Hidden Levels: Stick it to 'em
Update: 2025-10-25
Description
In this second episode of Hidden Levels, a podcast from 99 Percent Invisible and Endless Thread, Amory traces the history of the humble-yet-genius joystick. The journey goes from early 20th century aviation, to 1970s video game consoles like the Atari 2600, to the Nintendo 64 thumbstick in the 1990s, to what some consider the joystick's greatest implementation: the dual-thumbstick controller.This optimal interface has changed the game, and not just the video game. The modern dual-stick controller is now considered an MVP in the military, and in medicine.
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