View source for Nintendo 64 controller

{{short description|Primary game controller for the Nintendo 64}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox computing device
| title = Nintendo 64 controller
| image = N64-Controller-Gray.jpg
| caption = A Nintendo 64 controller in gray
| aka = NUS-005
| manufacturer = [[Nintendo]]
| family = [[Nintendo 64]]
| type = [[Gamepad]]
| generation = [[Fifth generation of video game consoles|Fifth]]
| releasedate = {{ubl
| {{vgrelease|JP|June 23, 1996}}
| {{vgrelease|NA|September 29, 1996}}
| {{vgrelease|EU|March 1, 1997}}
}}
| input = {{ubli
  | [[analog stick|Control stick]]
  | [[D-pad]]
  | 10 × buttons (A, B, C&nbsp;up, C&nbsp;down, C&nbsp;left, C&nbsp;right, L, R, Z, Start)
  }}
| connectivity = {{ubl
  | Nintendo 64 controller port
  | Expansion port accessories:
  | {{in5|3}} [[Controller Pak]]
  | {{in5|3}} [[Rumble Pak]]
  | {{in5|3}} [[Transfer Pak]]
  }}
| dimensions =
| weight =
| predecessor = [[SNES controller]]
| successor = [[GameCube controller]]
}}

The '''Nintendo 64 controller''' ([[model number]]: NUS-005) is the standard [[game controller]] for the [[Nintendo 64]] home console. Manufactured and released by [[Nintendo]], it debuted alongside the console in Japan on June 23, 1996, followed by North America on September 29, 1996, and Europe on March 1, 1997. As the successor to the [[Super Nintendo controller]], it features an "M"-shaped design, ten buttons, a "control stick",{{efn|name=DigiStickNote}} and a [[D-pad]].

== Design ==
[[File:N64-Controller-Gray-Back.jpg|thumb|Rear of the [[Nintendo 64]] controller, showing the Z trigger, [[shoulder buttons]] and expansion port]]

The controller was designed by [[Nintendo R&D3]], under direction to try new ideas that would break from typical game controllers.<ref name="NGen14">{{Cite magazine |date=February 1996 |title=The Ultra 64 Joypad |url=https://archive.org/details/nextgen-issue-014/page/n39/mode/2up |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |pages=38–39 |issue=14}}</ref> With original visual designs having been mocked up in clay form, and extensive test group studies being performed before and during the design phase,<ref name="Nintendo Power #79" /> the Nintendo 64's controller design was eventually solidified in tandem with that of [[Shigeru Miyamoto]]'s gameplay mechanics in ''[[Super Mario 64]]''.<ref name="goddard interview">{{Cite journal |date=December 2001 |title=The Making of Mario 64: Giles Goddard Interview |url=http://pixelatron.com/blog/the-making-of-super-mario-64-full-giles-goddard-interview-ngc/ |url-status=live |journal=[[NGC Magazine]] |publisher=[[Future plc|Future Publishing]] |issue=61 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115041135/http://pixelatron.com/blog/the-making-of-super-mario-64-full-giles-goddard-interview-ngc/ |archive-date=November 15, 2020 |access-date=September 9, 2014}}</ref> Though Miyamoto tested the controller while developing ''Super Mario 64'', the controller was not designed around the game, while it did influence its mechanics like movement.<ref name="goddard interview" /><ref name="A Dolphin's Tale">{{Cite web |last=Rogers |first=Emily |date=January 7, 2014 |title=A Dolphin's Tale: The Story of GameCube |url=http://www.dromble.com/2014/01/07/dolphin-tale-story-of-gamecube/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140705003643/http://www.dromble.com/2014/01/07/dolphin-tale-story-of-gamecube/ |archive-date=July 5, 2014 |access-date=July 6, 2014 |publisher=Dromble Media}}</ref>

{{quote box | width=25em| align=right| quote=Lance Barr, the head designer at Nintendo of America<!-- NOA in original text, glossed for clarity -->, worked with the Nintendo 64<!-- NU64 in original text, glossed for clarity --> design team in Japan on the controller. The sculpted shape of the radical new [[Batarang]]-like controller was so complex that it couldn't even be modeled on a computer. During development, the first mock-up was created out of clay. | source=—''Nintendo Power'', December 1995<ref name="Nintendo Power #79">{{Cite magazine |date=December 1995 |title=Out of Control |url=https://archive.org/details/nintendo-power-issue-079-december-1995 |magazine=[[Nintendo Power]] |publisher=Nintendo |page=12 |issue=79}}</ref>}}

Nintendo of America's head designer, Lance Barr, said that the design studies revealed that "most games use a few buttons for most of the main controls, such as jumping and shooting, or accelerating and braking. That's why the A and B Buttons are placed for easiest access on the new controller and why they are larger than the other buttons.  They're the buttons that get high traffic."<ref name="Nintendo Power #79" />

[[File:Nintendo-N64-Controller-Motherboard-Flat-Top.jpg|thumb|The motherboard for the Nintendo 64 controller]]

The controller has four "C-buttons" on the top, which were originally intended to control the camera in three-dimensional game environments.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=February 1996 |title=The Ultra 64: Power Packed |url=https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_079_February_1996/page/n21/mode/2up |magazine=[[GamePro]] |publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]] |pages=20–21 |issue=89}}</ref> Because the pad only contains three other face buttons, the C-buttons may be assigned to alternate functions. In ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time]]'', three of the C-buttons can be assigned to secondary items, the upper C-button is used to call [[Navi (The Legend of Zelda)|Navi]] for assistance, and the Z-trigger is used to lock focus onto enemies and center the camera behind the player.

=== Control stick ===
The Nintendo 64 controller was among the first to feature a [[analog stick|"control stick"]]{{efn|name=DigiStickNote}} as a central component, intended to provide the user with a wider range of functions such as mobility and camera control. Unlike a [[D-pad]], which detect only 8 directions, this stick could register 360 degrees of movement, allowing for more precise control in games.<ref name="NGen14" />

While joysticks had long been used in gaming—appearing in the [[Atari 5200]], [[Sega]]'s [[List of Sega arcade system boards|arcade systems]] and Mission Stick for the [[Sega Saturn|Saturn]] (1995),<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 29, 1995 |title=[セガハード大百科] アナログミッションスティック |script-title=ja:[セガハード大百科] アナログミッションスティック |trans-title=The Sega encyclopedia – analog mission stick |url=http://sega.jp/archive/segahard/ss/mission.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017180618/http://sega.jp/archive/segahard/ss/mission.html |archive-date=October 17, 2007 |website=Sega Hard Encyclopedia |publisher=[[Sega]] |language=ja}}</ref> and [[Sony]]'s [[PlayStation Analog Joystick]] (1996)—the Nintendo 64 distinguished itself by using a thumb-operated stick. Previously, the only console accessory to feature a thumbstick was the [[Mega Drive]]'s XE-1 AP, a third-party device released by Dempa in 1989.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 7, 2022 |title=XE-1 AP Entry in Sega Retro Archive. |url=https://segaretro.org/XE-1_AP |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171103154145/http://segaretro.org/XE-1_AP |archive-date=November 3, 2017 |access-date=April 24, 2018}}</ref> The Nintendo 64 controller was released contemporaneously with Sega's 3D Pad for their Saturn system, and was followed during the [[fifth generation of video game consoles]] by Sony's [[Dual Analog Controller|Dual Analog]] and [[DualShock]] controllers for the [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]].

Though functionally similar to an [[analog stick]], the "control stick" is digital.<ref name="NGen14" /><ref name="digistick" /> It operates like a [[ball mouse]],<ref name="nfgstick" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=N64 Wireless Computer Controller Mod |date=September 27, 2013 |url=http://www.picaxeforum.co.uk/archive/index.php/t-24584.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201210726/http://www.picaxeforum.co.uk/archive/index.php/t-24584.html |archive-date=February 1, 2014 |access-date=January 24, 2014}}</ref> turning a [[chopper wheel]] wheel that interrupts a light beam detected by a [[photodiode]].<ref name="nfgstick" /><ref name="How N64 Works" /> Its precision makes it effectively equivalent to a true analog stick.<ref name="NGen14" /><ref name="digistick" /> Since it registers only relative movement, the system assumes the stick is centered at startup. If misaligned, recalibration can be performed by pressing the L and R shoulder buttons along with the Start button or by restarting the console with the stick properly centered.

=== Hand positioning ===
[[File:N64-Controller-in-Hand.jpg|thumb|One of several ways listed by Nintendo for the player to hold the controller]]

The controller was designed to be held in three different positions. First, it can be held by the two outer grips, allowing use of the D-pad, right-hand face buttons and the "L" and "R" shoulder buttons (but not the Z trigger or analog stick). This style was intended to optimize play in 2D games by emulating the setup on the [[Super NES]] controller.<ref name="EGM78" /><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=May 1996 |title=Get a Grip!!!: Joysticks Past, Present & Future |url=https://archive.org/details/Next-Generation-1996-05/page/n45/mode/2up |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |page=40 |issue=17}}</ref> It can be also held by the center and right-hand grip, allowing the use of the single control stick, the right hand-buttons, the "R" shoulder button, and the Z trigger on the rear (but not the "L" shoulder button or D-pad). This style was intended for 3D games.<ref name="EGM78" /> Finally, the controller can be held by the center and left-hand grip, allowing for a combination of the D-pad, L shoulder, analog stick, and Z trigger,<ref name="EGM78" /> as was implemented in ''[[GoldenEye 007 (1997 video game)|GoldenEye 007]]''. Additionally, though the controller was not designed with this setup in mind, one controller can be held in each hand with a thumb on each analog stick and index fingers on the Z trigger. This setup allows dual-analog control on some [[first-person shooter]]s such as ''[[Perfect Dark]]''. In some games such as ''[[Mortal Kombat Trilogy]]'', the control stick and directional pad are interchangeable. Very few games use the directional pad exclusively, such as ''[[Tetrisphere]]'' and ''[[Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards]]''.

This design is controversial, as by its nature it generally prevents the use of all of its features with the player's hands in any one position; the D-pad, L-shoulder, analog stick and Z-trigger cannot, generally, all be used at the same time as it typically requires the player to switch hand positions, taking the hands off of the key directional controls. Some, though, realized they can hold the controller with the outer grips and use their index fingers for the R and L triggers, middle fingers for the Z-trigger, right thumb for the right-hand buttons, and left thumb for the D-pad and (stretching) analog stick, without changing hand positions.

When Sony released its [[Dual Analog]] and [[DualShock]] controllers for the competing [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]], it retained the original controllers' two-handled ergonomics, placing the analog sticks below and inside the primary D-pad and face buttons, allowing the player to quickly switch from the D-pad and face buttons to the analog sticks without letting go of the controller. Nintendo would largely follow suit with the [[GameCube controller|stock controller for its GameCube console]], but swapped the positions of the analog stick and D-pad. Such a layout would become dominant in [[gamepad]] design, as by that time the left analog stick had become universally accepted as the primary movement control on 3D games across all consoles.

One game, ''[[Robotron 64]]'', allows one player to use two controllers to control an [[Avatar (computing)|avatar]]. This way, the game plays like its predecessor, ''[[Robotron 2084]]''. ''[[Star Wars Episode I: Racer]]'', ''GoldenEye 007'' and ''Perfect Dark'' also use this set up for slightly different gameplay experiences compared to the standard single-controller option.

== Accessories ==
=== Controller Pak ===
{{Main|Nintendo 64 accessories#Controller Pak}}
The Controller Pak is Nintendo's external [[memory card]], similar to those used on the [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] and other CD-ROM consoles. Though the Nintendo 64's cartridges can store battery-backed memory much like its predecessors, in supported games the Controller Pak allows save game data to be stored separately from the cartridge; for instance allowing save data to be used with a different copy of the game, or to store data that will not fit on a cartridge's battery-backed memory (such as ''[[Mario Kart 64]]''{{'}}s ghost data). Whereas other console developers opted to plug the memory card directly into a console, Nintendo opted to have the card be plugged into the controller and thus transported as one unit, envisioning scenarios in which players would want to bring their own controller and memory card to play with other Nintendo 64 owners. In such scenarios having the cartridge port on the controller would allow individual players to each use their own distinct game settings and controller configurations while playing simultaneously on the same system.<ref name="EGM78">{{Cite magazine |date=January 1996 |title=Ultra 64 Controller |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/e/eb/EGM_US_078.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180810105328/https://retrocdn.net/images/e/eb/EGM_US_078.pdf |archive-date=August 10, 2018 |access-date=June 1, 2020 |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |publisher=Sendai Publishing |page=77 |issue=78}}</ref>

=== Rumble Pak ===
{{Main|Rumble Pak}}
The original Rumble Pak, designed for the Nintendo 64 controller, was released in April 1997 to coincide with the release of ''[[Star Fox 64]]'' and requires two [[AAA batteries]]. It provides [[Haptic technology|haptic feedback]] during gameplay, intending to make the gaming experience more engaging. It was designed to be inserted into the controller's memory cartridge slot, which prevents the use of the [[Controller Pak]]. The insertion of a Controller Pak is prompted at every point of save in case one was not already in place.

=== Transfer Pak ===
{{Main|Transfer Pak}}
The Transfer Pak is a device with a [[Game Boy]] or [[Game Boy Color]] cartridge slot that can be inserted into a Nintendo 64 controller's expansion port. When compatible game cartridges are inserted, it allows for connectivity between Game Boy and Game Boy Color games and supported Nintendo 64 titles. The Transfer Pak was originally bundled with ''[[Pocket Monsters Stadium]]'' and ''[[Pokémon Stadium]]'', and it supported a total of twenty games worldwide, only six of which would be released outside of Japan.

== Variants ==
=== First-party ===
The controller initially came in six colors (grey, black, red, green, yellow and blue)<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=July 1996 |title=Back in the Swing |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/8/87/EGM_US_084.pdf |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |pages=14–16 |issue=84}}</ref> but other colors were released later, many of them coinciding with the release of a similarly colored or designed system. Some of these others include smoke black, watermelon red, jungle green, fire orange, ice blue, grape purple, and special edition colors like gold, atomic purple, extreme green, "[[Donkey Kong 64]]" banana bunch yellow, "[[Pokémon]]" blue and yellow, and "Millennium 2000" platinum. Players would often take apart Nintendo 64 controllers to mix-and-match the tops and bottoms of the shell, creating bi-color controllers.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=January 1997 |title=Shoshinkai: Nintendo Unveils New Disk Drive and 50 Additional Japanese N64 Games |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/a/a6/EGM_US_090.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201206234608/https://retrocdn.net/images/a/a6/EGM_US_090.pdf |archive-date=December 6, 2020 |access-date=June 1, 2020 |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |pages=116–7 |issue=90}}</ref>

=== Third-party ===
Several third-party manufacturers would produce aftermarket Nintendo 64 controllers with similar layouts to the Dual Analog/DualShock, such as the [[MakoPad]] and [[Hori Mini]]. While the optical encoding disks are mostly digital and provide very accurate relative movements, third-party controllers and joysticks often use cheaper potentiometers instead.

=== LodgeNet variant ===
[[File:LodgeNet-Nintendo-N64-Controller.jpg|thumb|LodgeNet Nintendo 64 controller]]

In 1999, [[Sonifi Solutions|LodgeNet]] and Nintendo released a controller and game playing service for various hotels in the United States.<ref name="LodgeNet N64">{{Cite press release |title=LodgeNet Begins Installing Hotels with Nintendo 64 Game Systems; Initiative Includes New Installations, System Upgrades for Thousands of Hotel Rooms |date=June 11, 1999 |publisher=LodgeNet Entertainment Corporation |location=Sioux Falls, ND |url=http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4002217.html |access-date=February 6, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141231203556/http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4002217.html |archive-date=December 31, 2014}}</ref> It is a slightly modified Nintendo 64 controller featuring an improved GameCube-style analog control stick, and LodgeNet TV control buttons. It attaches to the hotel television and is not compatible with a standard Nintendo 64 console. It functions as a secondary remote control for the television, with up and down on the D-pad able to change channels, and as a controller for available Nintendo 64 games on the LodgeNet service. Customers could choose from a large library of Nintendo 64 games, including most first-party Nintendo 64 games, and play at a rate of $6.95 for every 60 minutes.

=== Nintendo Switch version ===
Nintendo released a version of the Nintendo 64 controller compatible with its [[Nintendo Switch]] console in October 2021. The controller was released in conjunction with an additional tier of the company's [[Nintendo Switch Online]] service, called the "Expansion Pack", which gives customers access to a [[Nintendo Classics#Nintendo 64|catalog of Nintendo 64 games]]. The new version makes a series of changes to the design including the addition of wireless functionality and the incorporation of a rumble feature without the need for an additional accessory like the Rumble Pak.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 15, 2021 |title=You Can Now Order the New Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis Controllers for Switch |url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/15/22728144/nintendo-64-sega-genesis-controllers-switch-online-expansion-pack-buy-order |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230609093610/https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/15/22728144/nintendo-64-sega-genesis-controllers-switch-online-expansion-pack-buy-order |archive-date=June 9, 2023 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>

The Switch version also adds additional buttons to allow players access to the home and capture buttons that correspond with Switch functionality that was not available on Nintendo 64.

== Reception ==
Nintendo's own magazine, ''[[Nintendo Power]]'', reviewed the controller.  The magazine said that it is "a little wider than the Super NES controller, but it felt very comfortable and the control elements were exceptionally well-placed. Large and small hands alike found it easy to manipulate."<ref name="Nintendo Power #79" /> In their overview of the controller, ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]'' commented, "All in all, Nintendo has made the most advanced and easy-to-use controller we have ever seen. It is extremely versatile and has enough buttons to take care of every possible contingency, now or in the future."<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=February 1996 |title=The Controller |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |publisher=Sendai Publishing |page=60 |issue=79}}</ref> ''[[GamePro]]''{{'}}s overview stated, "The N64's tri-handled controller may look weird, but it feels great."<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=August 1996 |title=Hands On: The Nintendo 64 |magazine=[[GamePro]] |publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]] |page=30 |issue=95}}</ref> Third party developers were reportedly enthusiastic about the controller as well. [[David Perry (game developer)|Dave Perry]] called it "the big special move that [Nintendo] have gone for", while [[Jez San]] said that "The joystick is unusual looking but I like the controls. The thumb control feels nice and strong and also sensitive."<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=February 1996 |title=Ultra 64: Nintendo's Shot at the Title |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |page=40 |issue=14}}</ref>

Stocks of extra Nintendo 64 controllers were sold out on the Japanese launch of the Nintendo 64, despite the fact that all three launch games are single-player only.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=September 1996 |title=Big in Japan: Nintendo 64 Launches at Last |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |pages=14–16 |issue=21}}</ref> Similar results followed in North America; retailers reported extremely high sales of the controllers despite only a handful of multiplayer games being available.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=April 1997 |title=Who Won the Videogame Wars of 1996? |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |page=17 |issue=28}}</ref>

[[File:A hand pump in the Arcade bar, Fore Street, Exeter, UK 01.jpg|thumb|Controller used as the handle of a [[Beer engine|handpump]] in a video game-themed bar in [[Exeter]], England]]
Although its design and usability received praise by most reviewers, the controller did have some mechanical issues that could be detrimental to users. Overuse of the analog stick could cause it to become loose, hampering controllability, and intense rotating of the analog stick reportedly resulted in friction injuries to the hands of some players of 1998's ''[[Mario Party (video game)|Mario Party]]''. As a result of a settlement with the New York Attorney General, Nintendo offered protective gloves to prevent injuries. In Q1 2000, Nintendo reported that out of more than 1 million copies sold in the year since the game's release, the company had received about 90 complaints, none serious. Tim Weaver, editor of the UK's ''N64 Magazine'', said his staff experienced no problems with the controller, adding that the entire investigation was "ludicrous" and "could only happen in America",<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 9, 2000 |title=Nintendo to Hand Out Gaming Gloves |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/671601.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240816160811/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/671601.stm |archive-date=August 16, 2024 |access-date=November 25, 2009 |work=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Nintendo Offers Glove to Prevent Joystick Injuries |url=http://news.cnet.com/2100-1040_3-237808.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025065428/http://news.cnet.com/2100-1040_3-237808.html |archive-date=October 25, 2012 |access-date=November 25, 2009 |website=[[CNET]]}}</ref> although blister injuries were common, especially in ''Mario Party'' mini-games such as "Pedal Power" and "Tug o' War".<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 24, 2021 |title=Minigame That Gave Kids 'Cuts, Blisters & Burns' Returns To Mario Party With A Warning |url=https://www.kotaku.com.au/2021/10/minigame-that-gave-kids-cuts-blisters-burns-returns-to-mario-party-with-a-warning/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205015705/https://www.kotaku.com.au/2021/10/minigame-that-gave-kids-cuts-blisters-burns-returns-to-mario-party-with-a-warning/ |archive-date=December 5, 2021 |access-date=January 2, 2024 |website=Kotaku Australia |language=en-AU}}</ref> Some aftermarket controllers have since sought to remedy both issues, including rubberised analog sticks with steel construction underneath, often employed by [[Speedrunning|speedrunners]] and/or [[retrogaming]] enthusiasts.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Steel Sticks 64 |url=https://steelsticks64.com/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240102112559/https://steelsticks64.com/ |archive-date=January 2, 2024 |access-date=January 2, 2024 |language=en-US}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[List of Nintendo controllers]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist|refs=
{{efn|name=DigiStickNote|Though functionally similar to an [[analog stick]], the "control stick" is digital.<ref name="NGen14" /><ref name="digistick" /> It operates like a [[ball mouse]],<ref name="nfgstick">{{Cite web |date=October 21, 2008 |title=Nintendo's N64 Pad – What's Inside? |url=http://nfgworld.com/mb/thread/447-Nintendo-s-N64-Pad-What-s-Inside |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100819021356/http://nfgworld.com/mb/thread/447-Nintendo-s-N64-Pad-What-s-Inside |archive-date=August 19, 2010 |access-date=January 6, 2011 |publisher=NFG World}}</ref> turning a [[chopper wheel]] which is tracked by shining a light through to a [[photodiode]].<ref name="nfgstick" /><ref name="How N64 Works">{{Cite web |date=October 18, 2000 |title=How N64 Works |url=http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/n643.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200621173131/https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/n643.htm |archive-date=June 21, 2020 |access-date=January 6, 2011 |publisher=[[HowStuffWorks]]}}</ref> Its precision makes it effectively equivalent to a true analog stick.<ref name="NGen14" /><ref name="digistick">{{Cite web |title=Controller's History Dynamite from 1UP.com |url=http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=3&cId=3143627 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105072217/http://www.1up.com/features/controller-history?pager.offset=3 |archive-date=January 5, 2016 |access-date=August 15, 2010 |publisher=[[Hearst Corporation]]}}</ref>}}
}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{commons-inline|Nintendo 64}}

{{Nintendo 64}}
{{Nintendo hardware|N64}}
{{Portal bar|1990s}}

[[Category:Nintendo 64 accessories]]
[[Category:Nintendo controllers]]
[[Category:Products introduced in 1996]]
[[Category:Gamepads]]