The classic gamepad is a [[game_controller]] that can be held conveniently in two hands and does not require any particular mounting surface nor an exact fixed posture from the user. The game pad provides basic functions to control a game such as Start/Pause, Select, 4- or 8-way navigation, and various different actions via other buttons (numbering from two to roughly a dozen). Among the first gamepads were those game controllers bundled with the U.S.-market [[NES|Nintendo Entertainment System]] or Japanese-market [[Famicom]].

Videogame consoles through the 8-, 16- and 32-bit eras still feature gamepads as basic controllers and these may include analog thumbsticks. However, gamepads should be considered separate from [[joystick|joysticks]].