XE-1 AP

XE-1 AP
Made for: Sega Mega Drive
Manufacturer: Dempa
Type: Control pad
Release Date RRP Code JP 1989 ¥13,800 (13,800)13,800e JP (re-release) 1994 ¥9,800 (10,094)9,800e

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The XE-1 AP is an analog Sega Mega Drive control pad developed and manufactured by Dempa. Released exclusively in Japan in 1989, it is one of the first analog game controllers ever released, and is primarily designed to simulate the control arrangements of real-life fighter aircraft for use with flying games like After Burner II. While intended for use with Mega Drive, Mega-CD, and 32X games, the XE-1 AP is also compatible with several Japanese home computers through the use of additional controller adapters.

Overview

Ahead of its time, it was the first controller to feature an analogue thumb-stick, analogue slider, shoulder buttons and grip handles.

The controller has the following features:

• Ten face buttons, including six buttons and four switches.
• Four shoulder buttons
• Analogue thumb-stick
• Analogue slider, which can be rotated to suit the user. It allows for a third analogue axis or throttle.

Many of the buttons exist as switches to maintain compatibility with the computers the controller supports. Others are turbo switches, or are simply not used in the majority of circumstances. There is also a switch to turn the controller back to "digital mode", allowing it to remain compatible with all games on each system (aside from computer games that do not support joysticks).

The controller was an attempt at simulating/miniaturizing the HOTAS controls of Sega arcade cabinets such as After Burner II (running on the Sega X Board system) on a handheld controller for home systems.

Around 1994, it was re-released with a revised price of 9,800 yen.

Compatible Games

A number of games support the XE-1 AP's analogue controls, including some first-party Sega releases, including:

• Mega Drive:
  • After Burner II
  • Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II
  • Fastest 1
  • Galaxy Force II
  • Musha Aleste: Full Metal Fighter Ellinor
• Mega-CD:
  • After Burner III
  • Night Striker
  • Star Blade
• 32X:
  • After Burner Complete
  • Space Harrier

Support for this controller largely remains in the Westernised versions of these games, with the notable exception of After Burner III, which instead features 6-button support (the Japanese version is 3-button or analog only). It is unknown if any home computer ports of Sega arcade games support the control pad.

Legacy

Released in 1989, its use of shoulder buttons predates the release of the SNES controller in 1990. Its use of grip handles and four shoulder buttons also predates the PlayStation controller's 1994 release by five years.

Its use of an analogue thumb-stick predates the Nintendo 64 controller's 1995 unveiling by six years and its 1996 release by seven years. Its additional analog slider was also a precursor to the second analog stick of the PlayStation's Dual Shock controller in 1997.

The XE-1AP is similar in design to the Sega Saturn's 3D Control Pad, released in 1996. In turn, the Saturn's 3D Control Pad was the basis for the 1998 Dreamcast Controller, which in turn was the basis for the 2001 Xbox controller, in turn the basis for the 2005 Xbox 360 controller.

Promotional material

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Physical scans

Mega Drive, JP
Cover

Mega Drive, JP (Reprice ver)
Cover
Manual Warranty card