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Forums - Gaming Discussion - Symmetrical or asymmetrical analogue sticks?

 

I prefer...

Symmetrical 46 45.54%
 
Asymmetrical 55 54.46%
 
Total:101
curl-6 on 20 July 2020
Manlytears said:

Symmetrical (Dual Shock Style),  and I sincerely believe that the asymmetric model is inferior since it prevents a better access to all buttons. As a big fan of using "claw grip" mixed with "common grip" I find that accessing the D-pad with the index finger ( see the figure) is very convenient, and for that reason I really feel that asymmetric controls don't work for me. Games like Dark souls, Devil may cry, Nioh, Monster Hunter, etc. claw grip really does make a difference for me, so I consider symmetrical analog controls (in Dual shock configuration) to be unreservedly superior.

That looks incredibly uncomfortable to do for extended periods.

Personally I just move my right thumb between the stick and the buttons, it's never been a problem, as games are designed with this in mind.

Last edited by curl-6 - on 20 July 2020

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Manlytears on 20 July 2020
GrahfsLament said:

I, too, have to go with symmetrical sticks, specifically the DualShock layout (as opposed to the Wii U Pro Controller). My thumbs naturally rest in the place of the DualShock's analog sticks (1-3 more than 4). The asymmetrical sticks of the Xbox's Controller S (can't speak for the Duke), 360 controller, and the One controller all hurt my wrists (mostly my left, but somewhat my right as well) something fierce, while the GameCube controller just hurt my hands generally. I can say that, despite the original Xbox being my favorite system of its generation, I actually had to hook up a DualShock 1 (not 2 because all face buttons were analog on the DualShock 2) to my original Xbox with an adapter in order to beat the last boss in Ninja Gaiden Black on the hardest difficulty. I ended up buying a similar adapter for my GameCube and never went back after that. I can't really speak to any other asymmetrical layouts off the top of my head.

I'll also add that though my thumbs naturally rest on the DualShock's sticks, I still use my thumbs to push the D-Pad and face buttons. Manlytears's photo reminds me of playing Monster Hunter Freedom Unite on the PlayStation Portable :D. It can definitely be effective, but I personally was thrilled when I was able to download MHFU to my Vita and use that second analog stick instead.


On a note, i think this game is one of the first games that made me use claw grip whit great results, truly a classic.



Ljink96 on 20 July 2020

Asymmetrical. The Gamecube/Melee did this to me. I also just like having my analog stick where the d-pad used to be on older hardware because of how games have evolved and have the d-pad on the bottom for the odd game here or there that uses retro style controls.



Alex_The_Hedgehog on 20 July 2020

Well, I used a DualShock 2 for a long time without any problems regarding the position of the analog sticks. However, last year, I got a Xbox 360 controller. I thought I would have problems with the analog, but it was really confortable too.

So, it really doesn't matter to me.



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GrahfsLament on 20 July 2020
Manlytears said:
GrahfsLament said:
--


On a note, i think this game is one of the first games that made me use claw grip whit great results, truly a classic.

Haha. That .gif definitely made me chuckle.

I truly love my PSP, but I don't think it loves me (or my wrists) back quite as much. It was, perhaps, not Sony's most ergonomically accommodating layout...I would be telling a complete and utter lie if I said that I did not immediately jump at the opportunity to play through Resistance: Retribution using a DualShock 3.



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PlayStation 4: PlayStation 3: PlayStation Portable: PlayStation Vita:
Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (Raid Mode) Tokyo Jungle Valkyria Chronicles III

Soul Sacrifice: Delta
Transistor (Platinum run) Doom 3: BFG Edition PC:

Natural Doctrine
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Manlytears on 20 July 2020
curl-6 said:
Manlytears said:

Symmetrical (Dual Shock Style),  and I sincerely believe that the asymmetric model is inferior since it prevents a better access to all buttons. As a big fan of using "claw grip" mixed with "common grip" I find that accessing the D-pad with the index finger ( see the figure) is very convenient, and for that reason I really feel that asymmetric controls don't work for me. Games like Dark souls, Devil may cry, Nioh, Monster Hunter, etc. claw grip really does make a difference for me, so I consider symmetrical analog controls (in Dual shock configuration) to be unreservedly superior.

That looks incredibly uncomfortable to do for extended periods.

Personally I just move my right thumb between the stick and the buttons, it's never been a problem, as games are designed with this in mind.

Honestly it never caused me pain or discomfort. As I said, I use a mix of "standard" grip and "claw" grip and i never had any problems. Making the switch between "claw" and "standard" is something extremely simple and natural (it's just a simple movement of your index finger that goes from L1 to D-pad), I play for hours without any kind of problem.



curl-6 on 20 July 2020
Manlytears said:
curl-6 said:

That looks incredibly uncomfortable to do for extended periods.

Personally I just move my right thumb between the stick and the buttons, it's never been a problem, as games are designed with this in mind.

Honestly it never caused me pain or discomfort. As I said, I use a mix of "standard" grip and "claw" grip and i never had any problems. Making the switch between "claw" and "standard" is something extremely simple and natural (it's just a simple movement of your index finger that goes from L1 to D-pad), I play for hours without any kind of problem.

I couldn't do it; just tried it with my PS3 and Xbox 360 controllers and it got uncomfortable for me in under a minute.

Plus I can't think of a single game where I'd need to anyway.



Manlytears on 20 July 2020
curl-6 said:
Manlytears said:

Honestly it never caused me pain or discomfort. As I said, I use a mix of "standard" grip and "claw" grip and i never had any problems. Making the switch between "claw" and "standard" is something extremely simple and natural (it's just a simple movement of your index finger that goes from L1 to D-pad), I play for hours without any kind of problem.

I couldn't do it; just tried it with my PS3 and Xbox 360 controllers and it got uncomfortable for me in under a minute.

Plus I can't think of a single game where I'd need to anyway.
okay, something that works for me may not work for you, there’s no single answer here, it’s a matter of preference. Also, did you try with a Xbox360 controller!?? Like "Xclaw"? "Xclaw" is extremely different and, Imho, truly strange since you use the index on the analog and the transition between "Standard" and "xclaw" is quite awkward and inaccurate.

Just look, it just feels wrong to me using index on Analog stick:


About games that can make good use of claw grip. I mentioned some, and i even posted a video showing the use of claw grip in Devil May Cry, should I assume that you are not a familiar whit any of the games i mentioned? Dark souls, boodborne, Horizon zero dawn, Monster Hunter, Devil May Cry, Nioh, prety much any game that uses D-pad to select itens/weapons/skills...



VAMatt on 20 July 2020

I own and play all major platforms, all with their standard controllers. I have no real preference on analog stick layout for most applications. However, I do much prefer offset sticks for shooters. Consequently, I play most shooters on XB. That could be causing a self fulfilling situation though, where I'm used to offset sticks because I use them a lot, so I keep using them because that's what I'm used to.

On a somewhat related note, I have very little trouble going back and forth between controllers, in terms of analog stick use. My problem is confusing the button locations. I wish that they all had different naming schemes for their buttons, so that I would have one less confusion causing factor to worry about.



Zkuq on 20 July 2020
NightlyPoe said:
Zkuq said:
Symmetrical, just like my hands.

Same answer as SvennoJ that gets the ergonomics backwards.  Your symmetrical hands want the Analog stick in the default position and don't care about the aesthetics or glibness.  What you are saying is that you'd prefer to stretch your finger constantly for an analog stick based on a completely unimportant aesthetic factor.

Uh, no. Otherwise I would want both sticks to be in your so-called 'default' position, which I certainly don't want.

More importantly though, I would have to change my grip on the whole controller for this so-called 'default' position to feel natural. I just checked, and with my grip, my thumbs are roughly at rest somewhere between the 'default' position and the 'DualShock' position, but definitely closer to the DS position. It's a little bit of a stretch to get my thumb to the DS4 analog stick, but it's way better than moving my thumb too close to my index finger where I have less control over my thumb. Your mileage may vary, but for my grip, symmetrical is way better.