With HD-Rumble on the way I want to pay tribute to where it all began; the N64 Rumble Pak

As we look forward to an exciting future of HD-Rumble with the Nintendo Switch I thought now would be the perfect time to look back at one of the pioneers of force feedback technology; The N64 Rumble Pak.

In 1997 Star Fox 64 (or Lylat Wars as we knew it in the UK) was released for the Nintendo 64. The first-party sequel to the Super Nintendo’s Starfox (or Starwing as we knew it in the UK) was met with huge critical acclaim for its fast, fluid, arcade action and for its memorable cast of characters with their catchy one-liners. “Do a Barrel-Roll!” “Hey Einstein, I’m on your side!” “Can’t let you do that Starfox!”

Bundled with the game though was an exciting, new, controller accessory that promised to immerse the player in a way never before possible; by letting them feel the on screen action! That was the idea anyway.

Simply titled the Rumble Pak, the peripheral used a weighted motor to send vibrations through the controller giving the player the sensation of firing the Arwing’s laser, the impact of an incoming projectile or the rough terrain of a surface you totally didn’t mean to fly into.

The accessory required two AAA batteries to operate and satisfyingly slotted into the expansion slot on the back of the controller. Though somewhat bulky, it gave the pad a satisfying weightiness that, at least in my opinion, made it feel a little less toy-like in the hands.

Two months after the release of Starfox 64, the Rumble Pak was made available to buy separately and from then on, it became pretty much standard for first and third-party N64 games to include some form of rumble support. Suddenly rumble was all the rage and third-party peripheral manufacturers everywhere scrambled to release their own take on the device. 

Though obviously limited in its range of sensations the Rumble Pak was however able to convey several different contexts by using varying degrees of vibration. No game illustrates this better than the king of the console FPS; Goldeneye.

 

Goldeneye attempts to recreate the perversely satisfying feeling of shooting a gun by using the Rumble Pak to give the player a sense of the weapon’s knockback. Pistols give a short sharp jolt whereas automatic weapons give a long slow rumble. In fact even different weapons of the same type seem to have distinct rumbles. The Magnum feels much stronger than the PP7 for instance. Combined with the N64’s unique Z-Trigger button and pistol like grip it gave gamers a brand new, and exciting level of immersion. Shooting people in the head had never been so fun!

(Apparently someone on the development team of Goldeneye even pitched the idea of reloading the guns by removing and reinserting the Rumble Pak. In the end the idea was ditched and reload was assigned to a simple press of the B-Button. Probably for the best.)

Another notable use for the device was in the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. If the player manages to collect enough Gold Skulltula Tokens to break the curse of the fabulously wealthy (but hideously deformed) family in Kakiriko Village they are rewarded with the Stone of Agony. The Stone of Agony (which looks somewhat familiar…) gives clues to the location of secret areas and items by vibrating when Link is close. Pretty neat, eh? 

Less than a year after the release of Starfox 64, Sony unveiled the dual-shock Playstation controller. The updated controller added two analogue sticks and featured two built-in rumble motors. The dual-shock improved on the N64’s rumble in several ways. Most notably it didn’t require batteries, instead drawing on the console for power, and due to the position of the motors being in the controller grips, it allowed for a much more intense vibration through the players hands. 

Nevertheless, despite its slightly clunky design and the fact that it quickly became outdated, the N64 Rumble Pak was undoubtedly the essential catalyst in taking controller force-feedback from a gimmick to the industry wide staple that has endured to this day. 

Often it’s all too easy to take simple innovations for granted, and sometimes we barely even notice their existence at all, but next time your controller vibrates in your hand, take a moment to appreciate that rumble was once a new and exciting technology and one that in its own small way helped bring video-game experiences to life.