15 Video Game Firsts We Take For Granted
10. Controller Vibration
Nintendo and innovation have always gone hand-in-hand. One of their most appreciated gifts to the gaming world comes through force-feedback of your controller, more commonly known as controller vibration.
It was the Nintendo 64's controller that was the first ever to have vibration capabilities. However, they weren't baked right in out of the box like they are now!
Originally released in April 1997, the Rumble Pak was an accessory for the Nintendo 64. It required two AAA batteries to operate and when paired with a compatible game, allowed vibration to be felt through your controller for the first time.
Since its release, vibration has become an industry standard in practically every controller since.
However, the actual invention of vibration to enhance gaming can be traced much further back than the Nintendo 64. Haptic feedback actually first appeared in the arcade industry; in 1976, Fonz from Sega was the first ever game to feature this technology.
In Fonz (an actual racing game based on the character Fonzie from Happy Days - seriously) the game simulated the crash of a motorcycle as it hit another player's bike. Studies found that gamers found the technology pleasant to experience, so other arcade manufacturers started adopting it too.