Game controller

Suggestions

Left Side (Directional Pad/Joystick)

The right should include a directional pad or joystick to use in pointing or directional manipulation.

In order of preference we should include:

1. A circular "rocker" on top of four constacts but made of a single piece of plastic that allows for easy 8-way directional pointing.

2. A Sony Playstation-like 4-way direcctional-pad with single piece of plastic but exposed or shaped into 4 roughly distinct buttons and shaped to allow pointing in diagonals.

3. In the interests of space, the 4-way directional pad could be replaced with a joystick. We'd like to avoid the clunkiness and fragility of most cellphone joysticks. better examples would be in either the GP2X, the GP32 (an earlier version of the GP2X) or the controller on the NeoGeo.

Right Side (Buttons)

Since there is additional room on the right side, we should take advatnage of this and include 4 buttons. The ideal layout would be in a diamond shape so it could be used a more traditional four-way directional pad if necessary.

If two buttons are used instead of three, they should be distinct buttons and placed an angle from each other with the right buttton above the left.

Other game controllers

This link (highly recomended) gives a brief discussion of many controllers and their relationship to each other historically.

http://www.axess.com/twilight/console/detail/vb.jpg

http://www.hartware.de/media/reviews/322/gp32.jpg

http://www.ossblog.it/uploads/gp2x_2.jpg

http://www.retro-games.co.uk/neogeo/hngp_bluesys.gif

http://www.retro-games.co.uk/neogeo/hngp_bw.jpg

http://www.viewonline.com/pages/articles/images/messiahcontrollers.jpg

http://www.gamestech.com/playstation2_info/controller/PSX2_Neo_Geo_Stick_2/neo2.jpg

http://www.gadmag.de/images/Gadgets/Sony%20PSP/Sony%20PSP-front,back.jpg

http://www.wasapi.com/Downloads/Nintendo_ds_bg_2.png

http://www.goatstore.com/photos/211219/211219.jpg

http://www.sealiecomputing.com/retrozone/images/retropad1_large.jpg

http://www.circuitcity.com/IMAGE/product/detail/nin/PC.NIN.DOLACK2.LT.JPG

http://www.playphoria.com/features/indepth/controller-ergonomics/images/controllers-ps3.jpg

http://www.deafgamers.com/controller_s1.jpg

http://www.retrousb.com/images/neogeo1_med.jpg

http://www.playphoria.com/features/indepth/controller-ergonomics/images/controllers-001.jpg

http://www.seganet.com.br/images/full_dreamcast_controller.gif

http://z.about.com/d/vgstrategies/1/0/Y/ps2controller.jpg

http://media.arstechnica.com/staff/fatbits.media/n64-controller.jpg