What was the first Wireless Controller?

Question

Bit of an odd question here that I'm mainly asking out of curiosity.

Can anyone shed some light on which company was the first to produce a wireless controller ?

Personally my first experience was with Nintendo's Wavebird (which I considered revolutionary but I think it got overlooked because the GameCube was pretty much on its last legs when it came into being) but I'm sure there must be something that pre-dates this.

Asked by Craig Pilgrim

Answer

Acclaim made an officially-licensed wireless controller for the NES (link is to an eBay listing). I dimly remember using some terrible third-party controllers that I returned to Toys R Us less than a month after purchase, but those may not have been wireless.

Still, those weren't even close to the first wireless controllers. Believe it or not, even the Atari 2600 had wireless controllers. (I sure don't remember these. We had the normal joysticks, paddle controllers, and the free-spinning controllers for Indy 500.)

The same question was asked back in 2006 on another site; the answer there was also the Atari 2600, although no details were supplied. It's possible that another system had wireless controllers prior to 1983? or so, but I'm not sure offhand which one it would be.

Answered by Dave DuPlantis

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Are Zinc–carbon batteries safe to use in my controllers?

Question

I came across a site selling 60 Zinc–carbon batteries for around $10 including shipping. They expire in 2014.

As I go through quite a few batteries in my gaming, I researched Zinc–carbon batteries and their use in wireless controllers. On their site Nintendo warns not to use them with the Wii and inside of the XBOX 360 controller's battery chamber it reads that only Alkaline batteries should be used.

I've read user reports of Zinc-carbon batteries being safe for use with a few drawbacks. Reduced battery life compared to Alkaline batteries and the 360 being unable to warn when the life of the battery is low.

Some say that the warnings are there to prevent liability if the batteries leak and damage the hardware. Others say the warnings are there to enhance user experience as alkaline batteries last over four times longer.

Are Zinc–carbon batteries safe to use in my controllers? What are the differences between them and other battery types?

Answer

When it comes to power for expensive electronics, and potentially shoddy chemical storage units you're going to be holding in your hand, I tend to err on the side of caution.

Pretty much every controller vendor sells a rechargeable battery pack, which will last you far longer and be far safer for you than using cheap batteries off-spec.

The risk of it damaging your controller or leaking on you or your property is not worth the cost savings of using a battery that isn't rated for use in the device you're using it in.

Plus, think about how irritating changing the batteries in your controllers is, especially when you're trying to do something tricky or play online. Now you're increasing the frequency of that annoyance. It would be like buying 1/4th size toilet paper rolls... that dispense toilet paper potentially laced with battery acid.

So are they safe? NO!

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Xbox 360 Wireless Controller Won't sync under Mac

Question

I have a genuine Xbox 360 wireless controller and a gaming receiver. I have downloaded the latest driver from Tattiebogle.net and installed successfully.

I have MacOSX Lion installed and under System Information, the receiver is recognised as following:

Vendor-Specific Device:  Product ID:   0x0291
  Vendor ID:    0x045e  (Microsoft Corporation)
  Version:  1.14
  Speed:    Up to 12 Mb/sec
  Location ID:  0xfa240000 / 9
  Current Available (mA):   500
  Current Required (mA):    260

When I installed first time, both receiver and the controller were synced up correctly, and showed the controller's information on Pref360Control, System Preferences.

However, later, the controller won't sync. On Pref360Controll, there is "No devices found".

What bugs me the most is that I had a controller going. Mac knew there was a controller and I could see it moving, rumbling and others.

Answer

Problem has solved with a genuine gaming receiver.

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