Like the Super Famicom/Super Nintendo's controller, which it was based on, the face of the controller features a D-pad on the left, four action buttons on the right, and initially two buttons in the middle (originally a Start and Select button). It also features two sets of shoulder buttons, unlike the SNES controller's single set, and improved the ability to use those buttons by adding hand grips.
Starting in 1997, the design incorporated a pair of analog sticks toward the center of the controller and vibration functionality, both of which have remained a common feature in later iterations of the design.
