After the raging success of the NES, Nintendo upped their game by releasing the Super NES and, along with doubling the 8 bits, they also revamped the controller. Thanks in part to the success of the arcade game Street Fighter, Nintendo increased the button count to six and put two of them on the shoulders. In Japan and the UK they also colour coded the buttons and put then in diamond formation, something that stuck from then on up to today's current gen consoles. Interestingly they toned down the colouring for the American market, choosing instead cyan and purple pastels. The controller broke new ground as ergonomics expert Lance Barr put human form and hand size limitation over pretty design and over the top style. The result speaks for itself and many other manufacturers from SNK, Sega to Sony took cues from Nintendo's new flagship controller and buttons would be in diamond shape from then on.
A Welsh semi-retired television producer and actor known for low end work that astonishingly people actually watched and even garnered some awards. Originally residing in the electrically-challenged Amish areas of Pennsylvania he has written a few books (Hollywood Pants and Hollywood Horrible Hints and Terribly Fake Tips vols 1 & 2) which you can buy on amazon and all great book stores.
After a brief stint in Australia he now finds himself back in the Welsh valleys of his home country noting that it hasn't changed a bit!
