What happened to the 6 button pad?

I thought it just went out of fashion (like good games...) since even the DC didnt use it, but IIRC neither did any other console

Was it patented by Sega and they sued anyone who used it?

 

Some fighting game players use fight pads which have the layout you're referring to.

 

I don't know if they have a patent... There have been a bunch of gamepads with the 6 buttons, microsoft sidewinder for example.
I wonder if the right analog stick is the culprit. It would be a stretch to reach to the furtherest right button and still have access to the stick.

 

I just think the left and right trigger buttons work much better than the 6 button layout, you can still find 3rd party controllers though with a 6 button layout.

 

I tend to think this. What was the last official 1st party controller with 6 face buttons? US XBox? That was awkward to use.

I don't think it was patented by Sega... NEC Avenue had one for PC Engine out around the same time as the MD/Genesis one.

 

I think shoulder buttons have played a part too. Maybe they think it's less confusing.

 

My guess would be that when arcade fighters stopped being the dominant genre (before the DC), and more genres started pretty much needing triggers (FPS and driving games especially), they started moving the extra buttons onto the shoulders. I can't think of another genre that benefits from 6 face buttons, though the bumper buttons (on the Xbox 360/1, and the L1/R1 buttons for PS systems) are more useful for games that use the triggers, for reloading or shifting.

 

Some shooters, like Radiant Silvergun, used 6 buttons.

 

Not for fighting games they don't. Ever tried doing a fighting game move using the left sholder buttons?

 

I have for many many years without issue. To the point where I can't play a fighting game on a gamepad without shoulder buttons.

 

It all depends on how the developers make use of the controller.

 

By that logic, you can say any game used 6 buttons. It's really a 3 button game, and if it was released for the playstation, it would have been just as easy to play, if not moreso, on a pad with 4 face buttons and 4 triggers.

and which other shooters used six face buttons?


Also, thumbs can get "lost" in 6 button layouts. It's slow to move your thumb from the left most button to the right most button. 4 button faces are more usable when you are using only one finger. If you are playing a game with a lot of chords (like RS or Tekken), then a pad isn't all that good anyway, so just get a stick

 

Not gone at all I have 3 6 button pads for my 360, as people have already stated I mostly use them for fighting games.

 

I take a 6-button pad with 2 shoulder like the Saturn's over a 4-button+4 shoulder array any day, its far more comfortable since you dont have to move your index fingers from the triggers (since there are only two) and you have 6 buttons right under your thumb which requires less coordination.

Just my 2 cents, and I think you could fit the 6 buttons with a 2nd analog by placing both sticks above like in the wiiu

 

Sega was foolish to quit the home hardware business completely, they should've dipped a toe and kept cranking out Sega Saturn style pads. Now if a Saturn pad is busted, you're sol in replacing the rubbers.

 

I hated playing SF2 on the SNES pad for that reason, i know the Dualshock gets alot of slack from people but atleast i can play SF pretty well on it (R1/R2 for HP/HK)

 

I guess it comes down to how you actually hold the pad, you be surprised at how effective the shoulder buttons are for fighters. The last six button pad I own'd was the official ps2 saturn pad darkstalkers version. Has anyone ever used one of these -

 

I saw a review of it. It's comfortable, he said. It seems to be the case if you're only going to use it for fighting games, and it doesn't matter since it's for the Genesis.

 

Also, if you're really against the current controllers, there's third party ones.

http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-WWE-All-Stars-Brawl/dp/B004M22C0S

I've got one of those, and it works pretty well for fighters and classic games.

 

Yea me and my Girlfriend got 2 BLUE Japanese horipad ex2 turbo game pads excellent Quality but they are out of production and going for up to 300$ if your looking. luckily we go them for 20$ each from a Friend.