Masahiro Sakurai wanted scroll wheel on the GameCube controller

Masahiro Sakurai posted his latest YouTube video today, and includes an interesting tidbit of information that he wanted a scroll wheel on the GameCube controller when the hardware was being developed.

Sakurai said he was allowed to give input – which makes sense given his close relationship with the company thanks to the Super Smash Bros. series. As explained in his proposal for Melee, the scroll wheel – or jog dial – “is a knob that you can turn either up or down, and it also functions as a switch if you press it in.” The idea here is that players would more quickly make menu selections and it’d allow for smooth camera movement.

Here’s what Sakurai mentioned regarding the GameCube controller scroll wheel idea:

“If game consoles had scroll wheels, menu selections would be really easy. Games utilize all sorts of inputs, but out of everything, menu selections are something I’d like to do quickly. A scroll wheel would let me zip right to my choice and be done in a flash. It would really make selections fast.

Of course, its use wouldn’t be limited to menus alone. There are plenty of situations in games where you’re trying to pick one thing from a group, and I thought a scroll wheel would make that more convenient. I also thought it would be nice if the wheel had a ‘clicky’ feel to it. Games are about play, so that tactile feedback would make gameplay feel more immersive.”

You can check out Sakurai’s full video on the topic below.

I Want to Choose Fast! [UI]

What do you think of Sakurai’s idea? Would you have liked to have seen the scroll wheel added in?

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