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The NES Advantage

The NES Advantage is an arcade style controller released by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987. The device is meant to rest on a flat surface at a comfortable level, such as a tabletop or the floor, with the player seated behind it. This way, it could be used like an arcade game joystick—with the left hand using the joystick and the right hand operating the buttons.

Usage

The NES Advantage featured adjustable turbo controls for the A and B buttons which could be toggled on or off with a button; users can adjust the rate of the turbo (i.e. how quickly the A or B button is pressed) by adjusting the respective turbo dials located above both buttons.^[1] It features a pseudo–slow motion feature in which users can toggle on and off by pressing the "slow" button. However, the slow motion feature did not work with all games, and it did not work with games compatible with the NES Zapper or Robotic Operating Buddy. The slow button very rapidly pressed start, which could lead to problems when the player attempts to do an action (i.e. jumping or firing.) This was not compatible with games with start menus or pause screens.^[2] Finally, the Advantage was able to be shared with another player in games where two players alternated gameplay by toggling a switch between "Player 1" and "Player 2".^[1] This was possible because it has two wires to plug into both controller ports, the wire with the white line going around is meant for player 1. The NES Advantage also worked well with Metroid and other fast paced action titles. The slow motion feature was exclusive at release, though it is a popular feature on later controllers.

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NES Advantage
Creator	Nintendo
System	Nintendo Entertainment System
Supported games	All Nintendo Entertainment System games
Release date
Inputs	Joystick Start Button Select Button A Button B Button A Turbo Button B Turbo Button
Rarity

The NES Advantage was a large joystick sold for the Nintendo Entertainment System beginning in 1987. The device was meant to rest on a flat surface at a comfortable level, such as a tabletop or the floor, with the player seated behind it. This way, it could be used like an arcade game joystick -- with one hand using the joystick and the other manipulating the buttons.

The Advantage was a rather advanced controller for the time], with variable-speed turbo that could be flipped on or off with a button, pseudo-slow motion (basically toggling the Start button rapidly), and the ability to plug into both controller ports (useful for games that had an alternating two-player mode, like Super Mario Bros.). The controller though, was said to break very easily and have sticky buttons.

Slow Motion

The NES advantage also featured a "Slow Motion" button. The slow motion button worked by repeatedly pausing and unpausing the game, leaving it paused for only a short time interval. This effectively slowed down gameplay, though it did not work well in games where quickly pausing and unpausing was disallowed. Another drawback was the extremely rapid flashing that could occur during use, which posed a risk to the seizure prone. This was additionally useless in games that featured a menu accessible by pressing the start button (such as the Mega Man series and most Console role-playing games).

Influences of the Advantage

• The joystick makes a brief appearance in the movie Ghostbusters II where it is modified to control the Statue of Liberty.

• The NES Advantage was the inspiration and basis for the Super Nintendo equivalent: The Super Advantage.

• The Advantage, a cover band using video games from the NES as song repertoire, borrowed their name from the Advantage controller

Gallery

NES Advantage

NES Advantage Box