Control pad

Categories: Computer and video game hardware | Input devices

A control pad (also called a D-pad) is an input device on video game consoles, similar to the arrow keys on a computer keyboard. It is usually shaped like a plus sign and allows one to enter up to eight directions (by pressing either left, right, up, down, up and left, up and right, down and left, or down and right). Some are pressure sensitive, allowing one to choose any direction like a joystick but is shaped like a typical control pad. The concept of the control pad was first conceived by Nintendo in the early 1980s, and was first seen in their Game & Watch series of electronic LCD games. It was created in response to the clumsy joysticks found in many video game consoles at the time, the control pad allowing for quicker movement.