Part of the reason a lot of D-pads sucked is because Nintendo had a patent on it, it expired in 2005.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.google.com&#x2F;patents&#x2F;US4687200" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.google.com&#x2F;patents&#x2F;US4687200</a>