Why Nintendo 64 Controllers Gave Players Blisters

Why Nintendo 64 Controllers Gave Players Blisters

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The Nintendo 64 had the most experimental controllers of any Nintendo console, but what was it about the design that caused so many injuries?

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Why Nintendo 64 Controllers Gave Players Blisters

Nintendo’s 1997 release of the Nintendo 64 ushered in a new era of possibility for the video game console conglomerate. Its existence gave players not only bigger games and better graphics, but also one of the most iconic controller designs ever to hit living rooms. However, with the Nintendo 64’s futuristic three-pronged design also came so many blisters, scrapes, and injuries for players that Nintendo never released anything quite so daring again.

The N64’s archive of games contains some incredible classics that continue to stand the test of time. Games like Super Mario 64, GoldenEye 007, and Donkey Kong 64 are just a few titles that players had to choose from, often keeping them on their screens for days devouring every little three-dimensional detail. Unfortunately, the hours pored into the Nintendo 64 were soon also etched into players’ actual hands from the controller’s awkward grip, distant buttons, and the dreaded plastic joystick.

The amount of different kinds of content the Nintendo 64 offered in its games pushed the traditional platformer-style to the backburner to make way for more open world titles. The sophistication of movement in games like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time gave players a constant 360-degree range of motion rather than the traditional left and right model. A few full laps around the massive Hyrule Field with the N64’s awkward and bare plastic joystick meant raw and blistered thumbs for committed players everywhere.

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Nintendo’s N64 Mario Party Problem

Nintendo found out just how much of an issue the controllers were causing shortly after the release of the first installment of the Mario Party franchise. According to a ZDNet article from 2002, players were experiencing injuries like friction burns, punctures, and even lacerations from the N64 joystick playing Mario Party mini games. While none of the injuries were serious, there were nearly 100 instances of such injuries reported.

To course correct, Nintendo offered special gloves with padded palms to those with proof of purchase of Mario Party. It cost the company approximately $75,000 in legal fees, but clearly taught Nintendo a hard-learned lesson. Every Nintendo console created after the N64 had rubberized joysticks with smoother action, and nothing quite as daring as the trident design was released again.

The Nintendo 64 is a huge landmark in Nintendo’s history, bringing players seamlessly into the world of 3D. Despite its drawbacks, it still garners impressive praise for its influence. Drenched in nostalgia, many Nintendo fans pine for various N64 title remasters today, though nonexistent are the calls to bring back the dangerous Nintendo 64 controller. In the end, players can breathe a collective sigh of relief that Nintendo has since then prioritized comfort as well as design, and those serious controller blisters are a thing of the past.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/nintendo-64-controller-thubstick-injury-mario-party-gloves/

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