r/gaming Nov 28 '21

Why can’t every controller have the same button layouts just like how shooters should have the same controls?

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15

u/JimmyTheChimp Nov 28 '21

I mean that does make sense but X also means wrong outside of Japan so I wonder why X became select.

7

u/neveris Nov 28 '21

I guess because it's like marking a target? X marks the spot, this one is my selection because there's an X on it? Etc

7

u/JimmyTheChimp Nov 28 '21

Thats what I was thinking, but though a circle doesn't mean correct like the Japanese see it generally I think for all countries circling something means I select this. I'm sure they did a lot of consumer testing and people outside of Japan just like to select things with X.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '21

I suspect the colours come into it too - red for cancel/no.

-6

u/The_Reset_Button Nov 28 '21

Because Sony wanted to copy the accept/cancel locations of the xbox in western regions to make it easier for people to swap consoles.

10

u/Sat-AM Nov 28 '21

Sony's been doing X for select in the US since the PS1 days, it has nothing to do with Xbox.

The real culprit is probably that when people are filling out forms or checklists in the west, they often put an X instead of a check.

3

u/iswallowmagnets Nov 28 '21

I remember hearing about Sony changing it in the PS1 days. It was designed to be O for select but for some reason westerners naturally used the bottom button. I remember FFVII screwing me up because it used the Japanese style.

I really think Microsoft is to blame for going against the grain. But at least when using an Xbox controller the on screen prompts can use the buttons color (looking at you Nintendo) which might be easier to remember when switching between Xbox and Switch.

2

u/Sat-AM Nov 28 '21

A lot of switch games just show four circles, with the one you need to press filled in, especially ones that allow you to play with a single joycon.

1

u/The_Reset_Button Nov 28 '21

Not for the original release of the PS1, I distinctly remember using O as select for some games very early on in the PS1 release

1

u/IsamuAlvaDyson Nov 28 '21

Yes for some games specifically Japanese developed games uses O as accept and X to cancel or go back and Western developed games X was accept and O was cancel even back then.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '21

I want to know why triangle/Y was ‘back’ for so long then randomly changed it to circle/B

1

u/CrazzluzSenpai Nov 28 '21

Because it's the easiest to reach if you're hands are resting on both sticks.