Editing D-pad

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A '''D-pad''' (directional pad), (also called '''joy-pad''', '''digital pad''' or '''thumb-pad''') detects thumb-presses in a plane, indicating direction.

It often consists of self-levelling rocking plate on a central pivot.
They are often dished to allow a sideways thumb-motion to also press.
Four buttons in a cross-configuration or a touch pad are also considered D-pads when used with a thumb to control direction.

Like digital joysticks, most D-pads have four distinct digital switches: up, down, left and right with diagonals sensed by actuating two switches at once.
The switches are most often conductive [[rubber dome]]s over PCB, which also cater for the self-levelling.

==History==
Many very early video games have had four buttons in a cross, but rarely for thumb-operation.

The early Intellivision video game system's controller has a featureless circular flat disc which can detect presses in 16 directions.

The D-pad with cross-shaped rocking-plate on a central pivot was first on the handheld video game ''Game&Watch Donkey Kong''. The game character could 
move only in four directions and not in any diagonal. While Donkey Kong was a success, it was further popularised with the ''Nintendo Famicom'' games 
console which had some games that supported diagonals despite the cross shape.

==Relation with joystick==
The distinction between D-pad and ''thumb-stick'' (thumb-operated [[joystick]]) can be floating in some cases, depending on the shape of the pad and its 
height over the pivot.

Some game controllers (Sega SG-1000 Mark II, Atari 7800) allow a joystick (or thumb-stick) to be attached into the centre of the D-pad.
Some joysticks (such as the one for the Atari VCS) are implemented as a stick on a D-pad but with the pivot above the switches

The Neo Geo CD gamepad has a directional thumb-stick with microswitches in four directions pointed towards the centre, like a typical hand-operated 
[[joystick#digital|digital joystick]] but with the pivot at the bottom of the assembly.<ref>GameSX—[https://gamesx.com/controldata/neopadfix.htm Repairing a NEO CD pad]. Dated 2001. Retrieved 2018-10-10</ref>

==See also==
* [[Joystick]]
* [[Cursor keys]]

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Game controller terms]]



[[Category:Game controller terms]]
[[Category:Input device types]]