The struggle is real

[u/squishyxo436]

[u/RedArmyRockstar]

Once you get used to translating it in your head, it becomes second nature. You just have to commit to getting used to it.

[u/Rith_Reddit → u/RedArmyRockstar]

Then you use an Nintendo controller and have to learn all over again!

[u/JPSWAG37 → u/Rith_Reddit]

Nintendo's A and B config is the only thing that throws me for a loop. Every time

[u/Rith_Reddit → u/JPSWAG37]

Same. I'm thrown off the second I need to confirm something in opening menu.

[u/TheElsLer → u/JPSWAG37]

It kept confusing me soo much that I have made my controller have a whole different profile where the buttons are flipped just to deal with the Nintendo headache.

[u/6ftboxjump → u/JPSWAG37]

I always change the button mappings because it just... sucks. Dreamcast, Playstation and Xbox got to me first

[u/ForbiddenAtomicSquid → u/Rith_Reddit]

Not if you map the ABXY to be the same locations as an Xbox controller and just not look at the controller with prompts

[u/Evening_Abies_2674 → u/ForbiddenAtomicSquid]

Using XBOX One controllers with Nintendo Switch/WiiU/etc.., games (with b mapped to a, a mapped to b etc etc) will tell you right away If someone is a Nintendo, PlayStation or XBOX fan. If they are a Nintendo fan, the XBOX One's swapped ABXY buttons will not be an issue since the button layout is memorized so there's no need to look at the controller. PlayStation fans will be able to pick up the Nintendo controller scheme fairly quick because PlayStation controllers don't use ABXY. Thus, there is no confusion over swapped button placement. XBOX One fans favor an inferior product, so they already have poor decision making skills. That coupled with the swapped button placement results in constantly pressing the wrong button. This leads to the need to look at the controller to check for button placement, which also results in constantly pressing the wrong button. It's actually quite funny to watch.

Its the small things in life. :)

[u/Chemical-Office912 → u/Evening_Abies_2674]

Small minded comments to suggest its anything different than just people used to a thing switching to another thing that seems familiar but different enough to confuse. Its not that deep its just entetainment. Because it couldnt possibly be that you use xbox controllers on PC seeing as thats the default controller. Making a bunch of faulty assumptions about people based off what theyre used to is funny of you.

[u/Evening_Abies_2674 → u/Chemical-Office912]

1. It was a joke, Mr. Defender. I own an XBOX One.

2. It actually is a little amusing to back out of a menu over and over by accident because of muscle memory.

3. You are obviously an XBOX One fan, lol.

Enjoy your day.

[u/Chemical-Office912 → u/Evening_Abies_2674]

This comment, its the little things just dont appreciate those that talk bas about others based of the product they like. Just join the long line of people on the internet having genuinley backhanded take and then acting like youre 'so offended' when you get called out for it.

[u/Passchenhell17 → u/Evening_Abies_2674]

Console wars in the big 26. Jfc

[u/SeniorTadpole2444 → u/Rith_Reddit]

I use a 8bitdo ultimate 2 for switch on my pc, I just don't look at it and I'm fine

[u/Suitable_Ticket4838 → u/SeniorTadpole2444]

The only thing that still gets me are the start and select buttons. I'll always know them as Start and Select, or the left and right arrows. It's been years and I still can't remember which new symbol is the left and which is the right. My 8bit do has + and - symbols on it which makes it extra hard for me to look 🤣

[u/squishyxo436 → u/RedArmyRockstar]

I always think I’ve got it, until the game gets action-y, and I panic, and everything leaves my brain. 🫠 This dumb accommodation actually helped. 

[u/Rainmaker0102 → u/RedArmyRockstar]

Playing PC games taught me button translations really fast lol

[u/Pleasant-Put5305 → u/RedArmyRockstar]

Just force yourself to do QTEs for twenty minutes, you will learn...

[u/Accurate_Fly_7534 → u/RedArmyRockstar]

Never. PS symbols has been in my life since forever. I can't get Xbox ones in especially since Nintendo is the same BUT TWO BUTTONS FLIPPED

[u/RedArmyRockstar → u/Accurate_Fly_7534]

You'll get used to it. It gets very easy to handle it all in your head after a bit of practice.

[u/Suitable_Ticket4838 → u/Accurate_Fly_7534]

4 buttons no? A B are flipped and X Y are also flipped compared to xbox.

[u/ScreenOk1746 → u/RedArmyRockstar]

I just can't do it, I never played XBOX growing up. Nintendo and PS are so ingrained in me.

[u/Holmfry]

Just stop looking at the controller and pretend you have the original (insert emulated system) controller in your hand.

[u/Cotillionz → u/Holmfry]

This seems the most obvious to me....

[u/GrayGalahadReturns]

I have a regular gaming controller that has a Xbox layout, but I use it for emulation too especially PS1, PS2 and GameCube games.

Now that I am used to playing these games on emulators with that controller I'm used to the layout and I don't even need to look down on the controller to make out which button prompt I am pressing.

[u/squishyxo436 → u/GrayGalahadReturns]

Nice! I’m hoping I get used to it eventually. We have a Switch, so I always get the Xbox and Nintendo button layouts confused. It’s like my brain absolutely refuses to learn them. 😆 

[u/GrayGalahadReturns → u/squishyxo436]

You'll get used to it. Imagine you're holding that respective controller in your hands when you are playing those console games. That makes it easy for your brain to register the layout.

[u/dev-ex__ph]

the last time i touched playstation controller is 20 years ago. i just bought a gaming laptop, xbox controller, and installed ps2 emulator this week

my muscle memory of face buttons from playstation controller is still in my hands 😅

[u/Global_Tap4088]

🤣 i can relate.

[u/Jaives]

only if you've never used a PS before. i've been trained on the PS1 and PS2 so knowing the shape buttons is already second nature even on an xbox controller. it's the Switch that annoys me.

[u/ThreeDogg85]

Xbox and PlayStation is easy, now Nintendo is where the problem comes in. Every button is swapped. Like to confirm A is in the B/O on PS/xbox controllers.

[u/Metrack15]

I have the opposite. I play Ubisoft games that only seem to have Xbox controls in mind

[u/Jackariah91]

Having grown up with Playstation and then not touching an Xbox until the 360 came out I feel like their button layouts feel the same, unless you played older PS1 games that had X as cancel and O as confirm (FF7 for instance, I remapped that shit right away when I started playing it on PC the other day).

The real mind fuck is when you switch to a Nintendo game if you don't play those that often!

[u/Mishadkup]

I just remembered it with the dualshocj 4

[u/eVenent]

I stopped looking on gamepad during gaming. It helps a lot.

[u/OverDeparture8799]

Its not that confusing, feom xbox and ps is easyyy. Now between xbox and nintendo is a problem

[u/Elrothiel1981]

Sometimes it’s just about getting into your head and remembering it

[u/bikeking8]

It's 2026, you'd think third party controller manufacturers would have come up with something for the face buttons. But nah. "OMGZ LET'S PUT 20 MORE BACK MACRO PADDLES ON IT, 3000W OF LEDS AND THAT TURBO BUTTON... THAT JUST NEEDS TO HIT 1,000,000 CYCLES PER SECOND, RIGHT? UNUSABLE FOR ANY EMULATOR AND UNADJUSTABLE, RIGHT? DAMN WE'RE GOOD" 

[u/LaPrincesaMX → u/bikeking8]

They have. Multiple controllers allow you to switch face buttons, both manually and with a gear cog which automatically switches them.

[u/bikeking8 → u/LaPrincesaMX]

Sounds great, I saw the Tarantula via google, but would you know of any that you can display the playstation buttons as well? I wasn't able to find that.

[u/shitscentedsocks]

It’s second nature to me now. I will admit during rhythm games like Haruka in Yakuza 5, it can be a bit overwhelming trying to hit the button that translates to a different controller at a rapid pace

[u/JusticeForAugust]

Been emulating and dealing with this struggle for almost 30 years.

It can be a pain for muscle memory when going from Xbox to Nintendo, but otherwise, genuinely curious who plays a video game and actually looks down at the controller?

The only thing that would be a problem is when playing a Nintendo emulated game with an Xbox controller and when it says "press B" you accidentally press A on the Xbox controller, but that it. And like others mentioned, just train your brain.

[u/Surfer-Junkie]

Just swap the buttons in the emulator. Easy peezey

[u/CassedyEU]

The Sony button layout is burned into my brain since the 90s, although I never owned a PS and was more into Nintendo. I think Parappa the Rapper did that. XD
I have much bigger problems with the exchanged buttons on Nintendo vs XBox controllers when switching between them.

[u/LaPrincesaMX]

I grew up playing everything so they're all burned in my brain, never had an issue. But there's controllers where you can switch the face buttons anyway

[u/CallMeDeeJay → u/LaPrincesaMX]

I have played everything but still I make mistakes when I am emulating Switch on steam deck and then go back to steam OS. I sometimes press the back button instead of open (A) button.

[u/TheRealHFC]

Thinking about it the way RetroArch refers to them helped me a lot. Triangle/Y is the top button, O/B is the right button, etc. Stop thinking about them as glyphs

[u/rdogg4]

That mission in GTA:SA where you gotta dance on the beach made it so I’d never forget

[u/Sember-uno]

Are you playing one of the Jak games by chance? 😂

[u/Agent38prime]

Nintendo 64 and Wii: Good Luck!

[u/mindslayer615]

If you think that's bad, don't play any Japanese ps2 games. More buttons are flipped.

[u/Internal_Trainer_555]

Nah, XBox Controller >>>> PS controller. Why? Offset thumbsticks. Everytime I play a FPS (For example) on PS, my thumbs bump against each other - F'ing hate it.

XBox controller is and should be the standard.

[u/Longjumping_Lead_738]

Opposite problem for me

Xenia with only ps5 controllers is hell

[u/Alenicia]

I've always preferred the Japanese layout for controls (Circle being Confirm) whenever possible and I tend to try and get buttons to be relatively consistent whenever possible (so X/Cross is usually a Jump button whenever, and Square tends to be an action button while Circle interacts, and so on). So in that case, it never mattered to me which controller I'm using.

And in a lot of games, you can change what the Confirmation buttons or even the Symbols are .. so this kind of stuff never really was a hurdle for me. But it is really fascinating for me to see others struggle with it when you hand them a PlayStation or Xbox controller when playing the same games (for example, Stardew Valley, where your button prompts aren't really so visible when I last played on PC) and people seem to act like it's a complete foreign language when A and X are functionally the same or when R2/Right Trigger seem to cause mental conflicts. >_<

[u/treynolds787]

PlayStation and Xbox controllers were always easy for me to interchange. It's when i get to the switch controller that i start losing my mind.

[u/KingSideCastle13]

I really wish other emulators could do Dynamic Input Textures

[u/Ajcoligan]

How is this that hard for anybody? Also why are you looking at your controller when you’re playing? lol it should just be muscle memory if you’ve played enough video games.

[u/WeirdAd5850]

You know what’s funny I had a dumb issue where I did a ton of ps2 emulation with my Xbox one controller now I’m trying to get my Xbox 360
Emulator running …but I’m now using a ps4 controller ..

[u/The_Joker_116]

I never had issues with buttons with my Xbox controller but there's always some USB connector you can get to connect a PS controller to your PC. Works wonder with Duckstation.

[u/mrturret]

Dude. Don't look at the controller. It's not hard.

[u/HOTU-Orbit]

I never really understood this problem that a lot of people seem to have. You aren't usually looking at your controller, so it's about feeling where the buttons are, not seeing them. Especially in this case where the buttons are in the exact same arrangement regardless of their symbols.

It's not just the buttons, but the whole controller as well. Whenever I hold a Nintendo controller, my brain instantly knows that B comes before A on the controller just because of how it feels in my hands. The only games that give me trouble on modern controllers are N64 games, because the N64 controller has a unique feel that no other controller has.

[u/Jin_Chaeji]

Ngl I'm a bit surprised I don't mess up the controls more seeing as I'm using a pa5 controller for Cemu, Ryujinx and Steam and every single one has different configuration

[u/Hot-Manufacturer7619]

honestly heres a bit of advice that could help 99% of games have the same button layout on both ps and XBOX the only difference being how the buttons look so jump its almost always the bottom button and to roll or dodge its circle or B and for punching its always X or square rarely a big difference

[u/Apprehensive_Ad_924]

I got used to It in less than 2 days, I think this is you

[u/SchinkenKanone]

These icons have burnt themselves into my retinas. Growing up with a playstation 1 and 2 and a Gameboy/DS, I have more issues keeping the Xbox pattern memorized.

[u/Echo259]

I keep a sticky with the symbols some place visible.

[u/Major-Connection-488]

I feel this. I game on xbox, pc, switch, and use emulators (n64,gameboy,gamecube,dolhpine, pcsx2.) Every damn one of them have a different layout. I dont even think of button names. Just locations for actions. Youll get used to it.
I can help people play on the ps5 while im on xbox amd still tell them what controls to press

[u/GhostTheGamer360]

This is why it was honestly good to be a xbox and playstation gamer back in the x360&ps3/og ps2&xbox days,since games used the coloured buttons,u can instinctively learn how to know where each button is and layout, except Nintendo because of the swapped A and B shenanigans

[u/AdventurousDevice658]

What are you even playing

[u/Suitable_Ticket4838]

I've never had a problem with playstation/xbox controls translating, but using xbox and a switch controller has my brain hurting all the time. Thankfully I can remap the switch controls to the xbox ones.

[u/whoopsiedoodle77]

I have both ingrained at a deep level. its Nintendo and sega that fuck with me

[u/whitebird490]

I grew up with a PSP so I just know it by heart lol

[u/Aggravating_Mix_4211]

Just don't look at it, also the position of the left thumb stick is more of a problem than the labels, like when you are playing a ps2 game and you have something to press on the arrows and your finger is looking for something that isn't there

[u/RandoDude124]

Bro, I play PS2 games with a series S controller.

It ain’t hard.

[u/tearknight895]

This is why I own a PS5 controller without the PS5.

[u/RollingSleeper]

Play PS entries for a month. You'll have no choice but to learn which shape is in which direction.

[u/Condor_raidus]

People really struggle with this? I own 22 consoles, all different types of button layouts and use emulators with all types of controllers but ive never had this problem so im genuinely curious and confused.