Controller What idiot at atari insisted for a keypad be added to the Jag controller?

[Prosystemsearch]

Who was the giant idiot at Atari Corp. who thought that the Jaguar controller was in need of a friggin' keypad?? The controller would have been better off looking like a larger version of the PC Engine controller. Its because of the controller scheme mainly that made the Jaguar fail in the end. :mad: :mad:

[roland p]

I think it was a cool feature.

[Paul Westphal]

The controller is ergonomic, and works well. I have not seen one fail yet. The idea was to have a modem hooked up, and use the numbers to dial. It is not the Worst controller. The 3do and nuon controllers were pretty bad. An auto fire switch would have been cool.

[NeoGeoNinja]

Who was the giant idiot at Atari Corp. who thought that the Jaguar controller was in need of a friggin' keypad?? The controller would have been better off looking like a larger version of the PC Engine controller. Its because of the controller scheme mainly that made the Jaguar fail in the end. :mad: :mad:

 

The same kind of giant idiot who, today, believes that the keypad was mainly responsible for Jaguars commercial failure...

Edited May 25, 2014 by NeoGeoNinja

[Gabriel]

The controller is ergonomic, and works well. I have not seen one fail yet. The idea was to have a modem hooked up, and use the numbers to dial.

 

Seriously? Well, I guess that makes sense. I always just ascribed it to the people in charge of developing the Jaguar controller being mired in the philosophy of the early 80s controllers.

 

But I've never had any problem with the Jaguar controller. I really have to wonder about the people who claim that it's one of the worst controllers of all time. It feels really good in the hand, and responds well. It was always a joy to play Tempest 2K, AvP, and Iron Soldier with. It's a very comfy and solid controller.

 

The drawback is that the 3 primary button design wasn't suitable to the fighting games which were popular at the time, and the keypad was extraneous for nearly every game (the same as what happened with the 5200's keypad).

[Prosystemsearch]

The controller is ergonomic, and works well. I have not seen one fail yet. The idea was to have a modem hooked up, and use the numbers to dial. It is not the Worst controller. The 3do and nuon controllers were pretty bad. An auto fire switch would have been cool.

while true, if they felt they truly did need a keypad, WHY NOT release it as a peripheral and not as part of the stock controller!?

[+LS650]

The whole "Jaguar controller sucks" is bullfeathers. Look at the Dreamcast or the first Xbox - both have much larger, clunkier controllers, yet both consoles were successful and highly thought of. Hell, look at the Intellivision, the Colecovision, or the 5200 - terrible, terrible controllers, and yet those consoles have huge followings with lots of great games.

 

From the moment I first used a Jaguar controller I thought it was very ergonomic and comfortable. As for the keypad, why not? Keypads certainly didn't hold back the afore-mentioned Intellivision or Colecovision.

 

Let's get this straight. Plenty of factors led to the Jaguar's failure: incompetent management, lousy marketing, poor distribution, lack of development tools, little third party buy-in, etc. etc. - but it did not fail because of keypads on the controllers. Absolutely ridiculous.

[Prosystemsearch]

The whole "Jaguar controller sucks" is bullfeathers. Look at the Dreamcast or the first Xbox - both have much larger, clunkier controllers, yet both consoles were successful and highly thought of. Hell, look at the Intellivision, the Colecovision, or the 5200 - terrible, terrible controllers, and yet those consoles have huge followings with lots of great games.

 

From the moment I first used a Jaguar controller I thought it was very ergonomic and comfortable. As for the keypad, why not? Keypads certainly didn't hold back the afore-mentioned Intellivision or Colecovision.

 

Let's get this straight. Plenty of factors led to the Jaguar's failure: incompetent management, lousy marketing, poor distribution, lack of development tools, little third party buy-in, etc. etc. - but it did not fail because of keypads on the controllers. Absolutely ridiculous.

The Intellivision controller was not terrible at all. The number keypad was more resiliant than the stock 5200 controller, plus the controller disc was ahead of its time, going in 16 directions. But it was REAL STUPID of Mattel to hardwire them.

[+LS650]

It's all a matter of opinion, isn't it? You think the Jagpad is a 'idiot' controller, and I think the same of the Intellivision controller...

 

It doesn't stop me from owning or playing Intellivision - in fact, I was playing Burgertime this morning on my INTV - but the disc sucks, and the decision to put those tiny little fire buttons on the sides of the controller is just unforgivable!

[Prosystemsearch]

The controller is ergonomic, and works well. I have not seen one fail yet. The idea was to have a modem hooked up, and use the numbers to dial. It is not the Worst controller. The 3do and nuon controllers were pretty bad. An auto fire switch would have been cool.

Most nuon controllers were bad; at best mediocre, yes.

 

It's all a matter of opinion, isn't it? You think the Jagpad is a 'idiot' controller, and I think the same of the Intellivision controller...

 

It doesn't stop me from owning or playing Intellivision - in fact, I was playing Burgertime this morning on my INTV - but the disc sucks, and the decision to put those tiny little fire buttons on the sides of the controller is just unforgivable!

Why does the disc suck?? can't handle 16 directions??

[Prosystemsearch]

Most nuon controllers were bad; at best mediocre, yes.

 

Why does the disc suck?? can't handle 16 directions??

Also, IMO the Intellivision only needed 2 fire buttons.

[racerx]

OMG suXorz! Lolz fail!!!111one

[Prosystemsearch]

OMG suXorz! Lolz fail!!!111one

 

NOW THATS REAL SHITPOSTING!

[racerx]

Dammit...my biting sarcasm blunted by a photo fail.

 

[doctorclu]

Well the point of the above is, perhaps the keypad/keyboard should have been a add on like the picture featured above.

 

But this was 1993 and such things hadn't been done.

 

What previous discussions on here have brought out by poll, if you have big hands, the Jaguar controller was comfortable. If you don't, you generally found the controller uncomfortable. That is the basics.

[bennybingo]

You know what I have to say about this thread...

 

 

[+xucaen]

I like the controllers. I guess someone at Atari felt that good games needed more buttons, like pc games.

[Willard]

why couldn't atari have been sensible and included a kinect in their systems for people who wanted to play without controllers, and a wii u pad for people who wanted bulky controllers but with a touch screen for non-fixed button placement so that the controller scheme wasn't an issue. it would've been the right thing to do.

[JagChris]

You're a smart ass. I guess you're ok with me lol

 

why couldn't atari have been sensible and included a kinect in their systems for people who wanted to play without controllers, and a wii u pad for people who wanted bulky controllers but with a touch screen for non-fixed button placement so that the controller scheme wasn't an issue. it would've been the right thing to do.

[NeoGeoNinja]

What previous discussions on here have brought out by poll, if you have big hands, the Jaguar controller was comfortable. If you don't, you generally found the controller uncomfortable. That is the basics.

 

Really?

 

Because, I have those horrible tiny kids hands that are great for intricate button combos on 2D fighters via control pads, and find the Jag Controller to be absolutely fine.

[Felyx]

Who was the giant idiot :mad: :mad:

Well, you sound just like tons of people who are peing on that pad just because of its unusual shape.

 

Did you only handle it before to post your message here?

As some already said, it is ergonomic and confortable and the keypad is adding possibilities that other pad just can't offer so WTF?

 

Some says the pad is to big but at same time my children are playing some Jaguar games (Downfall, Jungle Jag...) since they are 5 or 6 and never felt that the pad was too big for their small hands :/

 

I don't think the joypad was the cause of the Jaguar sales failure, but the games.

Atari announced a 64 bits revolution and offered nothing better than 16 bits games already seen.

Edited May 26, 2014 by Felyx

[Gulfman]

Very much the lack of games and the quality of the games released, that was most to blame with the systems failure. Not the joypad.

Edited May 26, 2014 by Gulfman

[bennybingo]

For someone with only 16 posts, I find it ironic that they are complaining about the amount of buttons on the Jaguar controller…it seems that the OP figured out, quite quickly, how to press all the right buttons in the Jag forum.

[Lynxpro]

For the record, I argued with Atari Corp. staff back in 1992 about the "Jaguar" Controller. I loved the controller but I kept telling them [both in person at Atari Shows, at the Shareholder's Meeting, and via mail] that it needed 6-fire buttons for the popular fighting games like Street Fighter 2 and Mortal Kombat. Atari would demo them with the STe and Falcon back then but EGM had already spilled the beans that it would be the pack-in controller for the Jag [they referred to it as resembling a Cylon Raider]. And the typical Atari staff response was "it already has plenty of buttons".

 

I love the controllers. I just think the Jaguar Pro Controller should've been standard out the gate.

 

And I love the numeric keypad. I still say the best 5200 controller mod would be to convert the Jaguar Controller to work with the 5200 and swap out the DPad for an analog thumb stick from a PS2/PS3/PS4 or Xbox/Xbox360/XboxOne controller.

[Prosystemsearch]

Okay. the controller isn't THAT bad. But I still thing that the number keypad is a relic of the late 1970s-early 1980s. If they needed a key pad, they should have released it as a peripheral for possible online services.