3D Control Pad

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3D Control Pad
Made for: Sega Saturn
Manufacturer: Sega
Release Date RRP Code

The 3D Control Pad, called the Sega Multi Controller (セガマルチコントローラー) in Japan and the Joystick 3D in Brazil, is a control pad developed for use with the Sega Saturn. Debuting with NiGHTS into Dreams, it was Sega's answer to the then revolutionary Nintendo 64 controller, which featured an analogue stick as opposed to relying solely on D-Pads. Analogue sticks generally allow for greater precision in a 3D environment, and unlike previous generations, by the time this controller debuted in 1996 3D was seen as the way forward for large parts of the gaming industry.

The 3D Control Pad builds on the features already seen in the standard Saturn Control Pad, containing an eight-direcional D-Pad and A, B, C, X, Y, Z and  START  buttons. New to the controller was an analogue thumbstick (or "3D Directional Pad" as Sega called it), positioned on the left hand side of the controller above the D-Pad.

To avoid compatibility issues, the analog controller has a switch under the start button to swap between "Digital" and "Analogue" modes. Switching to "Digital" mode disables all analogue settings, essentially turning the controller back into a standard control pad. This switch was vital, because earlier games were not built to understand the analogue technology and will not function correctly if the wrong mode is chosen. The original PlayStation and its latter dual-analogue controllers also required this feature.

The 3D Control Pad is not just notable for its analogue stick. Also inlcuded are analogue L and R shoulder triggers, the first system to contain these. The lead can also be removed from the controller for storage purposes.

The 3D Control Pad did not see widespread adoption for the same reason the Sega Saturn failed to capture a large share of the market in the west. The Saturn's 3D output was low, and as the controllers were never bundled with the console, consumers were more familiar with the standard Saturn control pads. It also has some design issues, namely the fact it is quite a lot bigger than most other controllers and arguably less comfortable than the standard pads for certain genres. Even in Japan, where the Saturn was successful, the controller was not used by many games (many of them coming from Sega, though some developers, such as KID, supported it quite a bit (in their case, even after Sega introduced the Dreamcast)).

The 3D Control Pad is compatible with games compatible with the steering wheel controllers, and the Sega Mission Stick.

Notably the 3D Control Pad beat the Nintendo 64 to market by a month in the US and several months in Europe, so while clearly inspired by the Nintendo 64 by design, the Sega Saturn can stand as the first video game console to support modern analogue stick support.

The 3D Control Pad can be credited for many common features seen in controllers today, with its design greatly influencing that of the Sega Dreamcast Controller. Analogue shoulder buttons have since been adopted by both Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony in the Nintendo GameCube, Xbox and PlayStation 3 (and their successors) and the placement of the analogue stick has also been copied by several firms.

List of Supported Games

US Games that supported the 3D Control Pad has this icon indicating compatibility on the back of the box.
note: this list is missing games not released in Japan and may use Japanese names for games released in the west as well

Gallery

  • JP model

  • JP model (back)

  • EU model

Physical Scans

Saturn, US
Saturn 80117 box.jpg
Cover
3DControlPadSaturnUSManual.pdf
Manual
Saturn, US (NiGHTS into Dreams)
3DAnalogGamePad NiGHTS US Box Back.jpgNospine.pngSaturn 80117 box-2.jpg
Cover
Nights Saturn US Disc.jpg
Disc
NiGHTS Saturn US Box Back CD.jpgNiGHTS Saturn US Box Front CD.jpg
Jewel Case
Saturn, EU
Saturn MK-80314 box.jpg
Cover
Saturn, EU (NiGHTS into Dreams)
Saturn MK-80314 box-2.jpg
Cover
NiGHTsIntoDreams saturn eu backcover.jpgNightsBoxEU.jpg
Jewel Case
Saturn, JP
Saturn HSS-0137 box-3.jpgNospine-small.pngSaturn HSS-0137 box-1.jpg
Cover
MultiControllerSaturnJPManual.pdf
Manual
Saturn, JP (NiGHTS into Dreams)
MultiController Saturn JP Box Back NiGHTS.jpgNospine-small.pngSaturn HSS-0137 box-2.jpg
Cover
Saturn, JP (Magic Carpet)
MultiController Saturn JP Box Front MagicCarpet.jpg
Cover
Saturn, BR
Joystick3D Saturn BR Box Back.jpgNospine-small.pngJoystick3D Saturn BR Box Front.jpg
Cover
Saturn, KR
3DControlPad Saturn KR Box Front NiGHTS.jpg
Cover

External Links

References


Sega Saturn
Topics Technical Specifications (Hardware Comparison) | History (Development | Release | Decline and legacy) | List of games (A-M) | List of games (N-Z) | Magazine articles | Promotional material | Merchandise
Hardware Japan | North America | Western Europe | Eastern Europe | South America | Asia | South Korea | Australasia | Africa

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Controllers Control Pad | Control Pad (Australia) | 3D Control Pad | Arcade Racer | Infrared Control Pad | Mission Stick | Shuttle Mouse | Twin Stick | Virtua Gun | Virtua Stick | Virtua Stick Pro
Online Services/Add-ons NetLink Internet Modem (NetLink Keyboard | NetLink Keyboard Adapter | NetLink Mouse) | Saturn Modem (Floppy Drive | Keyboard)
Connector Cables 21 Pin RGB Cable | Monaural AV Cable | RF Unit | Stereo AV Cable | S-Video Cable | Taisen Cable
Development Hardware Programming Box | Sound Box | E7000 | CartDev | SNASM2 | Address Checker | PSY-Q Development System | MIRAGE Universal CD Emulator
Misc. Hardware 6Player | SBom Multitap‎ | Saturn region converter cartridges | Action Replay | Pro Action Replay | Action Replay Plus | X-Terminator (Version 3) | S-S Promoter | Other cartridges
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