which let players move and look around at the same time.
Sony had already introduced dual analogue controls on the PlayStation, and its DualShock controller came as standard with the PlayStation 2 in 2000. Sega’s Dreamcast had also introduced pressure-sensitive triggers in 1999. These earlier consoles matter because they help put claims about the Xbox’s place in controller history into context.