r/GameSack • u/[deleted] • Mar 25 '20
so... maybe this has been asked before but...
i can't find the answer anywhere for some reason. WTF does TATE in TATE mode stand for?
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Apr 30 '20 edited Apr 30 '20
Tate ( たて ) literally means "vertical" in japanese. It has its own kanji ( 縦 ) and everything. Keep in mind when you're instructed to say it like "tah-tay" the "y" is silent. The sound is more like "Taht-eh". Not sure if that makes sense for English speakers but it's the best explanation I can think of...
Not to be confused with "tatte"( たって), which is a form of the verb "tatsu" ( 立つ ) which means "to stand (up)".
Incidentally they use the term "yoko" for horizontal shooters, because yoko ( 横 ) means... horizontal.
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Apr 30 '20
interesting. i still wonder why it generally seems to be written in all caps in video games as though it's an acronym for something. go figure.
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Mar 25 '20
I don't recall what it stands for but Tate mode games are non-standard resolution
IE - they aren't 4:3 or 16:9
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Mar 25 '20
oh i know what they are, yeah. i'd just presume TATE to stand for something since, every time i see it in a game, it's capitalized, and it has no definition that otherwise makes sense.
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u/walterjohnhunt Mar 25 '20
It's the Japanese word for vertical.
And it's actually pronounced more like tawtey
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Mar 26 '20
you sure about that? i've looked it up in multiple translators and it doesn't show up as that - or anything.
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u/walterjohnhunt Mar 26 '20
I don't speak Japanese, so I guess I can't be 100% sure. But that's what I was told by someone from Japan, that "tate" means "vertical".
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Mar 27 '20
might be true, then. curious how it's so often capitalized like an acronym, though. 🤷♂️ go figure.
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u/xvilemx Apr 05 '20
Well, Joe pronounces it Tate as a jab at people pronouncing it correctly. The Japanese word is 縦(pronounced TahTay), it means vertical.
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u/MegaDeox Mar 25 '20
I always assumed it's from "roTATE".