/vr/ - Retro Games

>>9472238
why did so many console manufacturers have such a hard time making a dpad that didnt suck shit?
Because Nintendo patented it. If other companies copied it directly they'd get ass raped by Nintendo's lawyers. They found ways around it, usually by making the mechanism a disk and sticking arrows on top of it. In most cases the end result sucked shit but it was the best they could do without committing patent infringement.

I'm pretty sure Nintendo's patent has expired now. That's why one of the recent Xbox controllers finally copied Nintendo's original design.