Whispers of the Analog Dawn
In the early days of gaming, controllers were humble extensions of human intention—plastic rectangles studded with buttons, guiding pixelated adventurers through blocky landscapes. Yet within those enclosures lay a simple but crucial mechanism: the potentiometer. A rotating resistor, its wiper sliding over a resistive track to convert angular motion into a variable voltage. Arcade cabinets relied on this analog principle, and home consoles soon followed, embedding potentiometers in the heart of every joystick and thumbstick. The result was an analogue-to-digital whisper, translating the player’s hand tremors and nudges into onscreen motion. But potentiometers bore an Achilles’ heel: wear and tear