From console to controller: The evolution of the NES’s iconic gamepad

In 1985, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) redefined home gaming, but its innovations meant nothing without a way to control them. The console’s innovative architecture, as explored in console meets cartridge, gave developers unparalleled flexibility, allowing game cartridges to extend the system’s capabilities far beyond its built-in hardware. But none of that innovation would have mattered without a way to interact with it.