Unusual controllers

[Goafer]

It does bug me when people describe pads as being left or right handed though, that's like saying a book's got handedness.

 

True, but a book doesn't need any sort of precision. Are you left or right handed? If you're right handed, try switching a FPS to southpaw (sticks swapped) and try aiming with your left hand. That's what it's like for lefties to play "right handed". There's definately a difference. I'll never be able to aim with my right thumb as well as I do with my left no matter how much practice I get (I'm a lefty).

 

FPS games are geared towards right handed people (right stick controls aiming, which requires more precision than movement normally), although there are southpaw controls on most shooters, but most other games are geared towards left handed people because of the controller (left analogue stick normally controlling the thing that requires most precision. Steering, platforming etc).

[Emasher]

Don't you just get used to the controllers though? I mean, some games do have some aiming with the left hand, and I've never really had trouble with them (I'm right handed).

[Pookiablo]

True, but a book doesn't need any sort of precision. Are you left or right handed? If you're right handed, try switching a FPS to southpaw (sticks swapped) and try aiming with your left hand. That's what it's like for lefties to play "right handed". There's definately a difference. I'll never be able to aim with my right thumb as well as I do with my left no matter how much practice I get (I'm a lefty).

 

FPS games are geared towards right handed people (right stick controls aiming, which requires more precision than movement normally), although there are southpaw controls on most shooters, but most other games are geared towards left handed people because of the controller (left analogue stick normally controlling the thing that requires most precision. Steering, platforming etc).

 

Don't quite agree here, I'm a lefty and I play (on current gen controllers as well as N64) right-handedly. I think it's more a case of what you're used to - personally I've never thought, "hmm, I need this controller to be the other way round".

 

So I'd be more inclined to agree with Rummy but I certainly see where you're coming from

[Cube]

True, but a book doesn't need any sort of precision. Are you left or right handed? If you're right handed, try switching a FPS to southpaw (sticks swapped) and try aiming with your left hand. That's what it's like for lefties to play "right handed". There's definately a difference. I'll never be able to aim with my right thumb as well as I do with my left no matter how much practice I get (I'm a lefty).

 

I'm a lefty but I could never play using southpaw.

[Kirkatronics]

Don't you just get used to the controllers though? I mean, some games do have some aiming with the left hand, and I've never really had trouble with them (I'm right handed).

 

I'm a lefty but I could never play using southpaw.

Its not really to do with which hand you write with, its what your used to.

If you played shooting games with the default controlls, your going to be as alianted as anyone who has to change.

[Nolan]

Next up on control debate, Inverted (Bleh XP) or Normal() verticle controls?

[Dyson]

Normal all the way <3

 

Also, I'm a lefty and use the controller normally but only because it's what I grew up with. Single D-Pads for movement in the Mega Drive days meant I got used to precision and looking with my right when dual analogues eventually hit the scene. But with the DS I still use the left handed mode wherever possible, and on my PC the mouse is generally on the left for me with my keyboard on the right.

[Emasher]

Normal for FPS games.

 

Inverted for OTS games.

[Nolan]

I'm ambidextrous when it comes to the mouse on the PC. I just go with default controls on console.

[Goafer]

The first FPS I played on a console was Quake 3 Arena on the DC. It forced the player to use Southpaw since A,B,X and Y were movement and the stick aimed. I guess it was so you could have the only analogue stick do the aiming. Luckily that was right for me, since no matter how hard I try, I can never get good at "righty" controls.

 

A handy site to see if a game supports southpaw and legacy controls Here

[Pookiablo]

Normal all the way <3

 

What the...I used to think you were cool!

 

Inverted is the true way to play...

[Kirkatronics]

What the...I used to think you were cool!

 

Inverted is the true way to play...

What?

Down to go up? Makes no sense!

[Dyson]

What the...I used to think you were cool!

 

Inverted is the true way to play...

Yeesh no, it's horrible The only time I can appreciate and successfully use inverted controls is for flying or diving sections in games. But aiming and driving? You've gotta be crazy!

 

What?

Down to go up? Makes no sense!

 

Essentially this

[nekunando]

For N64 games (such as Goldeneye and Perfect Dark) I like C-Down to 'Look Up' and C-Up to 'Look Down' ..with C-Left and C-Right to Strafe

 

In the early Gamecube days, I took this approach into Timesplitters 2 and it worked for me.. but then I played a few games which forced you to use the C-Stick to look around, so inverted controls for that just was not natural and now I find that I have to play Timesplitters 2 (and other shooters with dual-analogue) where looking up and down is not inverted.. unfortunately, I went through a period where I felt I couldn't get any accuracy with either method as I was constantly getting messed up between them..

 

When I go back to the N64, though, I can always drop straight into playing with the controls I always used, and it feels natural

 

Another point, though, is that games where you aim with the left analogue stick (such as Lylat Wars on the N64 or Resident Evil 4 on the Gamecube) it has to be inverted..

 

What annoys me, though, is when some games don't give you the option and it forces you to play it a certain way.. that ends up making me muddled up when I go to play ither games as I have to get used to different ways..

[Goafer]

For N64 games (such as Goldeneye and Perfect Dark) I like C-Down to 'Look Up' and C-Up to 'Look Down' ..with C-Left and C-Right to Strafe

 

Thats legacy controls I think.

[Happenstance]

Its weird, I used to only use inverted controls, then one day out of the blue they just didnt feel right anymore and I couldnt use them so im back to normal now.

[nekunando]

Thats legacy controls I think.

 

I don't have a clue what 'Legacy' is ..all I know is, it is the default setting on Goldeneye and Perfect Dark and it feels annoying to have to use different control methods for Turok, Duke Nukem and Quake because none of those feel natural to me

[Emasher]

What?

Down to go up? Makes no sense!

 

You tilt the stick the same way you would tilt the gun.

[Roostophe]

I've never had a problem with controls being lefty or righty or anything like that, ever. It's just never been a problem to me.

(I'm cross-dominant, as the term goes.)

[Kirkatronics]

You tilt the stick the same way you would tilt the gun.

It still feels wrong, very wrong.

[Nolan]

You tilt the stick the same way you would tilt the gun.

 

Wait what? That doesn't sound right. The way I fire a rifle is with the Butt square against my shoulder. To aim down I'd lower my left hand which would lower the barrel, not raise my shoulder.

[McPhee]

A handy site to see if a game supports southpaw and legacy controls Here

 

That site is why i trained myself off of Southpaw controls. Got used to them in the N64 days but it severely restricts your games choice. While i don't find conventional as accurate in terms of aiming i do find movement a lot faster. Same goes for PC, i've always used my right hand for the mouse because when i was young i only had access to mice moulded for the right hand. Apparently it's obvious when people watch me play FPS games, i can't aim to save my life but i dance around like a breakdancing hobo desperate for a "coffee"!

[Nolan]

Are you talking about on PC FPS or Console FPS? Or Both?

[Pookiablo]

It's like when you fly a plane, you pull back on the stick to go upwards. As Nando has mentioned in some detail, I imagine it's the N64 that has made me the way I am. It makes a ton of sense though!

[Rummy]

Wait what? That doesn't sound right. The way I fire a rifle is with the Butt square against my shoulder. To aim down I'd lower my left hand which would lower the barrel, not raise my shoulder.

 

I believe that is the point, if you take the equilibrium/pivots of such a situation, you would be rotating anticlockwise/tiilting upwards in relation to the pivot, which gives rise to the logic of such controls.

 

 

As for why I've always considered pads to have no handedness(and yes ive realised it's arguably been countered already since in this thread) is due to the lack of option on controls. If a control style is forced on a player, they have no other choice, were there some previously agreed industry standard for certain games/styles, we'd have none of this silly silllyness in which we are currently engaged. I absolutely refuse and find it hard to believe how any non symetrical system can have a handedness. Exempli gratiia Zelda on nes, snes, n64 and gamecube.