Nintendo could have just added a simple D-button and still been ahead of the competition, but they threw a curveball into the controller mix. And to shake a stick at tradition even more violently, they designed the R-button to be pressed with an index finger, not the thumb. This button, like several others on our list, turned the entire industry on its head.
Above: We promise the R-button is there. You just can’t see it
Both durable and non-circular, the “R” has stood the test of time. Controllers continue to use the index finger option to add extra buttons in the same way the SNES did all those years ago. (However, the coloration of future buttons tended to emulate the European, Japanese and Australian scheme, instead of the North American one.)
Above: Sorry, non-North Americans, you’re not tough enough to use the purple version
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