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Gamepad Stick Symmetry 2014. Will this ever standardise?

I really don't understand why Nintendo went with the top symmetry with their controllers. While it's a good layout for shooters, it's not the best for Nintendo games which mostly use the face buttons. All of that aside though you should be able to use all of the layouts without a problem. If you can't, there's something wrong with your hands.
 
Jonboy said:
This was a quick photoshop job, but I'm pretty sure this would be my ideal controller. Honestly though, I can use either. It's not a huge deal to me.

15550790612_374546d942_n.jpg
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Oh god it's hideous
 
Weird thing is I kind of prefer symmetrical of the Playstation controller because of some random games (which I'm trying to remember.. ex. Vanquish) that have switch weapons and etc on the dpad. It was kind of easier to use your index finger on the d-pad while your thumb was still controlling movement.

I don't mind either though. However, I hate d-pads with the circle things.
 
All three current gen controllers feel great. I don't care where the sticks are.
 
I really think people are focused on the wrong thing.

Symmetry is better, but here's why:

It's not about the sticks, it's about keeping the D-Pad in line with the face buttons. Old school twitch based games will never feel as good when the D-pad and face buttons aren't at roughly the same height.
 
hawk2025 said:
I have enough joints in my hands to easily adapt to either.

Never could relate to people's issue with this.
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Eh, it's never been an issue of adaptation, but pure preference. After all, the market has made plenty of rather non-ergonomic controllers the standard with old systems, like the NES or SNES or even portables with their box-like shapes to offer little in the way of comfortable grip.

I prefer asymmetrical because left stick is more or less primary over d-pad in the vast majority of games, so having the neutral thumb position being upwards, thanks to the palm grips being as long and thick-around as they are, feels most comfortable to me. Right stick being lower or higher tends to not make much difference to me, but I do like symmetrical placement of sticks only if it's where both sticks are high up, like Wii U Pro controller. It's really all down to the left or primary movement stick being up high for the maximum comfort of the controller handles resting in the palm.
 
MightyHedgehog said:
Eh, it's never been an issue of adaptation, but pure preference. After all, the market has made plenty of rather non-ergonomic controllers the standard with old systems, like the NES or SNES or even portables with their box-like shapes to offer little in the way of comfortable grip.

I prefer asymmetrical because left stick is more or less primary over d-pad in the vast majority of games, so having the neutral thumb position being upwards, thanks to the palm grips being as long and thick-around as they are, feels most comfortable to me. Right stick being lower or higher tends to not make much difference to me, but I do like symmetrical placement of sticks only if it's where both sticks are high up, like Wii U Pro controller. It's really all down to the left or primary movement stick being up high for the maximum comfort of the controller handles resting in the palm.
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The point is that there's no such thing as primary or secondary positioning. My hands rest comfortably in either position. Adaptation is the process of transforming preference into an irrelevant distinction!

Ergonomics are 10 times more important than where the sticks are actually placed.
 
I'm not even sure why people complain about symetric or asymetric. It never bothered me at all and i have both Xbox and PS4. No problem switching between the two anytime !
 
hawk2025 said:
The point is that there's no such thing as primary or secondary positioning. My hands rest comfortably in either position. Adaptation is the process of transforming preference into an irrelevant distinction!

Ergonomics are 10 times more important than where the sticks are actually placed.
Click to expand...
For my hands, those controller handles make it such that my thumbs feel more comfortable resting upwards on a stick top, and not so much turned inward to reach a thumbstick at the two-thirty or three o'clock position on the pad while I can then easily still reach the d-pad when it calls for it. It's applications that can lead to primary position. And, in terms of ergonomics, it's well-suited for my hand's natural resting position, making it more efficient with less effort. I consider the handles, the common use of features on the stick, and the ability to do so for long sessions with maximum comfort. Maybe your hands are bigger or smaller or your preference in games dictates different prioritization of d-pad over stick or you simply feel most comfortable one way or the other. Maybe none of the above applies to you and that's why you don't understand why others would a preference, strong or mild. Ergonomics really apply to the user on a case-by-case basis, just as the application will ask more of different features on the pad. I don't see the issue.
 
I prefer the sony approach, seems more natural plus D pad is easier to use if above. However i am comfortable with both layouts. No big deal at all.
 
jres80 said:
Anyway, symmetry doesn't matter as long as the ergonomics are comfortable.
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I agree with this. I always thought that I didn't like the PS3 pad because of the symmetrical sticks, but it turns out the sticks themselves just suck. I have no problem with the PS4 controller at all.
 
for 2014 3d games with actions on bumpers and triggers nintendo is one more time ahead of others. Shame not a lot of games with this type of control will use their pad (if you don't use it on pc).
 
I'm a bigger fan of asymmetrical stick layouts, though the Wii U Pro Controller has helped ease me into handling it better. It's weird since I grew up a PlayStation gamer; but having spent so many years with the XBOX 360 pad now, I can safely say I prefer that much more.

I know it's not as a relevant since what I'm about to bring up is largely a PC-centric concern, but I find that my ability to enjoy using a symmetrical stick layout has to do do with being able to remap buttons - especially if I'm dealing with the Wii U Pro Controller. Remapping Hyrule Warriors so that regular attacks were on 'A', dodge was on RT, and combo finishers was on "X" (or whatever is on top) was a godsend to reducing wrist stress.
 
I'm fine with both, I guess. Symmetrical makes more sense though- I mean, your arms are roughly the same height as one another on your body, no? Ya'll don't wear asymmetric gloves.
 
loaf of bread said:
Asymmetrical is best for shooters, symmetrical is best for everything else.
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I'm the other way around. Asymetrical is better for non shooters imo because by default your thumbs rest on the left stick and face buttons. That plus when I play dark souls or other games that use the dpad as a way to change equipment I can change my equipment using either the lower part of my left thumb or my right thumb without letting go of the left stick whereas I can't do that on a playstation pad.

I can use either just fine but going solely by layout (so ignoring quality of build and all these other things), xbox > playstation > wii-u (I really don't like having the right stick at the top on the right, I much prefer it below the buttons).
 
xtrasauce said:
The Wii U stick positions are fine but the face buttons are too low for my liking.

I didn't get a chance to try it yet.
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They are too low - you get used to it, but there's always this nagging sense that B and Y - which are off towards the center of the controller - are much too far. I remember in the Super Mario 3D World OT, there was someone who made a mention that apparently the run and jump buttons were flipped in some way to make the controller less awkward to hold.

It definitely stuck out to me while I was playing Black Flag, which maps the buttons to the same layout as for the PS4 and XBOX; you can feel your thumb stretching out a little too far to hit Y, which is your basic melee attack and shouldn't require that much conscious effort.

That said, if you could remap the controls, all of the frustrations go away since, for the most part and in most games, you really only two buttons frequently (which you would put on A and Y) while you play with where the other functions go. Sadly, controller remapping hasn't re-introduced itself as a mainstay in this generation, ports or otherwise....
 
Brandon F said:
nintendo_console_32gb_premim_pack_black__zombie_2_raw.jpg


Third variation not shown in the OP. The Wii U Pro Controller has both sticks up top. Not my personal favorite layout(though I adore the controller), but it deserves being mentioned.

Edit: Whoops, it was shown in the OP. Nevermind.
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Seems to me, with games usually requiring thumbs on sticks more than not, this is the 'correct' layout. I still like the DS4 and use a 360 pad on PC, my thumbs can adapt. This one just interests me, is there a way to get it to work on PC?
 
AkIRA_22 said:
Seems to me, with games usually requiring thumbs on sticks more than not, this is the 'correct' layout. I still like the DS4 and use a 360 pad on PC, my thumbs can adapt. This one just interests me, is there a way to get it to work on PC?
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There's a Mayflash adapter that allows it to be used on PC. The only problem is that it maps the face buttons by their letter rather than their position in the diamond, so that may take some getting used to.
 
For me it'd be:

Asymmetrical>>>>>>>symmetrical>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Wii U Pro.

Symmetrical just feels wrong (case in point, PS controllers and Gran Turismo/Driveclub, they feel so much more awkward with my thumb basically slipping off due to the layout), and the Wii U controller is the worst layout I've ever seen.
 
Symmetric is the only way to go. DS4 has it perfect. Superb for any genre and great ergonomics that cut down on fatigue and any sweaty hands after long play sessions.
 
OpwJ4c3.png
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Main thing I got out of this image is that controllers look weird.

At first I was like "Why can't non-gaming companies design nice looking controllers that don't look so weird."

Then I realized I'd say the same thing about those two controllers on the top left and bottom left if they were from other companies.
 
Brandon F said:
nintendo_console_32gb_premim_pack_black__zombie_2_raw.jpg


Third variation not shown in the OP. The Wii U Pro Controller has both sticks up top. Not my personal favorite layout(though I adore the controller), but it deserves being mentioned.

Edit: Whoops, it was shown in the OP. Nevermind.
Click to expand...

This layout is pretty damn good since you can control the camera through a claw grip on your right hand pretty well.

It's pretty comfortable using claw for right stick camera controls so you can focus more of your effort on the buttons.

Claw on an Asymmetric controller is ridiculously uncomfortable by comparison.
 
i am honestly shocked by this "claw" thing. i had no idea. i only have a DS4 on hand at the moment, but it's crazy uncomfortable to me.

and that one poster who suggested hitting the bumpers with the fingers still on the triggers? i had no idea about that either.

OT: i used to not care, have come to prefer symmetric. going back to an Xbox controller recently felt very strange. still need to try a Wii U Pro.
 
Some controllers work better for some games, but if I could only choose to have one controller for everything, I would probably choose the Wii U Pro Controller. Big fan of the DualShock 4 too though.
 
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