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Why Are Controller Buttons Like That?

🕑 Added 2024-03-20 18:00:09 +0000 UTC

Comments

Lextorias

If you’re on mobile you need to update your app

Ducks Stirling

The video is not working

DamnOrange

Hey realy cool video, on the part of nintendos buttonlayout... One theory of mine why the buttons are a and then b from right to left on nintendos controllers is: if you pick up a controller you will most likely place your thumb either in the middle of the now established button cross or like for most people on the closest buttom to you hand. For an thought experiment. if you close your eyes and tryed to gues which button you should try first for a primary action like jump or enter, most people would start with the button which they would naturaly sit on or that would be nearest to there pre established position. So naturaly the thoughtprocess would be primary action should be placed on this button ergo it should start with the first descriptor that comes to mind "a". The second button by that logic should than be called "b". Now to get realy speculative: A reason why it is a and b and not 1 and 2 is in my opinion, that you already calling the controllers pluged into the console controller 1 and 2. so for example in the directions you would need to label buttons as controller 1 button 1. that would be more confusing to a consumer than controller 1 button a. by the way, i cant realy find any conclusion on why nintendo labels there second set of button y and x. maybe just because it is an normal descriptor in mathmatics (graphs x than y than z) and they wanted them not to feel like they are in one group with button a and b. But after all we do not have any conclusive answer so think of it what you want.

Michael Irwin

Worked for me. I found it interesting for sure. I was also fun to see the stuff I grew up on getting talked about.

Lextorias

lol

Max Goldstein

Thanks for helping with documents some small piece of video game history. Also, I didn’t know that the Famicon and the NES were the same machine until I looked it up after watching.