Kenji Tosaki talks SAT/DC Peripheral Design, Reveals “Virtua Visor”

[NeoSnk]

The most interesting part for me:

SHIRO!: Was there a specific reason for not including two analog sticks after Sony and other third-parties had done so?

TOSAKI: It was the game developers that didn’t want dual analog 3D sticks at all. Interestingly, Sonic’s Yuji Naka suggested a controller that looked like a vertical TV remote. I suggested that it should be equipped with a gun pointer and a gyro sensor. Putting the two ideas together, it looked similar to a Wii remote (though it wasn’t supported by anyone), so a few years later, I was surprised when I saw the Wii. I really respect Nintendo.

https://www.retrorgb.com/kenji-tosaki-interview.html

[Tarnish]

"It was the game developers that didn’t want dual analog 3D sticks at all."
"So, at first, we were planning to use 6 buttons, however, many SEGA game developers wanted to make their game’s control simpler. Many were opposed the 6-button layout."

Yeah...they really missed the mark on those...I wonder who those "game developers" were and how many did they ask. Just because a few studio wanted to make their controls simple, it's a pretty stupid move to take the options away from everyone else. Would have made so much more sense to just not use every button on the controller but have them as an option for those who want to use them...especially since according to Bernie Stolar, he was pushing them to use dual analog sticks.

Another interesting part is this:

SHIRO!: It’s really a shame that modern 3D analog solutions implement inferior patents that are not as accurate and wear out quickly. Is there any possibility of a future control pad that utilizes your input technology?

TOSAKI: I don’t think that technology will ever be commercialized again. It’s not easy to design…

Which begs the question...will Retro-bit's analog Saturn and Dreamcast controllers use the inferior analog stick designs that every other company uses these days? Sure makes it sound like it, unless these years long delays are because they are trying to implement this better magnetic method.

[NeoSnk]

"It was the game developers that didn’t want dual analog 3D sticks at all."
"So, at first, we were planning to use 6 buttons, however, many SEGA game developers wanted to make their game’s control simpler. Many were opposed the 6-button layout."

Yeah...they really missed the mark on those...I wonder who those "game developers" were and how many did they ask. Just because a few studio wanted to make their controls simple, it's a pretty stupid move to take the options away from everyone else. Would have made so much more sense to just not use every button on the controller but have them as an option for those who want to use them...especially since according to Bernie Stolar, he was pushing them to use dual analog sticks.

Another interesting part is this:

SHIRO!: It’s really a shame that modern 3D analog solutions implement inferior patents that are not as accurate and wear out quickly. Is there any possibility of a future control pad that utilizes your input technology?

TOSAKI: I don’t think that technology will ever be commercialized again. It’s not easy to design…

Which begs the question...will Retro-bit's analog Saturn and Dreamcast controllers use the inferior analog stick designs that every other company uses these days? Sure makes it sound like it, unless these years long delays are because they are trying to implement this better magnetic method.

You're right, that's why you see the drift problem in all these new controllers. They are very inferior in quality.

[Ian Micheal]

So there you go Game dev's did not want dual analog sticks It was not sega after all.
People can stop blaming them for it lol I think very interesting good to hear it from the man him self.

Well it would of had to be most of them at the time..

He does say the arcade stick sold really well.. Seems like the wanted to make it simple to get more casual amount of people.. And hardcore could use mouse keyboard since this was going to be for online internet main selling feature on the box in australia was email not games..

Good thing we did not get a remote control lol

saturn analog stick is the best in the bidness..

the crap they have now is nothing like it..

check austalian launch box below email was above gaming..

[dark]

Great interview, thanks for sharing.

On the two analogue stick front, I bet they just asked the sega internal studios, since the interview indicates that what they did with respect to the question of 4 vs 6 buttons on the controller. The motivation by the studios to have simpler controls seems like a decent one, after all, it wasn't that many years later that nintendo is killing things with the wii, which was pretty minimal in the buttons and sticks department when using the controls as a standard controller.