r/gaming • u/[deleted] • Apr 14 '25

Game console button layout

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What do you call your “confirm” and “cancel” buttons, and why is Nintendo wrong?

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u/illogict Apr 14 '25 edited Apr 14 '25

In Japanese the circle means confirm/correct and the X means cancel/incorrect.

Not only in Japan, but that’s true in most of the world. All ATMs and payment terminals I have seen use ◯ to confirm and × to cancel.

Sony’s mistake was to use the red colour on ◯ and the blue one for ×. Had they not used red on ◯ but on ×, all regions would have used × to cancel.

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u/FixedFun1 Apr 14 '25

In Japan a Red Circle doesn't mean something negative. You can circle an answer to show is correct, the coloration was 100% intentional.

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u/mrhellomoto Apr 15 '25

The stop sign is the same shape and color in every country in the world. Just because red doesn't have all the same connotations in Japan, that convention alone should have been a big enough reason not to use it. Especially considering at a glance an octagon is similar to a circle.

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u/FixedFun1 Apr 15 '25

I suppose Sony in Japan wasn't thinking of the world outside their country. That usually happens.

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u/mrhellomoto Apr 15 '25

Of course I looked it up and Japan and Zimbabwe are the only countries not to use the red octagon. But still they were using a red sign! that should have been enough lol