Arkanoid Controller
Encyclopedia
Game controller
A game controller is a device used with games or entertainment systems used to control a playable character or object, or otherwise provide input in a computer game. A controller is typically connected to a game console or computer by means of a wire, cord or nowadays, by means of wireless connection...
for the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
(NES) game Arkanoid
Arkanoid
is an arcade game developed by Taito in 1986. It is based upon Atari's Breakout games of the 1970s. The title refers to a doomed "mothership" from which the player's ship, the Vaus, escapes.-Overview:...
which enhances the feel and play of the game.
Summary
The name Vaus is derived from the name of the ship that is controlled at the bottom of the screen, i.e. the paddle, which escaped from the mothership, called Arkanoid.The Vaus controller is constructed from the same gray plastic as the standard NES controller and is roughly the same size and shape. It has one black button at the top, a black spinner below, an adjustment port, as well as an embossed Taito
Taito
Taito may mean:*Taito Corporation, a Japanese developer of video game software and arcade hardware*Taito, Tokyo, a special ward located in Tokyo, Japan*Taito, also known as matai, paramount chiefs according to Fa'a Samoa...
logo and a raised Arkanoid logo on the front. Unlike its arcade counterpart, the knob on the NES Vaus was not free-spinning; instead it had a limited turning radius. The point at which the knob stops coincides with the on-screen Vaus (paddle) hitting the left or right walls.
The player uses the knob to move the paddle left and right at variable speed, like in a video arcade
Video arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
. A standard NES controller can be used for Arkanoid, using the left and right directions on the D pad, although speed is constant. The Vaus, however, contains a potentiometer
Potentiometer
A potentiometer , informally, a pot, is a three-terminal resistor with a sliding contact that forms an adjustable voltage divider. If only two terminals are used , it acts as a variable resistor or rheostat. Potentiometers are commonly used to control electrical devices such as volume controls on...
and the faster the knob is turned, the quicker the paddle moves left and right. There is one button on the controller so that the player can launch the ball, fire lasers, and access the options menu.
The Vaus was offered for sale packaged with Arkanoid in 1986, but neither the game nor the controller were available individually for purchase. It is one of only a few NES games that came in a non-standard box due to an accessory (Stack-Up and Where in Time is Carmen San Diego are others).
A similar controller was packaged with the Famicom
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
releases of Arkanoid and Arkanoid 2, although the coloring varied from the US version. The Famicom Vaus for Arkanoid was black plastic with red buttons. Arkanoid 2's Vaus conroller was blue with green buttons, and also featured a controller port on top. This port was designed to accept another Vaus, enabling 2-player multiplayer. The US distribution, released only for the SNES
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
in 1997, did not have a dedicated controller.
The packaging for the NES version advertises:
"SPECIAL VAUS CONTROLLER INSIDE"
One other game, Chase H.Q.
Chase H.Q.
is an arcade racing game, released in 1988 by Taito. The player assumes the role of a police officer named Tony Gibson, member of the "Chase Special Investigation Department." Along with his partner, Raymond Broady, he must stop fleeing criminals in high-speed pursuits.The game was well received in...
for the Nintendo Famicom, has an option which specifically supports the Arkanoid controller.
See also
- ArkanoidArkanoidis an arcade game developed by Taito in 1986. It is based upon Atari's Breakout games of the 1970s. The title refers to a doomed "mothership" from which the player's ship, the Vaus, escapes.-Overview:...
- Nintendo Entertainment System
- TaitoTaitoTaito may mean:*Taito Corporation, a Japanese developer of video game software and arcade hardware*Taito, Tokyo, a special ward located in Tokyo, Japan*Taito, also known as matai, paramount chiefs according to Fa'a Samoa...