Patent ID: 7488254

Claim:
A controller connectable to an electronic device wherein the controller transmits instruction signals to the electronic device in response to a user's operation, said controller comprising: an upper face; a left grip means disposed at a left part of said controller; a right grip means disposed at a right part of said controllers; a plurality of button switches disposed on said upper face of said controller; and a pair of direction keys disposed on said upper face, one of said pair of direction keys being arranged so as to give signals indicative of preset discrete directions including up, down, left and right, the other of said pair of direction keys being arranged so as to give signals indicative of arbitrary directions over 360 degrees, wherein both of said pair of direction keys are disposed at positions of a left part of said upper face so that both of said pair of direction keys may be manipulated by a thumb of the user's left hand which holds said left grip means of the controller and said plurality of button switches are disposed at a right part of said upper face so as to be manipulated by a thumb of the user's right hand which holds said right grip means of the controller when the controller is held by both hands of the user with said left grip means of the controller held by the user's left hand and with said right grip means of the controller held by the user's right hand.