If you're using the face buttons on the Steam Controller, you aren't using it right.
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My hands are symmetrical.
That's why i prefer symmetrical sticks.
I think you're proving the opposite point with this image.
The most important/used element of the controller goes under the most important digit for play (the thumb).
Everyone has always agreed for the last twenty years right thumb above face buttons.
But only Sony thinks the Dpad is still the most important/used control element on the left side!? Instead they believe the dpad is the most used element deserving closest proximity to the resting left thumb, that makes no sense for the mostly 3D games we play now compared to twenty years ago.
Oh, I totally believe you, just kind figure out what causes it.
I think you gain more than you lose by having the d-pad above the left stick. I'll happily use a PlayStation controller to play games that use the left stick to control movement, but I would never use an Xbox controller to play a platformer or a fighting game. For some reason having the d-pad lower feels so awkward to me.
Asymmetrical for me. I prefer the Xbox controller over the Dualshock so much that i use an Xbox controller as my primary control method for my PS4.
That picture is horrible. Looks like someone glued on suppositories to the sticks.
Some prefer symmetrical, others prefer the opposite. I grew up on PlayStation so I am most comfortable with symmetrical sticks, but at my most recent checkup my doctor informed me it's okay for one to be lower than the other.
Where do you stand?
I don't mind different stick positions or swapped a and b buttons. The only thing that matters is that the controller is comfortable to use.
How does your right thumb cope when you're playing all those 3D games that use the right stick for the camera?
One of the reasons I have no interested in Playstation is because I hate, properly hate, the stick layout. I find it incredibly uncomfortable. This is despite the DualShock being the first dual stick controller I ever used. I even preferred the big lump of the original Xbox controller to anything Sony have produced.
I didn't like the PlayStation stick layout until the dual shock 4, so to me it comes out to how the entire controller is contoured. So I guess I don't really care anymore, with the caveat I haven't used the dual sense yet. Though I don't expect this to be worse than dual shock 4.
I'm ok with both, I do prefer asymmetrical though.
The PS4 controller solved most any issue I had with the old PS controllers.
The PS4 controller solved most any issue I had with the old PS controllers.
I prefer the Sony way but have zero problems with the other way. Zero. So I have a preference but only because it's what I have been used to since they introduced them on PSOne. Played PS2 so much that by the time the Microsoft way came about it was my preference through use over time.
Yeah I would rank those in the same order.
The left stick is just way more important than the dpad these days which makes the asymetrical layout generally more comfortable.
I think it depends on the game so I voted no preference. If it's like a turn-based JRPG I like the DualShock layout because the D-Pad is where the muscle memory wants to be (grew up on NES/SNES). If it's a 3D game like Mario Odyssey I want asymmetrical like the Switch Pro controller. But I can handle either one even if the layout isn't optimal for me, this are just my preferences.
And I know people still love the GameCube controller, but the positioning of the D-Pad on that was bad and unfortunately never felt right to use as a primary input for Game Boy Player.
And I know people still love the GameCube controller, but the positioning of the D-Pad on that was bad and unfortunately never felt right to use as a primary input for Game Boy Player.
Xbox style. I also prefer their triggers. I prefer the lack of noise the PS face buttons make though.
While I find asymmetrical makes more sense for 3D games, the problem is that the d-pad in the secondary position just sucks. For any game that uses that heavily, it's way better when it's in the main position. So overall I prefer symmetrical as a result because the left stick in the secondary position is fine and the d-pad being in primary position outweighs the downside.
Slight preference for symmetrical as it better represents your hands' natural resting position. I'm an RPG fan, so it's just more comfortable when you're exploring, cycling through dialogue boxes, managing menus, etc... for extended periods and your fingers aren't doing much.
When it comes down to it, though, it doesn't really matter. I'm fine both and can move freely between them without issue.
When it comes down to it, though, it doesn't really matter. I'm fine both and can move freely between them without issue.
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Symmetrical with analog sticks on top.
Gotta be honest, wouldn't have been upset if this had become the standard. Especially with paddles on the back... no reason to ever use the face buttons.
Symmetrical but I honestly don't really care, I can play well regardless of the stick alignment and notice no difference other than I think symmetrical is more comfortable since my thumbs don't rest asymmetrically. But like I said it's whatever for me and always found this to be a funny debate.
I genuinely don't even notice. I don't mean to brag, but my thumbs can comfortably reach all of the buttons and sticks on a controller no matter which ones are placed where.
It's a non-issue, both configurations are comfortable. I play mostly on PlayStation consoles but I never experienced difficulty and awkwardness when playing on Switch or PC. For the first time ever, the "big three" have good controllers with excellent ergonomics that you can jump from one to the other without any problems, the positioning of the sticks is totally irrelevant IMO.
It's a lot easier to be more accurate with the right analog stick in the central position (the position it's in on the DS4 or XBOX controller.
I think it's easier because your thumb pivots over the analog at a higher position, so you end up with more control. You end up using the entire muscle, your thumb and tendon down to your tendon at the base of your wrist.
The upper position allows you to still move the analog stick, but you're using a smaller range of motion in your tendon/wrist. So that can be good for comfort, but less good for accuracy. So that's an explanation of the asymmetrical layout really, it prioritses control on the right side, and comfort on the left.
The problem with this layout though, is it assumes that folks don't use the d-pad, because having that at the lower position on the left side, is forcing your thumb into a less comfortable position, for an interaction style that doesn't require precision. D-pad inputs are simplistic, you don't need that wider range of motion that comes from having your thumb extend out from your hand to this lower position.
So, anything that uses a d-pad, just ends up being much less comfortable on an asynchronous style layout. It's especially true for the d-pad because unlike an offset analog stick, the dpad isn't raised to meet your thumb.
Because of that, I think that the DS4 style design is better for a wider range of games. You can play things like 2D platformers in absolute comfort using the dpad in conjunction with face buttons, and the analog sticks which tend to demand a bit more accuracy, are in a position that helps you achieve that. The compromise is, that if you're playing games that use the left along in the long term, you might find an asynchronous layout more comfortable instead. But for me, as someone that bounces between 2D and 3D games on the regular, the DS4 is just better for your hands.
Obviously everyone's experiences will vary depending on hand size and whatnot.
I think it's easier because your thumb pivots over the analog at a higher position, so you end up with more control. You end up using the entire muscle, your thumb and tendon down to your tendon at the base of your wrist.
The upper position allows you to still move the analog stick, but you're using a smaller range of motion in your tendon/wrist. So that can be good for comfort, but less good for accuracy. So that's an explanation of the asymmetrical layout really, it prioritses control on the right side, and comfort on the left.
The problem with this layout though, is it assumes that folks don't use the d-pad, because having that at the lower position on the left side, is forcing your thumb into a less comfortable position, for an interaction style that doesn't require precision. D-pad inputs are simplistic, you don't need that wider range of motion that comes from having your thumb extend out from your hand to this lower position.
So, anything that uses a d-pad, just ends up being much less comfortable on an asynchronous style layout. It's especially true for the d-pad because unlike an offset analog stick, the dpad isn't raised to meet your thumb.
Because of that, I think that the DS4 style design is better for a wider range of games. You can play things like 2D platformers in absolute comfort using the dpad in conjunction with face buttons, and the analog sticks which tend to demand a bit more accuracy, are in a position that helps you achieve that. The compromise is, that if you're playing games that use the left along in the long term, you might find an asynchronous layout more comfortable instead. But for me, as someone that bounces between 2D and 3D games on the regular, the DS4 is just better for your hands.
Obviously everyone's experiences will vary depending on hand size and whatnot.
Symmetrical.
Actually, I don't care about the analog sticks, but the d-pad is a pain in the ass to use in assymetrical layouts.
Actually, I don't care about the analog sticks, but the d-pad is a pain in the ass to use in assymetrical layouts.
Symmetrical, but at the top of the controller.
Wish more controllers were like the Wii U Pro Controller.
Wish more controllers were like the Wii U Pro Controller.
I prefer symmetrical because if i end up playing something that uses the d-pad as the primary movement input it feels more natural on a playstation controller layout.
Meanwhile the analog stick feels good to use regardless of it's position.
Meanwhile the analog stick feels good to use regardless of it's position.
I never think about it. I like the Xbox controller more because of the grips and the replaceable batteries, but I really don't care about if the thumb sticks are symmetrical or not. I don't even notice.
I like them both, once I've gotten used to them. I *hated* switching from the 360 controller to the PS3 controller, but I'm fine with the Dualshock 4. Excited about that Dualsense.
Stick layout does not even register for me.
Plenty of reasons to favor the Xbox controller over Dual Shock, but that's not one of them.
Plenty of reasons to favor the Xbox controller over Dual Shock, but that's not one of them.
They're both fine, but I find the Xbox layout more comfortable with the left analogue stick closer. The DS4 is decent, but the earlier iterations of that design weren't they great - they took a traditional controller and bolted two analogue sticks to it without redesigning it so that it would be more comfortable.
