Evolution

Nintendo has been responsible for some major innovations when it comes to controllers — the NES D-pad, the N64 analogue stick, the Wii Remote — and Spanish artist Javier Laspiur has put together a photographic whistle-stop tour of the evolution of the game pad which shows just how vital the Kyoto firm's contributions have been.

Laspiur's artfully captured images show off controllers for other systems too, of course — Sega's Mega Drive and Sony's PlayStation feature — but it's impossible to ignore how Nintendo has moved the industry forward with its own efforts, and how rival hardware makers have subsequently imitated over the years.

You can check out the full set here, but below we've showcased the Nintendo systems only — there's no 3DS or Wii U, sadly.

98 A4 D2 C872 B92 B0 Be488 E6 Bb09 Cc851 F
7 D6 F31 Cd189311 Dfe268 C9 C557490 C0 A
D9 Eb3 B7 B16 F027 Ae745684 Dd18 Caa47 D
473 B85 Bac4 Be3939 Eec5 E3 Df45 B74 Ca6
561176 E452 E8 F2265 C84 Dbd3 F780 E2 D0
Caf07 Fe032683 Af0295 Fc4 B2484 A3864
Caf07 Fe032683 Af0295 Fc4 B2484 A3864 (1)

[source gonintendo.com, via behance.net]