The Blueprint

The Dreamcast Junkyard is, as the name suggests, primarily a place where the love is targeted squarely at Sega's fantastic 128-bit swansong. However, being part of the Sega Network and all, there is a fair bit of affection around these parts for the rest of the Sega hardware stable. I personally own a Master System, a Megadrive 2, Mega CD 2 and a Sega Saturn as well as a Dreamcast, so I occasionally find myself purchasing bits and bobs for those systems too. This past weekend, I managed to get hold of a  Saturn 3D pad - you know, the one that you're meant to play NiGHTS Into Dreams with. I also got a copy of that very game (it was actually very kindly donated by Cauterize from Retro Collect - big thanks!), as well as a copy of Christmas NiGHTS too.

The reason for me going on about all this is that I never really appreciated just how similar the 3D pad is to the standard Dreamcast controller. Putting them side by side, you can really see just how alike they are, and you can see how Sega took the 3D pad and developed it into the Dreamcast controller we all know and love today. Random thought: is it mere coincidence that the 3D pad was bundled with a game with the word 'Dreams' in the title...but then went on to become the blueprint for the controller for a console with the word 'Dream' in it's name? Conspiracy theories abound.

A picture speaks a thousand words, but a video speaks twenty billion...so I did a little comparison and uploaded it to Youtube. Yes, I sound like a complete arse and say "erm" every 2.8 seconds...but hey - I never claimed to be a professional. I'll leave that to the...erm...professionals. Eh? Enjoy:

7 comments:

Marcone Antelius said...

Not only do they LOOK similar, but they FEEL similar as well. The analog sticks are smooth and the grips are just about the same. Too bad the d-pads were crap on both though....

Tom Charnock said...

Yeah - totally agree. I, really like the feel of the Saturn pad. And yes - the D-Pad is pants on both too haha!

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

The saturn pad looks abit fat as the Dreamcast pad looks like a sexy beast

Tom Charnock said...

It is a bit fat, as you say...but it feels so much more comfortable to hold.

Marcone Antelius said...

Just a heads up, the guy(s) over at Classic Game Room are doing Dreamcast week that starts THIS Saturday. Dreamcast game reviews and giveaways. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqEULrSmYR8
Go for Mark's bad humor, stay for the DC nostalgia.

Tom Charnock said...

Thanks for the heads up!