It’s not hard to note the evolution of video game controllers. Older gamers will remember shades of grey with two big red buttons and a pad with four total directions. Adding a third button seemed like a pretty big deal when gaming companies dipped their toes into those waters. Now, controllers have joysticks, triggers, buttons galore, speakers, and touchpads. Most of these are simply expansions on the original features or natural technological progressions.
But the world will never forget how video game controllers were forever changed with the addition of Nintendo 64‘s Rumble Pak. Vibration is an expectation nowadays, but the feature might have been sheer imagination had some inventors not decided to take a risk with the idea. The Nintendo 64’s Rumble Pak was the first of its kind and shook the controller based on in-game activities, but there is some lesser-known information about this device that rocked the landscape of gaming forever.
10 “Replaced” The Controller Pak
With the Rumble Pak debuting less than one year after the wild creation and release of the Nintendo 64, many gamers, even N64 gamers, will never have actually used the Controller Pak. Initially, games were not saved on the device or the cartridges, but on the Controller Pak.
This idea was unique enough; conceptually, gamers would not need to take their entire game system and games to play with their friends, just their favorite controller. Some games even required the Controller Pak for data. But after the Rumble Pak was unleashed, gamers went back to their old habits of sharing consoles.
9 Rolling Release Dates
It’s hard to definitively say when the Rumble Pak’s release date was. Plenty of video game moments would define the N64, but there was uncertainty about exactly how defining a piece of shaking hardware would be in the market.
In April of 1997, Japan was the first to have access to the hardware and it was an overnight hit. Production increased to meet the excessive demand and North America was able to get their hands on it in July. Europe would have to wait until October before it made its way there.
8 “Eternal” Battery Life?
Requiring two AAA batteries, there was instant concern about how long a Rumble Pak would last for. Some of the N64 games were notoriously long and people could not afford to be buying new batteries with every single new game that came out.
Thankfully, the battery life was nearly eternal. The batteries were not drained unless the Rumble Pak itself was being used and it could go 50-60 hours of continuous vibrations before finally needing a change. So unless players were going out of town while setting their characters on perpetual fire, there was a good chance that the first batteries would last for the life of the controller.
7 Original Name
While at the Shoshinkai show of 1996, players were treated to a sample of the future, including a few of what would become the N64s greatest games. Unbeknownst to many of the attendees, they had actually tried out the very first Rumble Pak.
It’s not their fault for not realizing it, the name was different. The surprise entry to the show generated some necessary hype for the “Jolting Pak,” as it was originally named. Experimenters were… erm, “jolt”-ed by the name and so the Rumble Pak name was born.
6 Re-Released Games
While this new gadget was delighting gamers around the world, Nintendo’s blessing had also created a very serious problem. What would become of their initial lineup of games that required the Controller Pak or did not factor in moments that would benefit from a little shaking? Rather than have games fade into obscurity, Nintendo opted to re-release these games so that they could be saved normally and incorporate the Rumble Pak. Keeping the graphics good and making the experience with the controller even better ended up being the right call!
5 Third-Party Improvements
Nintendo’s innovation was not met without imitators looking to capitalize on this new technology. As a prime example, the Tremor Pak by Interact became a popular alternative to Nintendo’s name brand. But these weren’t the only two dogs in the fight. Other companies would fix the initial problem by making a memory card and vibration hybrid pak or make a vibration accessory that forfeited batteries in exchange for the controller’s own natural charging power.
4 Star Fox 64 Side-By-Side Launch
The Rumble Pak had general appeal for a huge variety of games. After all, who doesn’t want to really feel the interaction in their game of choice? But there was one game in particular that Nintendo decided to really showcase the Rumble Pak.
Star Fox 64 was a hotly anticipated game already, but the Rumble Pak brought the excitement to a completely new level. Being able to pilot one of the coolest ships in video game history while actually feeling explosions and lasers was the best introduction the Rumble Pak could hope for.
3 GoldenEye 007 Advancements
The next big victory for the Rumble Pak was not too far behind Star Fox 64. On the heels of that incredible April 1997 release, Rare released GoldenEye 007 in that same August and they creatively utilized this latest accessory.
Among the many fun facts and trivia pieces with GoldenEye 007 was how it was the first to really tailor the vibrations. Shooting a different gun generated a different buzz from the device and the strength & weakness of the shaking reflected the distance from explosions on the screen. With different effects came different strength and duration of the shaking.
2 Early Winner In Super Smash Bros.
Super Smash Brothers came out in 1999, a year or two after the Rumble Pak had stopped being a mere accessory and had begun being core equipment. But that didn’t mean Nintendo was done tinkering with ways to make it special.
The game changed the landscape of gaming in its own right, but the Rumble Pak helped add to the legend. In Super Smash Brothers, the screen fades to black for a few seconds before revealing who the winner is. Rumble Pak users got to celebrate early as the winner’s controller would vibrate well before the results were disclosed on screen.
1 In-Game Appearance
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was a huge breakthrough for Link, Zelda, Ganondorf, and the rest of the Hylian gang. After a five year hiatus from Link’s Awakening on the Game Boy, fans could hardly believe the masterpiece they were treated to.
These characters were not the only ones given a little bonus screen time. In the game itself, Link can uncover the Stone of Agony which vibrates the player’s controller when next to secrets. Look at the icon, then look at the item as Link hoists it over his head. Yep, that “Stone of Agony” is the Rumble Pak alright!
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