Why did some of the older consoles have these sorts of controls...

Bengaboy · 6 Oct 2008 at 00:51

The ones with a numeric pad on them!! :eek:

What was the thought behind them? Was it going to be something that they would later implement on said console but it failed miserabley and didnt bother?

Not speaking about a particular console, just in general - I have always wondered why!

ScarySquirrel · 6 Oct 2008 at 09:02

Bengaboy said:
The ones with a numeric pad on them!!

What was the thought behind them? Was it going to be something that they would later implement on said console but it failed miserabley and didnt bother?

Not speaking about a particular console, just in general - I have always wondered why!

I don't remember any. Got any examples?

Metalface Mark · 6 Oct 2008 at 09:12

Intellivision had them.

You slid a card into the control for that game, which then had the controls for that game.

macca672 · 6 Oct 2008 at 09:27

Jaguar 64 had a similar thing with the slide in cards unique to each game, the aliens game on that was pure awesomeness

Flammy · 6 Oct 2008 at 09:51

macca672 said:
Jaguar 64 had a similar thing with the slide in cards unique to each game, the aliens game on that was pure awesomeness

Yeh, most games on that thing came with a little labelled card that slotted in above the keypad, so essentially you had an extra 12 buttons.

Superfluous really, but then those consoles were generally a bit weird.

Bengaboy · 6 Oct 2008 at 18:43

Ahhh ok, cool - cheers guys

Scort · 6 Oct 2008 at 19:20

macca672 said:
Jaguar 64 had a similar thing with the slide in cards unique to each game, the aliens game on that was pure awesomeness

May have to dig mine out of the loft, it needs a new internal fuse though, as it wont power on

But then, it's original AvP goodness

Scort.

Yungstar 2006 · 6 Oct 2008 at 22:18

my first cart system (still got it) from 79, it's now back in the front room and about to be plugged into our HDtv in the coming days.

macca672 · 6 Oct 2008 at 22:47

Yungstar 2006 said:
my first cart system (still got it) from 79, it's now back in the front room and about to be plugged into our HDtv in the coming days.

post up some screenies please when ya do

Sanchez · 6 Oct 2008 at 22:51

The first console I ever played on back in the day (it was old even when I first played it back in about '86). I used to love playing Astro Smash and some tank game which I forget the name of now (Battle Tanks maybe). I think my Grandad still has it somewhere.

You were pretty screwed if you lost the plastic cards that went over the keypad.

fergie666 · 7 Oct 2008 at 04:42

Colecovision is another console with a numeric joystick.

You use the numeric pad to choose your difficulty level at the start of the game and some games used certain buttons during gameplay.

Yungstar 2006 · 7 Oct 2008 at 14:20

macca672 said:
post up some screenies please when ya do

not great news, but here goes..

one of my 15 carts with the joypad overlays

circus

duck hunt

Amazing Maze

unfortunately i could not get the tv to tune the thing in very well, even with fine tune there was ghosting around the objects on screen and the games.......

best put back on the shelf and forgotten about me thinks.

queamin · 7 Oct 2008 at 18:03

fergie666 said:
Colecovision is another console with a numeric joystick.

You use the numeric pad to choose your difficulty level at the start of the game and some games used certain buttons during gameplay.

Yeah i had one of those