Who needs the D-pad?

[nullref]

I use it a fair bit, for the same reasons as everyone else. Even if it's just for secondary functions—weapon selection, menus, etc.—I like it to feel good and be accurate.

For fighting games and actual arcade ports I usually break out the arcade stick, though. But even then it's nice to have the option of using the pad if I want.

 

[DRock]

Fuck this sort of thinking. DPad for life!

 

[CyberWolfBia]

analog sticks are exclusively for 3D movement in games;

2D platformers and fighting games is a D-Pad only party.

I also play Crash Bandicoot on D-Pad as God intended, thank you very much

 

[Rats]

I don't trust anybody who uses the analog stick for 2D movement.

 

[Jaded Alyx]

If D-pad is for fighting games then why the arcade sticks have a joystick? 🤔

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Read:

Arcade/fightsticks are digital inputs, just like d-pads.

The only fighting game that uses analog input specifically that I can think of, is Smash.

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[Elfgore]

Menu navigation. I actually get aggravated if a game doesn't offer menu navigation with the d-pad.

 

[Dremorak]

I think 2d games are better with a stick.

There, I said it.

 

[ByWatterson]

Menus. 2D classics.

 

[Mona]

d-pad is like a black & white movie, worse at some things, better at others

turning on my ps2 and playing digital devil saga or something with a d-pad feels excellent

 

[JigglesBunny]

I don't even want to be in the same room as a motherfucker that plays Crash Bandicoot 4 with an analogue stick.

 

[Fat4all]

add a poll

 

[slothrop]

I agree completely. I bought an snes controller to use for 2d games, hated it, and went back to using the stick on my pro controller

 

[bombermouse]

Anything with 2D gameplay needs a dpad.

 

[1upsuper]

Precision platformers. Retro games. Shmups. Fighting games. Puzzle games. Pretty much any 2D game. Etc. etc.

 

[Multiverse Moo]

Do we have like an annual awards thing equivalent or similar to the Raspberries?

I want to nominate this thread, lol. Such an awful premise xD

 

[FlashFlooder]

I use the d-pad all the time in platformers and a lot "indie" type games.

 

[blame space]

I think 2d games are better with a stick.

There, I said it.

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[Adamska]

Crash, THPS, fighting games and sidescrollers. Would never accept using anything else for those.

 

[SpaceCrystal]

Fighting games. 2D Platformers. Sidescrollers. Beat-'Em-Ups. Shoot-'Em-Ups. Run-&-Gun games. Indie games. Metroidvanias. Puzzle games. I can go on.

 

[Sanctuary]

If D-pad is for fighting games then why the arcade sticks have a joystick? 🤔

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If buttons can replace both, why use either? 🤔

 

[Neoxon]

Next month you guys will start a movement to convince people to remove the right analog because "gyro does the job well enough"

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Even in that scenario, the right stick would still have a purpose with flick stick.

 

[JusDoIt]

My most played game this month is Spelunky 2. I absolutely need a d-pad.

 

[Jon God]

The Dead is one of the reasons I stuck with PS all these years. Stop making up nonsense.

 

[{Marvelous}]

My performance in Resident Evil skyrocketed when I finally switched to D-pad for tank controls. Took me way too long.

 

[Kubricks]

While I must have Dpad for fighting games if I am ever playing it on a gamepad, I changed my mind on 2D platform after getting used to Hollow Knight with Joycon.

 

[jobrro]

The Dpad position on Sony's controllers is what makes me buy a lot of classic, or classically styled games (Sonic Mania, Crash Nsane Trilogy etc) on the platform over the other systems.

 

[Deleted member 8257]

Streets of Rage 4 works better with a dpad.

 

[FFNB]

I still use the d-pad. For some games, the d-pad feels better than the analog stick for me, so I like having the option to use either. Definitely playing some retro games on the PS4 feel more comfortable for me using the d-pad.

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

2D games feel wrong with sticks for me even if they control well.

I'm a purist in that regard.

 

[CatAssTrophy]

there's too much travel between the stick being at neutral and when it's fully pushed in any direction. with a d-pad the change of unpressed to pressed is instantaneous.

i play 2D games and racing games this way because sticks just feel wrong. hell, if you play any of the Wipeout games with d-pad and just get good at using the trigger air brakes, you don't *need* the left stick at all.

 

[Polioliolio]

It's unarguably more precise. What are you even saying?

 

[RiOrius]

Menu navigation. I actually get aggravated if a game doesn't offer menu navigation with the d-pad.

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This was one of the reasons I bounced off of Genshin Impact after an hour. Just knowing that if I stuck with it, every time I opened the menu I'd try to navigate it with the D-pad, only to find it nonfunctional, and get mildly frustrated: why put myself through that when there are plenty of other games to play?

 

[AhahaICantAnswer]

I use the dpad when I'm navigating the menus... doesn't feel right using sticks for those

 

[StrappingYoungLance]

Even in 2d sidescrollers i use the analog stick.

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Gross.

 

[Elfgore]

This was one of the reasons I bounced off of Genshin Impact after an hour. Just knowing that if I stuck with it, every time I opened the menu I'd try to navigate it with the D-pad, only to find it nonfunctional, and get mildly frustrated: why put myself through that when there are plenty of other games to play?

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Haha! Exact same boat as me with that game! Add in the game using O for select and X for leave and I figured it wasn't a game for me.

 

[2shd]

It's not even a genre thing.

If something only registers as a digital input with a discrete on/offf input in a game, UI, OS, etc the d-pad is the ideal input method for precision.

If control is analog-based, you obviously should use the analog stick.

You can still use the analog stick for digital inputs, but it's imprecise and inefficient. The idea that a d-pad should be obsolete is silly.

 

[whatsarobot]

Who doesn't want that beauty?

 

[Bonfires Down]

 

[HotHamBoy]

In addition to fighting games, SHMUPs benefit a lot from a d-pad. Some of them require pixel-precision.

 

[snausages]

No dpad no style switchjng Dante

Even DmC used the dpad for weapon switching

 

[Enrico Pallazzo]

I also prefer using it for menus.

 

[Vex]

Moderation, do your job please

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Lmfaaoooo

 

[Vitamin_B_Complex]

Navigating menus with a stick feels absolutely terrible.