Even if you're a regular gamer with hundreds of hours behind the thumbsticks, you've probably never really thought about the way you hold your controller. Google design director, Isabelle Olsson, however, spent months considering exactly that while leading the design team behind the Stadia controller. The device is an essential piece of Google's upcoming Stadia service, which will allow gamers to play high-end, graphics-intensive video games on whatever screen they choose using a wireless connection and the company's massive network of computing power.

At first glance, the Stadia controller looks like a mashup of current gamepads. The rounded grips and dimpled thumbsticks evoke Microsoft’s Xbox One controller, while the elongated handles and pronounced triggers more closely resemble those found on Sony’s PlayStation 4 model. According to Olsson, however, the Stadia controller isn’t a Frankenstein’s monster of familiar features, but rather the result of a full development process that started from the ground.