In the magazine business, the Back Page is where you'd find all the weird goofs that we couldn't fit in anywhere else. Some may call it "filler"; we prefer "a whole page to make terrible jokes that are tangentially related to the content of the mag".
We don't have (paper) pages on the internet, but we still love terrible jokes — so welcome to our semi-regular feature, Back Page. Today, Kate muses on what your favourite button on the Joy-Con means about who you are as a person...
As I write this, it's a Friday afternoon, nothing much is going on in the world of video game news, and I'm feeling like I want to start an entirely meaningless fight.
So, I ask you, dear readers: Which button on the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller and/or Joy-Con is the best one? You may not think you have an opinion... But hopefully I can convince you otherwise, and also tell you what your personal favourite says about you.
Press any button to continue.
The A Button
Oh, she's a classic. Everyone loves the A button, and it's not exactly surprising: She is action, she is movement, she is agency. She examines everything, perceiving every minute detail. She is the connection to others, the "yes, and" in a conversation, the tender hand reaching out to form bonds with others. She is the main character. She is you.
However, with a button that is basically the Beyoncé (A-yoncé?) of the controller world, there's plenty to dislike, too. I mean, let's talk about that placement — sure, Nintendo pioneered the A-on-the-right style, while Xbox and PlayStation moved it down to the bottom, but that doesn't mean they should stubbornly stick to it. The way we naturally hold controllers places our thumbs over the bottom button on the right, so it really should be the most-used button and not the button that exits things. I'm just sayin'.
If your favourite button is the A button, that's okay — it doesn't make you boring or vain. It just means that you like to go with the flow, to take the path of least resistance. You're most likely an easy-going, likeable person, even if you aren't particularly unique, but again, that's fine. The world needs main characters.
The B Button
The foil to the A button, B is all about negating, refusing, evading, and retreating. It is the cautious button, the "perhaps I didn't get all the treasures in this area" button, the one that checks their pockets every time they leave the house just in case they forgot their keys. Saying "no" to things all the time can be a sign of anxiety or doubt, but oftentimes it is a sign of wisdom, too: The wisdom to know that you can never be certain of anything.
But again, why is the B button at the bottom? Surely, surely it should be on the right. Perhaps Nintendo's insistence that B is the most prominent of the face buttons says something about their business strategy: To always be over-cautious, to never rush into things, and to stick to the safest options. I'm sure I could write an entire over-wrought essay about it, although I probably shouldn't.
If your pick of the buttons is the B button, you might be a contrarian, always playing devil's advocate in conversations, but you could also just be a gentle soul who is always willing to gather more evidence before making decisions. Perhaps you could learn a lesson from the happy-go-lucky A button, or perhaps they should take a page out of your book instead.
The Y Button
An underrated gem, the Y button is as far from A as you can alphabetically get on a modern Switch controller (if you're not counting the triggers as Z buttons, I guess). That doesn't mean much, of course, it's just a fun fact. The Y button is a jack-of-all-trades, a "use item!" button for things that are not quite as important as, say, running, jumping, and talking.
In massive RPGs, Y will often give you access to specific tools, like bug nets, guns, and what have you — but in smaller games with fewer things to do, Y is often relegated to simpler duties, like opening menus and maps. A and B have strong identities, but Y's brand is a little harder to nail down.
Which makes you, dear Y-enjoyer, a bit of a people-pleaser. You're willing to be whatever you think people want you to be, or whatever suits the mood best, which means that you perhaps don't have a super-strong idea of who you are. Don't do yourself a disservice — you're capable of great things, a variety of things, more nuanced things than the As and Bs of the world. That's your strength!
The X Button
X gets lumped in with Y a lot, and that's understandable — they're often interchangeable in terms of whether they're used for maps or tools or whatever. But X is at the very top, supplanted only by the plus button, which is far more low-key. X is king of the face buttons, even if he doesn't have the most to do, or the most to say... and of all the buttons, he's the only one that appears on all three major platforms' controllers. He is the patient one, the uniter, the peace-maker. He also, let's face it, looks the coolest.
But what does he do? If you were challenged at gunpoint to sum up the X button in three words, you might struggle (and also ask why someone is asking you this question at gunpoint). Is it a crime to be the middle ground, the in-between, the one button that brings everyone together? No, but it's a bit wishy-washy, isn't it? Pick a side, pal.
If your pick is the X button, perhaps you're the person who is quite content to sit on the fence, or to be the diplomat. You enjoy finding common ground, and you don't really understand the point in picking a side if it inconveniences you, and upsets everyone else. I agree with you. If only we could all be a little more like the X button.
The D-Pad
Apologies if you actually have a favourite direction, but I'm not getting that far into the weeds with this. The D-Pad is arguably the most old-fashioned of the controller inputs, having been a part of the layout since very early on with almost no additions. Everything else has matured, moved, and even improved, but the D-Pad was perfect from the start, just as he was. I picture him as an old, wise man, separated from the petty squabbles of the younger generations, standing on his own with nothing to prove. He pulls double duty, as a place where you can often pull out your quick-select items, tools, and weapons, and as a tool himself for navigating complex menus, when the control sticks are just too dang wiggly to get the job done right.
The sad thing is that, much like an elderly gentleman, he's been replaced — by the control sticks, which are capable of a much higher fidelity of movement than Old Man D-Pad. Although he has his uses, he's a relic of a former time, when four directions were all we had.
Devotees of the D-Pad are, perhaps, of the older generations themselves. Driven by nostalgia and fond memories, they seek mementos of a simpler time, a time before the third dimension made everything complicated, and before controllers looked like a cockpit full of buttons. When all you have is up, down, left, right, B, A, and Start, you might think that the world is a lot easier to manage — but great things can be born out of simplicity. Like the Konami Code.
The Plus Button
It's like a tiny D-Pad! One of the new additions to the Switch controllers is the plus button, although arguably she was present on the Wii and Wii U as well — but this incarnation of the tiny plus is quite beautiful. She's not a button, as much as she is a Shape That Does Things. Out of all of the pressable items on the controller, the plus is the most stylish, for sure: She stands out amongst all the circles, blazing her own path, a symbol of a new era in games, represented by an age-old mathematical expression. She is simplicity and elegance; where the D-Pad represents stability and dependability, the plus button — who is the same shape — represents newness, change, and addition.
Of course, she's also not really any of that. To be fair to Nintendo, there aren't really that many shapes left to explore that haven't already been nicked by Sony; their use of plus and minus as the Switch's new buttons is novel, but perhaps forced by lack of options. But "plus" doesn't add anything, it just opens a menu. Then again, B doesn't summon hordes of bees, and X doesn't make your former girlfriend come over and tell you all the reasons you suck, so literalism isn't necessarily the goal.
You like the plus button? Of course you do! It's dinky and cute. It's also the newest thing on the Joy-Con, really. So you like novelty, you like intrigue, and you perhaps enjoy something a little different than what's come before. Also, maybe you're a positive person, but again, that's leaning a little too far into the literal.
The Minus Button
Much like Pokémon games, everything has two sides. Black, White. Red, Blue, Sword, Shield. Plus, Minus. The minus button is the inversion of the plus, of course, and represents the left Joy-Con just as the plus represents the right. It is the mirror, the negative of plus, but that doesn't mean it's bad or sinister — it is just that the world needs order, or else it is chaos. Where the plus button opens the big menus — it's basically the Start button, the one that pauses the game — the minus button often opens the in-game menus, like a map, or a collection, or something like that. If plus is Captain Picard, minus is the Riker: The second-in-command who pulls more weight than people realise.
But what a boring button design. Plus is interesting, mysterious, and elegant; minus is just a line. It's also bloody hard to press because it's so tiny! There's a reason buttons are usually round, and the minus button is the proof: Thumbs abhor a simple line. It doesn't feel like a Thing To Press, it feels like a little roadbump for your fingers.
If you are a fan of the minus button, then you are a curious one. Perhaps you are the type of person who would be the tall glasses-wearing sidekick in a shonen anime, the one who reins in the impulses of the other chaotic characters with your sensible approach to things. Or perhaps you're simply the quiet kid who's actually way more fun than people realise. You're an enigma, pal!
The Home Button
Cosy, safe, and always a fallback if everything starts to go wrong, the home button does what it says: It takes you home. Well, "home" in the sense that consoles understand it, anyway: Back to the safety of the game selection screen. You might be tempted to see the home button as an abstraction of the B button, purely because it takes you "back", but the important distinction is that "home" is not the same as "back". You can go back into battle, or back into the fray; home is something different, something more primal and secure. And home will never change. Also, it lights up! It's the only button that lights up!!
My main issue with the home button is that it has secret functionality that it took me years to notice. Hold down the button, and you'll get a special mini-menu that offers sleep mode, brightness and volume controls, and airplane mode. Volume and power are also accessible as physical buttons at the top of the console, but if you're playing docked, they're harder to use. Is this an actual secret menu, or did I just skip reading the manual? I'll never tell!!
If the home button is your favourite, it's tempting to say that you're always seeking some sort of comfort zone — and the exact thing you're seeking is not a place, but a time. You can't go back to childhood — it'll always be a feeling just out of reach. But I also think you're probably the kind of person that makes others feel safe, like the friend who always has a first-aid kit in their bag, or always bakes cookies. You've got big Mum energy, y'know? It's a good thing.
The Capture/Screenshot Button
What I like about Nintendo's screenshot button on the Switch is that it's incredibly simple. It doesn't ask if you would like to send the screenshot to Twitter, or Facebook, or your mum; it simply takes a screenshot. It doesn't even have a picture on it, like it does on the Xbox and PlayStation controllers. It's just a little circle. Sure, that means it's not particularly easy to figure out what it does just from a glance, but I can't say I particularly mind, because experimenting with the Nintendo Switch controller buttons is never a punishing thing — the worst that can happen is that you pause the game or take a bad screenshot.
However, it's not a very clicky button. Most of the Switch controller's pressable zones are hefty, tactile things; the screenshot button, in comparison, is a whisper of an input. Maybe you like that, though.
Those who prefer the screenshot button are likely photographers, or at the very least, the kinds of people who appreciate the quieter things in life — a cup of tea on a rainy day, or a deep intake of breath by the seaside.
The Bumpers
Unafraid to be the widest of the buttons, the left and right bumpers are a very cosy place to rest your tired gamer fingies. Over the years, controllers have become more ergonomic, and the bumpers are a large part of that, being shaped almost perfectly like your own fingers, long and curved. They often take over from the D-Pad in terms of navigation, because it's a lot easier to bumper left and right than to scoot your thumb over to the D-Pad. That's a nice consideration.
What can I say that's bad about the bumpers? I'll tell you. They used to be better. You might disagree with me here, but bumpers peaked on the GameCube controller. Those lovely, supremely clicky, curved buttons that you could socket your fingers right into. Lovely stuff. Now, they're low-profile, quiet things, which is probably better for a bunch of reasons, but I don't like it as much.
What does it mean if you love the bumpers? Good question. You are a person who has fingers, and you like to be comfortable. I'm sorry! I can't come up with clever stuff for everything!
The Triggers
Who doesn't love the triggers? Most of us will probably never fire a gun, but having triggers on a controller that lets us fire guns is the next best thing. They're the only button that functions as more of a hinge than a press, and although Nintendo's trigger offering is a lot less triggery than the Xbox and PlayStation triggers (the Xbox One controller, in particular, is very triggery, and I love it), there's not much to complain about. They get the job done, and that job is shoot.
Now, having said "there's not much to complain about", I do feel like complaining a little. As I've mentioned, Xbox has the trigger perfected: It's huge, and far more hingey than the Switch's. This is probably by design: If you're playing a ton of first-person shooters, it's more likely to be on the Xbox than the Switch, so I don't doubt that Nintendo wanted to distance themselves from actual guns. Fine. Whatever. I guess it's also the "swing weapon button".
Trigger-likers are the kinds of people who love action movies, unsurprisingly. You're very "shoot/swing first, ask questions later". You probably prefer games that don't weigh you down with cutscenes and motivation, because you already have motivation for killing hordes of enemies, and that motivation is "it's fun". You know what you want, and you know how to get it (pressing the triggers). Pew pew.
L3/R3
I'm grouping these together because otherwise this goofy article would take me all day, but let's be honest: L3 and R3 (the clickable analog sticks) are the unsung heroes of many games. L3 is often things like the Witcher Sense, the pulse of detective energy that lets you see nearby objectives and secrets; R3 is often the workhorse of the controller layout that represents every gamer's favourite input: Sprinting.
But let's be even more honest: These are not good buttons, and they should never have been. The fact that they are clickable is a testament to how over-engineered gaming has become. Are the four face buttons not enough? The bumpers, the triggers, the D-Pad? Why did we need two extra inputs, and why on earth did you put them underneath the control sticks? Although they are pretty fun to click, L3 and R3 are the controller equivalent of that terrible little mouse-nub that you could find on old laptops: Trying to do too much, and failing.
If you are a fan of the L3/R3 buttons, you're not wrong. It's a niche choice, and I respect that. Plus, they are perhaps the most pleasantly clicky thing on a Switch controller, so you have good tactile taste. But you might just be picking these to be different. Hey, that's okay. Own it.
The Power Button
You forgot that the power button existed, didn't you? I don't blame you — on non-OLED Switches, it's pretty hard to see, and to press. It's almost like Nintendo don't want you to stop playing, which is a far cry from all the times they used the 3DS to tell us to go outside and take a break (no). But the Switch could not exist without this power button: It's a fantastic representation of the Switch's hybrid capabilities. Just one boop of the power button, and your Switch is asleep, ready to be taken on adventures. You don't use the power button at all when you're in docked mode, so it pretty much only exists for this purpose. So much potential in one little circle!
But, as I've mentioned, it's bloody tiny! It's not far off those Reset buttons you get on old electronics that are specifically recessed so you can only hit them with a paperclip, making sure that you can't accidentally press it. Why? Why did Nintendo do this? Anyone with a finger larger than a ballpoint pen in circumference is going to struggle to hit this one.
For fans of the power button, it's all or nothing. Your world deals only in absolutes. You hate all that wibbly-wobbly in-betweeny stuff, and think everyone should just pick a side and stick to it. However, you also probably really enjoy the simple things in life, like the mere fact that your favourite console is functioning. Good for you.
The Sync Button
Well, I guess this is a button. And perhaps it does have its fans. The sync button is a tiny, nondescript nubbin hidden away on the inside of the Joy-Con and the top of the Pro Controller, and it exists to help you sync up the controllers with the Switch. It's useful, because without syncing, you can't use your controllers (although Joy-Cons can be synced by docking them, too).
But it's a bit boring, isn't it? All those buttons, and you want to pick this one? Not to mention that it's even harder to press than the power button, thanks to its teeny-tiny profile and the fact that it's flush with the rest of the controller.
I'd be willing to go out on a limb and say that this is no one's favourite, but on the off chance it's yours, then you're probably someone with tastes so peculiar and specific that you're only able to see movies you like in one single cinema in the middle of an obscure Eastern European country at 3am. Nothing wrong with that, but are you okay??
Looking for more arbitrary decisions about your personality based on video game nonsense? Check out "What's Your Pokéshape Star Sign?" for more of the same, or have a look at our other Back Page writings if you're down for more weird stuff written by our finest writers.
Tell me your burning button thoughts, hot takes, and pressing concerns in the comments. I know you have them. If I can write, let's see... 3,500 words on the topic, then you can write a hundred or so, right? What do you mean, I'm being paid for it? I'm just someone who broke into the NL office to rant about buttons, I dunno what you're talking about.
Comments 124
No love for SL/SR, for shame. All joking aside, that was a fun read.
Removed - unconstructive
the L button is yes
As I like Joy Cons, I still like my PS4 controller more than Joy Cons.
Btw, I like the Capture button as I have captured a lot of Zanmato videos from FF X/X-2 Switch whenever my Yojimbo using Zanmato.
I went with A. If the natural resting place of your thumb isn't nestled between the B and A buttons you are a barbarian!
Clearly B is the greatest. B jumps in all the best games and what is life without jumping.
Share button. You’ll discover you take it for granted once you want to screenshot something on a console that isn’t the XSX, ps5, ps4, psvita or switch and can’t.
@FishyS b and y is superior to a and x, change my mind
Exsqueeze me, where is the rubber nipple from the 3DS?
Sorry, I'm in histerics. This article is hilarious but I think the funniest thing is the first comment being removed for being unconstructive! Be more constructive with your preferred choice of button, everyone. Sheesh.
I thought this would be a topic about clicky vs. mushy buttons. Anyway, I prefer clicky ones as they are more reliable; you feel the 'click', then the game will register the click every time. Mushy buttons like the Pro Controller are no good, it happen relatively often that I don't press down the button right so the membran hits the conductive area, but you can't feel the difference if you hit the button right or wrong.
Next up: which Nintendo AC Adapter was your favorite!
All jokes aside, I chose the Y button. Its in the comfiest spot, which makes it my preferred main button for all sorts of games
i would have said triggers, but only Microsoft Xbox controllers have proper concave triggers. I don't know what the hell Sony and Microsoft are smoking while desigining their triggers. they are horrible in comparision
Press START button. b button is a close second for me
(N64) controller
Switch controller a button for the win
@TheCrabMan Ahhhh. It's funnier if I just pretend he went with L3
I really like the ZR button in particular. Also, I think the right focused placement of the A button is comfiest. Fight me @KateGray!
My personal favourite is moreso a combination of Y and B in succession. The 2D Mario's (and most 2D platformers) feel so great in my opinion because of the layout of Y to run and B to jump. The speed and fluidity you can achieve with just those two buttons is staggering.
If it had to be a single button though, definitely ZR. It's mainly used for aiming/shooting and other things of a similar nature and it feels great to start picking things off with that (games that I've played that feel great with that scheme are WinBack, DOOM 1993 and Legends Arceus just off the top of my head).
This is the stupidest idea for an article I’ve ever seen and I love it!
ZL and ZR are my favourite buttons based purely on how fun they are to press, but I’ve never played a shooter game before so that was wrong.
Can we talk about the Switch triggers? I just got my first Switch a couple months ago and I’m still confused: Do they actually have any travel at all? They just feel like clicky buttons. I’m used to triggers that have a good range of travel. I’m particularly concerned about racing games where you need to control the “gas pedal.” Does this work at all?
All your buttons belong to me...
My favorite is the four separate directional buttons on the Joy-Con (L). As a platformer enjoyer, it is nearly impossible to play platformers with the Pro Controller.
Well, it's really funny and interesting article. I didn't think about my favourite button on controller before... So... My favourite button is A. One of the reasons is (Japanese/anime) fighting games. A button usually means "strong kick attack". Or just "strong attack". In Guilty Gear games, A button is "High Slash/HS" attack, the most powerful attack in GG games. And, I can't say that the Y button is underrated. At least, fighting games players will disagree with that. Me, for example. Y button always means "weak punch" or "weak attack" button in fighting games. And it's usually used by combomakers, if I don't confuse. I'm not good at fighting games and I am not a combomaker, so I don't know for sure am I right or wrong... And... I think that we need more weird, funny, and interesting articles like this, ha.
Buttons can be configured based on the game so this is a fruitless effort coming.
I really love the trigger buttons (ZL and ZR). On the pro controller, they feel really nice to press.
I love the screenshot button because it's the perfect opportunity to fill up my friends' Switch storage with trash photos. I'm a great friend.
@Erigen it's a fun, Sunday afternoon aside. Get a grip on yourself.
@GrailUK probably some variant of the neckbeard, gamergate "wHeRE iS mY sERiOUs gAMe JouRNaLiSm?" frothing that accompanies any attempt at a jokey article online these days. Reliable as clockwork.
I love the ZL/ZR buttons
@BigBigToe I'm sorry, I can't read what you typed. I'm distracted by the size of your toe!
Screenshot, because now I have some great pics of a dog at a BoTW stable chasing its tail and rolling on its back next to Link wearing Majora’s mask sitting on a decked out black horse.
These are the hard hitting think pieces I come here for.
My top pick is the Home Button, because it makes me feel safe.
@GrailUK hate to let you down but that's not actually my toe lol. My screen name is a reversal of what I call my wife's little toe, which is (imo) unbelievably small.
If we're going in the anorakish level of detail required by this article then the clear answer has to be the 'A' button...
...on the Gamecube Controller. The Wii-mote aisde no other controller since has ever had the confidence to say "actually maybe you only really need one button - 2 maximum - to actually play a game so let's make that one button really big and comfortable.
Playing games like Wind Waker or Mario Sunshine on modern controllers with their puny tiny "A buttons" just feels heretical. I mean what are those buttons? Buttons for ants?
B for me. I lament Nintendo’s pivot towards making the “bottom” and “right” buttons the main buttons when throughout the SNES, N64 and GC years the two main buttons were left and bottom (i.e. Y/B on SNES and B/A on the N64 & GC) which were aligned with the direction of one’s thumb.
Nintendo’s bizarre switch from the DS onwards to make B and A the main buttons just doesn’t work for me at all, my thumb doesn’t point to the right like that. I still find using B to cancel and A to accept on Switch menus counter-intuitive and wrong. At least Sony let you choose if you prefer Square/Cross or Cross/Circle. 😢
❗️Doesn't 'Scott The Woz' have an "L Button" Video?
@BigBigToe EotGibGib?
It's good to see these kinds of articles - reminds me of the good old print magazine days where they could be dotted around any given issue - I don't remember anyone writing in to the issue after with, "excuse me but what was the point of..." letters, either. Funny that.
Also, never mind the Switch pad, it's gotta be the GC's humongous "A" button. The most biggestest, invitingest "press me" bit of circular goodness on any pad ever.
Okay, I'll play along. It's the button that says "yes" to the game. Whichever that is.
@BigBigToe Well, all toes are tiny next to that big one!
@Nancyboy HA!
Growing up with Gameboys taught me this:
A is for accelerate, attack, accept/advance,...
B is for brake, block, back,...
If you pick a favourite, the other one will know, and will B (ite) you in the A (ss) when you most need it.
Never pick a favourite among those who can turn against you. Love all as you love yourself. Trust all as much as your own loyalty and faith are blind, not as much as how honest you think you are, for you probably have been dishonest with yourself.
LOL. Funny.
But I totally voted D-Pad.
I just played some SNES on NSO and I was totally missing the D-Pad while I played the games with the Joy-cons.
Luckily I have an 8Bitdo SN30 Pro.
To me, that D-Pad made a huge difference in my enjoying the game. LOL.
Does that make me old-school? LOL.
B but really its A or is it X. Damn playing games on multiple systems.
@mandlecreed You didn't even mention its 'go on press me' greeniness, right in the most centerified position among face buttons of what's already the very bestest controller of the eternalest forever.
Worst Buttons are L3 and 3R, i hate them since they came out.
I was ever thinking, that these will destory Controllers and i did not use them.
They are mostly used by Ego Shooters for Running, so i was lucky since i do not play them on Consoles.
And now, the Switch and modern Systems, where they cause the drifting Problem by breaking the back Plate.
They should be banned, burned and forgotten by History XP
Plain ol’ pedestrian A for me. A means YES and DO. A surrounds us and binds us. 💆🏻♀️
Meanwhile, I still call the plus and minus buttons “start” and “select,” respectively, much to the confusion of my kids.
@Azuris I use the big Binbok joy cons with programmable back buttons, and they replace L3 and R3 for that reason.
I can't choose between the C stick on the Gamecube controller or the trigger on the back of the Wii nunchuck...
It seems I am one of many haters of L3 and R3. They're a conspiracy to give Joycons drift faster. Also I went for the D-pad.
Have to point out a problem here. One of two, depending on your viewpoint:
1. The power button is not part of the controller, but the console itself. So it shouldn't count with the articles premise.
2. If we do count buttons on the Switch itself, then you missed the two buttons for volume control.
D-pads for me are always the most important input method on a controller. I've always found the "select" button to be the least useful button since selection is usually done with the action buttons.
@Shambo Curses! I'll try harder next time 😂
"X doesn't make your former girlfriend come over and tell you all the reasons you suck"
Pfft, I didn't need a controller button for that.
Select Sect TheIlluminati
@ALinkttPresent I love pro controller (or sometimes 8bitdo) best for platformers. Depending on the game I switch between joy stick and d-pad though; I sometimes even switch for different sections of the same game or level because they both have different flaws and positives in terms of control which sometimes matters for crazy/Kaizo platforming. Although my perfect controller would be pro controller with a better d-pad.
D-pad. Sad pro controller d-pad is useless. getting wrong inputs 90% of the time.
Best d-pad is 8bitdo snes controller.
Y over X for jumping in Smash.
Also if you use stick jump you need help
[Removed - nonsense]
By modern day, B because of the all powerful jumping ability. Y because it complements B as the shoot/run modifier. Going by classical set up, sub what I said earlier with A and B respectively.
Y’all are sleeping on the camera button. It’s for more than just snapping a cute screenshot or recording a sweet team wipe on Splatoon (though it is remarkably simple to do those things) but I use this all the time to record important in game information. I took photos of all the recipe posters in BotW, the type chart in PLA (home to gallery is faster for me than navigating to the in-game tips menu), snapping photos of places of interest in various games that I’m currently not able to access but want to come back to. Mario Odyssey even incorporates this idea into some of their in game hints. It’s like having a little notebook on your switch.
One of my favorite parts of the Switch controller isn't even exclusive to the controller; it's the fact you can use the right stick to browse the UI. I wish more consoles embraced this as an option.
Fantastic article, Kate, got a good chuckle out of it! The Nintendo button layout is so entrenched in my muscle memory that I have a real hard time playing anything with an Xbox layout. PlayStation has its whole symbol thing so I have no issues using it, but Xbox with the same letters in different places just messes with me too much. Like, it's that bad that on the rare occasion I play on my laptop, I have to look down at the controller to see where the buttons are when given a prompt.
A gang A rise! A is click, A is start, A is love, A is life!
I’ll pick A for “Actually, the A button being on the right hand side of the face buttons was normalised by both Nintendo and Sony in Japan.”
In Japan, it was common for the PlayStation’s “O” button to be “confirm” and “X” to be “deny”. It was just the western branch of PlayStation that opted for the bottom button being the “confirm” button.
I haven’t used a PS5, but I think I remember reading that Sony of Japan has adopted the bottom “A” button now too.
I think “A” being on the right side is fine, but I also don’t mind the “A” button placement on the Xbox controller.
@mandlecreed We all have times of weak faith. Press A 15 times, and it will forgive you in all of its grace.
It's has to be the A button. But the A button on the gamecube style switch controllers.
Not trying to say the sync button should be anyone favorite, but don't forget that it is a way that you can quickly turn the controller off.
Especially helpful when trying to switch from my Pro-Controller to my 8bitDo. Instead of fiddling with the connection menu, I just hit the sync button on the pro controller to turn it off, then activate the 8bitDo as P1.
This went so much deeper than I was expecting 🤣
I like the home button because I can power on the system without having to move from my seat.
The A button…it’s the only current console with confirm button in the right spot!
X button is goated, specially when remapping for NES games as B button, so much better than usinga A+B.
Y is by far the best button, anybody who says any different is actually lying
Also the y button is often used for attacking, which I don’t think was mentioned in the article but what I immediately thing of when I think of The button Y
I like the shoulder triggers a lot for some reason.
But the real answer is the autofire switch on old-school joysticks.
Might I suggest that a single press of the touch screen is a button input??
Guess I'll stick with the horoscopes 😫
Back in my days + and - buttons are known as START and SELECT buttons and the right stick is known as the C-stick. Nintendo seem to find a way to super simplify them.
@Sourcecode games are meant to be fun and this article is meant to be fun. If you want informational NintendoLife articles maybe avoid the ones tagged 'back page' 😆
The button descriptions in the article were clearly intended to be 100% silly, but personally I found some of the opinions in the comments legitimately interesting plus just thinking about how many buttons there are and which ones I use most was kind of fun.
my favorite is the NFC Touchpad (not a button, but still my favorite)
@KateGray I'm really not sure how I feel about this assigning of sexes to various buttons, but... uh... I think the best thing I and others can do is be supportive of your... perambulations, here.
Apologies if you actually have a favourite direction, but I'm not getting that far into the weeds with this.
At this point, I don't think you're in a position to judge me too harshly if I bring a little culture and Canadiana to this... discourse. I'm sure you're familiar with the medicine wheel and the four directions, but did you know that people can find their personal direction through meditation? Your words might have been more significant than you thought!
Press A 15 times, and it will forgive you in all of its grace.
@Shambo Are you trying to inculcate us with a sense of penance and shame here? I'm not sure, you understand, that there's room for our two quasi-religious concepts in the same comment section today, given the apparent need to create a soothing atmosphere for Kate...
The home button rocks not because I'm a homebody, but because it enables me to switch between all my different games (and buy new ones) without leaving the couch!
Okay maybe I am a homebody.
@Sourcecode clearly 1+1=0 since we are talking about computers. 😝
Also, If you know the point of the article and that people are having fun with it, why call it pointless? 🧐 I will 100% give you the weird part though. 😆
@FishyS totally agree. B all the way.
A is usually the trigger-happy spamming button, it's pressed so often, it more about when it's not pressed.
B ... Is the gameplay or timing button. Dodge. Jump. Special bomb. It's where the magic happens 🤣
(This really is a bonkers topic...)
I chose B, but mostly because I prefer the SNES style layout of Y=run, B=jump for Mario games, with A being an auxiliary button or secondary type of jump.
Having the run button to the upper left just feels more natural to me, easier to hold it with the top of my thumb pad and still jump with the lower part of my thumb pad. Never been a fan of the revisionist B=run, A=jump controls.
@CANOEberry Ah, the order of the d-pad has finally shown up. You know why official joy cons don't even have one? But hey, you got that cute little + button now. No in-fighting about favourite directions anymore. Just one small button, outweighed by the - button, often used to open the arguably more useful menu's for in game progression.
Just kidding, we at the church of Awesome welcome everyone, and the GC controller did have a nice d-pad. I remember pressing it sometimes in between pressing A. There might even have been times I pressed them together.
Just kidding again, don't turn against me, B button.
I prefer the shaking of the poke ball plus.
That’s a button, right?
I like the programmable buttons on the underside of my Gamesir controller. You don't realize how helpful being able to jump while using the right stick is until you can use both at once.
This article is utterly fantastic! It takes the buttons we mash every day with nary a thought and gives them life and meaning.
Thank you, Ms Gray, for a very good read!
2 Things:
First: Hundredth Comment, Nice
Second: Seeing as I play smash bros A LOT, I went with B.
The L3 button is the worst button on any controller ever followed by R3 xxx
Y is usually fast attack for most of the games i play and i like to spam it a lot, because i am a very nervous person , and it helps blow off some steam. So its my fav
Not a button, but I HAATE the switch sticks. A combination of the sticks not feeling good and drift make me dislike them. The Wii U Gamepad and pro controller's sticks were perfect.
It's all about the b button you uncouth cur's.
I guess ...Y? Use it all the time when speedrunning Sunshine. It's also the typical 'run' button in most games, so yeah, that thing gets used a lot.
That being said ...What a wacky concept for an article. Slow news day? Everything alright, Kate? Then again, if it's just for a bit of fun, I'm all in, of course. Being weird is something I always embrace in my own writing after all ...We should all embrace it way more.
Y button all day, everyday. If you’re not running, shooting and/or attacking etc… then what are you really doing?
The B button. It set an unprecedented amount of changes to the gaming industry when it influenced where "Cross" would be found on the PlayStation. The Cross button ultimately decided where most modern games outside of Nintendo is used for "confirm" or "select."
B is also the button that was eventually used to save a lot of time in text...no one needs to read that much text, especially in a slow snail pace.
All I'm going to say is that the position of the + and - buttons, especially the -, have been problematic for some games I've played.
I know they can be mapped, but still.
At least the -/Select button on the Switch isn't just a second +/Start like in most 3DS games I've played, it totally screwed my gameplay habits in Super Mario 3D Land and Kirby: Triple Deluxe.
The triggers have been the best buttons since the 360/PS3 generation, thanks to driving and shooting games. Plus, the range of travel of said triggers makes it feel like a real gun/pedal.
This was and is delightfully absurd.
My favourite is the L shoulder button on the GameCube controller. Oh wait IT DOESN’T ******* EXIST
The fact that Sony went with shapes could have just been a branding thing. But Microsoft's deliberate remix of the SNES face buttons, the fact that Stadia and PC controllers do the same, and Nintendo's history of overactive IP lawyers make me think the SNES/Switch face button layout is trademarked somehow. Does anyone here know anything about this?
@Thomystic
The layout goes back to the Dreamcast controller which is based off the layout of the 6 Button Genesis/Saturn controller just tilted to a diamond with C&Y removed.
You forgot the volume button, also, seriously? lol
D Pad fan all the way, all the other buttons wish they were as cool as the d-pad. Unlike the other buttons, the d pad is reason alone to purchase another controller (SNES d-pad ftw!).
Please write a whole overwrought essay about the B button, Kate. Don't tell us you shouldn't. You know you should. Ⓑ
I actually like clicking SL and SR when I’ve got the strap holder on the JC but these glorious buttons seem to have been over looked?!
I, too, am prescribed to Adderall. In all seriousness, I love the A button, but have a soft spot for Y. I abhor the B button, and any game which uses B as its main action / interaction / select button.
A, B, Y and X are the best option for a controlers, i always asociate A with action, B with cancel, X and Y with special actions/moves.
@Teksetter well the + and - button have similar roles to the Start/Select button in older Nintendo consoles.
@Sourcecode
But but but 1+1 = 10 in binary
Where does button mashing fit into this? Or is that just being greedy?
I did vote but don't really have a favorite, in fact whenever I am playing a game and someone else joins in, when they say ' What's the buttons?", I have to stop playing and look down at the controller to even know. And even then I am not sure, I usually say ask my fingers because there pressing them.
Wow, this article is just like Horoscopes, complete bilge, but funny none the less
The Y.. it does 'special' things
B because it's nice and passive, gets you out of a lot of scrapes and rests under the lower part of your thumb.
I'm a D-Pad kind of guy, I generally go with the flow, whether it's up, down, left or right.
This article is ridiculous but I love it
My favorite button is the
I don't actually like the pro controller at all. The Wii U pro controller was much more egronomical to me. Joy con by itself kinda sucks too. Honestly my preference on the switch would be two joycons together with the controller dog ear adapter. That is better feeling to me over either and in that regard my fav would be the left joystick
if you use the "confirm" button the most in nintendo games, that says more about you that it does the controller.
the A button is perfect for "action/confirm" because Y is primary/fast attack, and B is jump, and those are the most used buttons in many games, and action/talk should not share a button with jump and attack.
X it's on all major consoles and PC.
I have never thought about it before, but this article is very amusing. I had a good laugh at a couple of lines.
@Shambo Gosh, that was inspirational.
A for Action, and it's also the most dominant letter in my name.
Ordinarily I would have said the d-pad, except it's rubbish on the Switch Pro Controller, doesn't exist on the joy-cons, and is mostly redundant in the era of analog control sticks.
The screen-capture button is the best recent innovation.
I guess Y because of it's placement and for many games, it's needed to get your avatar to move faster
@KateGray I hope you got a raise and a gift basket of some sort for writing this article. Personally, I'm a big fan of the springy "detach Joy-Con" buttons, but since they don't affect game play I guess they don't count. At any rate, articles like this are the reason I use the internet, so please keep up the good work!
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