PlayStation controller modes

The Sony PlayStation has a host of third party controllers that can be added to your system. Unfortunately, there are no good explanations of what the different modes available actually mean, where they come from or how they will help (or hinder) you.

With the help of a few manufacturers I have come up with a list of the available modes and information on what they do. As for game compatibility of the modes you're on your own (as am I) since the supported modes of the less common controller modes are usually listed in the manual, sealed inside the CD case. Luckily, the manufactures of many of the controllers make the devices with support for multiple modes.

GAMEPADS and GENERAL

Digital-

The first generation of the PlayStation controller.

Analog-

The second generation of controllers from Sony supports the common twin sticks and basic design we all know and love today. Many manufactures make controllers using the analog mode.

Dual Shock-

The latest mode of gamepads are the analog sticks that were refined to make them more comfortable, but the big change was the addition of rumble feedback. Inside of the controller hand grips are two off-set cam motors, one handles the high frequency rumble and the other the low frequency. Another rarely used feature of the dual analog stick are the separate buttons (L3 and R3) imbedded in the analog sticks. If you pressed on them you will hear them go 'click'. The Dual Shock requires no batteries- drawing the power for the "shock" motors directly from the system.

LIGHT GUNS

Normal-

The first generation of light guns simply plugged into the controller port and signals from the trigger and other buttons were not picked up or sent until the trigger was pressed. Many of the normal mode light guns have a recoil feature that jolts the gun when the trigger is pressed. The shot is not seen by the system until you press the trigger of the light gun. Also, the player cannot determine exactly where they are aiming by anything on the screen. Most of the light guns and games available support normal mode. Different guns have different features including: number of buttons, auto reload, auto-fire, etc.

Namco G-Con (or GunCon)-

Namco decided that the standard aiming method was not good enough, so they developed a new system. This mode allows 'seeing' the dot on the TV as you aim. The G-con format also interacts with the signal going to the TV, making the gun more accurate. In order to use this mode the light gun is connected to the port of the PlayStation and has a pass-through cable connection for the video signal. Backwards compatibility to the normal mode is usually supported but not guaranteed.

WHEELS

Digital-

The first wheels available for the PlayStation were fully digital in operation and functioned similar to the first digital gamepads.

Analog-

In the same manner the analog format expanded the possibilities of gamepads the format also opened up many possibilities for racing wheels. More buttons and control surfaces became available but still require proper game support.

NegCon-

In the pursuit of a different, more accurate type of controller Namco created the NegCon mode. This controller has two analog buttons on the front, and two more on the shoulders. The pad twists at its mid point, giving you analog control of the car.

Dual Shock-

The same technology used in Dual Shock pads made its way to the wheels for the PlayStation. The off-set motors deliver shock effects through the base of the wheel and if well implemented in the game, provide good feedback for the driver. The Dual Shock mode all but replaces the analog mode in most games and controllers. However, most wheels supporting Dual Shock also support digital and analog modes.

JogCon-

Namco decided there was room for improvement and developed JogCon (after the jogging controller seen on the front of some VCR's), this was launched with Ridge Racer 4. With JogCon you get resistance from the analog controller, the faster you are going the less the resistance will be, and the controller will have an auto centering feature (the JogCon controller looks a little bit like a normal dual shock pad, but the two sticks have been replaced by one wheel controlled by your thumbs). Like Namco's other special modes- backwards compatibility with other modes may or may not work.

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