We often take video game controllers for granted, throwing and blaming them for our losses and praising our own skills when we win. What we don’t usually think about is the design that went into them, or how much they dictate what’s possible in gaming. Super Deluxe went ahead and reminded us of how much we really should be appreciating controllers with their quick animated video detailing some of the major moments in video game peripheral history.

Even though the clip is barely a minute long, we still learned a lot, and were reminded about even more.

For example, we forgot about Tennis For Two, which is widely credited at the first ever video game all the way back in 1958. We also had no idea that the Hands Free for the NES ever existed, a controller that allowed disabled users to play by operating the joystick with their chin and blowing into (or inhaling from) tubes to use the A and B buttons.

We also had no clue about what is very likely the first and only hip-hop-based video game controller: The Wu-Tang Controller. It came packed in with the 1999 Playstation 1 game Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style, and boy does it look as super fun to own as it does to actually use.

Beyond the oddities, the video does a nice job at highlighting how gorgeous and ergonomic some of the most successful are while illustrating why the more awkward ones (we’re looking at you, Sega Saturn 3D) just weren’t that great. Check out the video above and let us know which controller is your favorite (Playstation Move, obviously).

Image: Super Deluxe