Dual Analog Controller

Last updated
Dual Analog Controller
PlayStation Dual Analog.png
A Dual Analog controller in "Flightstick" mode
Developer Sony Computer Entertainment
Manufacturer Sony
Type Gamepad
Generation Fifth
Release date
  • JP: 25 April 1997
  • NA: 27 August 1997
  • EU: September 1997
DiscontinuedMid-1998
Input
  • analog sticks
  • 13× Digital buttons
    ( PlayStationTriangle.svg , PlayStationCircle.svg , PlayStationCross.svg , PlayStationSquare.svg , Start, Select, Analog, L1, R1, L2, R2, L3, R3)
  • Digital D-Pad
ConnectivityPlayStation controller port
Predecessor PlayStation controller
Successor DualShock

The Dual Analog Controller (SCPH-1150 in Japan, SCPH-1180 in the United States, and SCPH-1180e in Europe) is Sony's first handheld analog controller for the PlayStation, and the predecessor to the DualShock; the first analog controller was the PlayStation Analog Joystick (SCPH-1110).

Contents

The Japanese version of the controller (SCPH-1150) also has a single vibration motor inside in order to provide force feedback while playing video games. [1] [2]

History

The Dual Analog Controller was first displayed under glass at the PlayStation Expo 96–97, which was held from 1 November to 4 November 1996. [3] [4] [5] It was released in Japan in 25 April 1997, coincident with the Japanese release of vibration and analog-capable title Tobal 2 . [6] [7] Bushido Blade , another title fully compatible with the controller, [8] had been released previously in March. [9]

Before its release in the United States, Sony decided that vibration feedback would be removed from the European and American versions of the controller. According to a Sony spokesperson, "We evaluated all the features and decided, for manufacturing reasons, that what was most important to gamers was the analog feature." [10] Reasons for dropping the vibration feedback reportedly included it being linked to premature malfunction of the controllers. [11] [10] There were rumors that Nintendo had attempted to legally block the release of the controller in North America due to the vibration feature's similarity to Nintendo's Rumble Pak, [12] but Nintendo firmly denied it had taken any form of legal action over Sony's controllers. [10] Moreover, according to the United States Patent Office, two employees of Atari Games have held a patent on vibrating game controller technology since March 1991. [13] Another theory for the vibration feedback being dropped was that Sony simply wanted to keep the price of the controller down in order to maximize user adoption. [10]

It was released in the United States on 27 August 1997, and in Europe in September 1997 with little promotion.[ citation needed ] A few months later, the first DualShock controller was released in Japan on 20 November 1997.

Namco had already released an analog controller for PlayStation called NeGcon. Sony's Dual Analog Controller's analog mode was not compatible with the NeGcon-compatible games like Wipeout and Ridge Racer . However, Need for Speed II , Gran Turismo , and Gran Turismo 2 feature compatibility with both NeGcon and Dual Analog control schemes.

Fans of a smaller form factor, Japanese players complained the very long hand grips made the controller too large to be held properly and the lack of a rumble feature in the U.S. and European models are the most commonly cited reasons that Sony decided to end production of this controller and redesign it. This redesign eventually became the DualShock.[ citation needed ]

The Dual Analog controller was discontinued in all three markets in 1998, to be replaced by the DualShock.

Features

Operation modes

The Dual Analog controller has three modes of operation: Digital, which disables the Analog sticks, Analog (as also found on DualShock/DualShock 2 controllers) and an Analog Flightstick mode emulating the PlayStation Analog Joystick [14] that is not available on the DualShock or DualShock 2.

If a PlayStation game is DualShock or Dual Analog compatible, the player may press the Analog button located between the two analog sticks to activate the analog mode. This is indicated by a red LED. If the Dual Analog controller is switched to analog mode while using a game which is not analog-compatible, the game will not register any button presses or, in some cases, the game will consider the controller to be detached. This is due to the fact the controller's type ID that is reported to the game is changed when the button is pressed.

The ability to emulate Sony's own PlayStation Analog Joystick by pressing the "Analog" button a second time to reveal a green LED (this was commonly referred to as "Flightstick Mode") provided a less expensive alternative to the FlightStick Analog Joystick and retailed for an average of US$35 compared to the Flightstick's retail price of US$70.[ clarification needed ]

Similarly to the Nintendo 64 controller, the Dual Analog Controller was designed to be held in four different ways: standard control, in which the left thumb uses the directional buttons and the right thumb uses the action buttons; analog control, in which the left thumb uses the left analog stick and the right thumb uses the action buttons; dual analog control, which imitates the Dual Analog Joystick, with both thumbs positioned over the analog sticks, and the shoulder buttons used instead of the action buttons; and analog-digital control, in which the left thumb uses the directional buttons, the right thumb uses the right analog stick, and the shoulder buttons are again used for actions. [5]

MechWarrior 2 , Ace Combat 2 , Descent Maximum , and Colony Wars were among the shortlist of 27 PlayStation Flightstick compatible games.

Vibration

The Japanese version of the controller (SCPH-1150) uses a single motor rumble method, which was later deprecated in favour of the dual motor method used by DualShock. Thus means that a number of games designed for DualShock lack of vibration support on SCPH-1150. On the other side, DualShock is backwards compatible with the games designed to work with the older single motor method. [1] [2]

The following games support only the single motor rumble method: [15]

Differences from DualShock

Clockwise from top left: DualShock, Dual Analog Controller and original PlayStation controller PS1ControllerProgression.jpg
Clockwise from top left: DualShock, Dual Analog Controller and original PlayStation controller

The Dual Analog controller features several aspects that remain exclusive to it, and were scrapped or redesigned for the release of the DualShock controller.

Notes

  1. The Japanese release also featured vibration, but it uses a new DualShock-style method.

References

  1. 1 2 SCEA Developer Support (May 19, 1997). "LibPad/Analog Controller FAQ 1.0" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on May 8, 2025. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  2. 1 2 Martin Korth (nocash). "Controllers - Vibration/Rumble Control".
  3. Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (November 1, 1996). "Big News" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on February 23, 1997. Retrieved 2025-07-06.
  4. "PlayStation Expo: Sony shows off in Japan". Next Generation . No. 25. January 1997. p. 14.
  5. 1 2 "Touché, N64 Pad" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 90. Ziff Davis. January 1997. p. 20.
  6. IGN staff (April 3, 1997). "Analog Joypad To Go On Sale In Japan". IGN . Archived from the original on February 11, 2012. Retrieved 2008-07-04.
  7. IGN staff (April 18, 1997). "Tobal 2's Mega Jolt". IGN . Archived from the original on July 6, 2025. Retrieved 2025-07-06.
  8. IGN staff (May 17, 1997). "TroubleShooting". IGN . Archived from the original on July 6, 2025. Retrieved 2025-07-06.
  9. "『ブシドーブレード』が発売された日。" [The day "Bushido Blade" was released.]. Famitsu (in Japanese). March 14, 2024. Archived from the original on January 22, 2025. Retrieved 2025-07-06.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "PlayStation's Missing Thunder". Next Generation. No. 33. September 1997. p. 26.
  11. "Gaming Gossip" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 97. Ziff Davis. August 1997. p. 32.
  12. "Tidbits..." (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 97. Ziff Davis. August 1997. p. 20.
  13. "Sony Shaken Not Stirred" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 98. Ziff Davis. September 1997. p. 20.
  14. "Sony Vibrates Past the Competition". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 96. Ziff Davis. July 1997. p. 26.
  15. "Video Game Accessories. Playstation. Single Shock Analog Pad". BTRIBBLE!. August 16, 1998. Archived from the original on January 9, 2015. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  16. Ace Combat 2 instruction manual (Japan) (in Japanese). p. 3. Retrieved 2025-07-12.
  17. "GHOST IN THE SHELL - [SCES-01050] inside cover". psxdatacenter.com. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  18. Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (1999). "PlayStation 2" Programmer Tool Runtime Library Release 1.1. - Controller Library (libpad). p. 6. Retrieved 2025-07-11.