I’ll never get over Nintendo’s decision to not have the button letters alphabetical like Xbox controllers do (or even just use shapes like Sony). Whenever I play on my Switch, the Y X buttons almost always throws me off, heh. I know Nintendo is Japanese and they tend to write from right to left, so I’m guessing that’s how it ended up like that initially.
Edit:
Since a lot of folks are asking how they’re alphabetical, I simply mean A comes before B and X before Y. I’m not saying they’re alphabetical entirely (since if you read all of them clockwise/counterclockwise then it obviously doesn’t make sense), just on their own individual “lines,” e.g. X and Y are on their own “line,” as well as A and B. It’s not entirely logical when you think about it, but that’s just how I and a number of others think about it. It’s a subjective thing, I suppose.
Tbf hasn’t the ABXY layout of nintendo consoles been consistent since the snes days, predating xbox? Unless your argument is that you wish they flipped it for american consoles a long time ago or something.
Also that interpretation behind the ab/xy difference kinda blows my mind lol
Maybe you’re right on the Japan thing, I always thought it was about distance from your thumb. Like A is closest and most common, then B, and some games mostly only use those, and then X, Y, and Z are for menus or less common actions, and of them, x is closest to your thumb. Makes more sense on an N64 controller or GameCube controller, and then the switch controller is just keeping the letters as consistent as possible.
When going counter clockwise starting from the bottom, the Xbox controller reads: A, B, Y, X.
It’s not alphabetical unless you’re reading it like a lightning bolt for some reason. If alphabetical is what you want, a mixture of both would be ideal, making it: A, B, X, Y.
Besides, Microsoft are the ones that changed the layout, not Nintendo. The confusion when switching controllers is likely by design.
Besides, Microsoft are the ones that changed the layout, not Nintendo. The confusion when switching controllers is likely by design.
Sony also made their bottom button the default “confirm/execute” button and the side right button the “cancel/backout” button. It just feels more intuitive to me.
I’ve been gaming since the late 80s, so I understand Nintendo was the “first” of the current 3 hardware sellers. Doesn’t change the fact that they’re the outlier now. And it’s not like their controllers have even had the same layout more than once, the SNES and Switch being the only two to share a relatively similar button layout.
Sony also made their bottom button the default “confirm/execute” button and the side right button the “cancel/backout” button. It just feels more intuitive to me.
Here to note that this wasn’t the way it was meant to be, on their controller, hence the common confusion you tend to get with a lot of games. I think it comes about as a result of them maybe trying to tread more of a line between the two, as, though we forget, there were more in the race than just nintendo, sega, and later, sony, back in the day, and nobody had really “settled” the layout. Sega, obviously, went for a layout that is basically opposite to nintendo. I don’t know if it’s purely a region locked thing, or if it’s a game-by-game sort of thing (which seems like a stupid move but whatever), but the button layout in america, for playstation, has tended to conform more to nintendo’s layout, than to sega’s. I dunno why, maybe it has to do something with the popularity of certain consoles to certain regions, or something along those lines.
In any case, O is originally meant to be confirm, the X is meant to be cancel, which I think makes slightly more intuitive sense, pictorially. The O is the positive, the X is the negative. Obviously, over time, this sort of became swapped based on region, and actually, the PS5 is the one in which it’s actually become universal that the O is the cancel button and X is the confirm button, for the japanese. Which is probably fucking infuriating, for them, I’d imagine.
I’ll never get over Nintendo’s decision to not have the button letters alphabetical like Xbox controllers do (or even just use shapes like Sony). Whenever I play on my Switch, the Y X buttons almost always throws me off, heh. I know Nintendo is Japanese and they tend to write from right to left, so I’m guessing that’s how it ended up like that initially.
Edit:
Since a lot of folks are asking how they’re alphabetical, I simply mean A comes before B and X before Y. I’m not saying they’re alphabetical entirely (since if you read all of them clockwise/counterclockwise then it obviously doesn’t make sense), just on their own individual “lines,” e.g. X and Y are on their own “line,” as well as A and B. It’s not entirely logical when you think about it, but that’s just how I and a number of others think about it. It’s a subjective thing, I suppose.
to be fair, nintendo set that standard before both microsoft and sony were even in the console gaming space.
Tbf hasn’t the ABXY layout of nintendo consoles been consistent since the snes days, predating xbox? Unless your argument is that you wish they flipped it for american consoles a long time ago or something.
Also that interpretation behind the ab/xy difference kinda blows my mind lol
Even the NES was B to the left of A.
Nintendo set the standard in 1990 with the SNES. Microsoft broke it in 2001 with the Xbox.
They set the standard with the NES in the 80’s. SNES was the second generation.
NES only has two buttons, but it did establish the “A on the right” norm. The SNES established the four-button diamond labeled A, B, X, and Y.
Ah that’s right. I forgot it was only a two button controller. I was just thinking about the A button.
Maybe you’re right on the Japan thing, I always thought it was about distance from your thumb. Like A is closest and most common, then B, and some games mostly only use those, and then X, Y, and Z are for menus or less common actions, and of them, x is closest to your thumb. Makes more sense on an N64 controller or GameCube controller, and then the switch controller is just keeping the letters as consistent as possible.
How are they alphabetical?
When going counter clockwise starting from the bottom, the Xbox controller reads: A, B, Y, X.
It’s not alphabetical unless you’re reading it like a lightning bolt for some reason. If alphabetical is what you want, a mixture of both would be ideal, making it: A, B, X, Y.
Besides, Microsoft are the ones that changed the layout, not Nintendo. The confusion when switching controllers is likely by design.
Sony also made their bottom button the default “confirm/execute” button and the side right button the “cancel/backout” button. It just feels more intuitive to me.
I’ve been gaming since the late 80s, so I understand Nintendo was the “first” of the current 3 hardware sellers. Doesn’t change the fact that they’re the outlier now. And it’s not like their controllers have even had the same layout more than once, the SNES and Switch being the only two to share a relatively similar button layout.
And the Wii/U pro controllers. And Wii U tablet. And the DS and 3DS.
Here to note that this wasn’t the way it was meant to be, on their controller, hence the common confusion you tend to get with a lot of games. I think it comes about as a result of them maybe trying to tread more of a line between the two, as, though we forget, there were more in the race than just nintendo, sega, and later, sony, back in the day, and nobody had really “settled” the layout. Sega, obviously, went for a layout that is basically opposite to nintendo. I don’t know if it’s purely a region locked thing, or if it’s a game-by-game sort of thing (which seems like a stupid move but whatever), but the button layout in america, for playstation, has tended to conform more to nintendo’s layout, than to sega’s. I dunno why, maybe it has to do something with the popularity of certain consoles to certain regions, or something along those lines.
In any case, O is originally meant to be confirm, the X is meant to be cancel, which I think makes slightly more intuitive sense, pictorially. The O is the positive, the X is the negative. Obviously, over time, this sort of became swapped based on region, and actually, the PS5 is the one in which it’s actually become universal that the O is the cancel button and X is the confirm button, for the japanese. Which is probably fucking infuriating, for them, I’d imagine.