Poll of the Day > Do you prefer symmetrical or asymmetrical sticks on your controllers?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Honestly, I'm fine with either the XBox or PS designs, and it really just depends on which one I'm using more at any given time. ie, if I'm playing a lot of PS games and then switch to the XBox the XBox controller feels weird, but if I've been playing a lot of XBox games and then switch to the PS the PS controller feels weird. It just takes a little bit of adjustment time to get back into the groove.

The only "modern" controllers where I absolutely loathe the stick placement is the N64 and the Gamecube. Those are ones I feel like were crafted in the bowels of Hell solely to annoy.

How you feel about the issue might depend pretty strongly on just what sort of games you're playing.

Dont want my thumbs smashing into each toher

I don't mind either way.

so place your thumbs on the sticks properly

Not everybody has tiny hands, so it's kind of hard to not have your thumbs hit the joysticks. Holding it "properly" when you have large hands is a one way ticket to carpal tunnel town.

Asymmetrical because it allows you to hold the controller in the most natural way possible in most games. Symmetrical joysticks only make sense for games that use the D-Pad as the primary input method for movement.

On the other hand, plenty of games these days (especially FPSs and first-person RPGs) put the camera on the right stick, so you'll be spending a lot of time using both sticks simultaneously anyway. And if primary game input is the triggers and you're only using the right buttons for specialized controls, you'll actually be using the right stick way more than the right buttons (and in that sense, it's not that different from games that add separate contextual commands to the D-Pad).

If I ever have to use the right stick and left dpad in tandem I get really discombobulated.

I'm genuinely struggling to think of an example of having to do that. I imagine it's more common than I think, but I'm drawing a total blank.

Asymmetrical easily.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/1/0/AAOth2AAETUe.jpg
Prefer asymmetrical, but always wanted try this setup. Anyone have experience with this controller?

It mostly comes down to trying to aim and run while swapping items, like moving the camera to keep track of Valstrax in monster hunter while trying to heal yourself. Or swapping weapons while keeping track of everything around you while stealth in MGSV. I think since dpad and face buttons are almost never used together, whereas both joysticks are often used all the time depending on the game, my brain finds it easier when joysticks are horizontally aligned with each other and buttons+dpad are also aligned.

My only real modern controller gripe is when games tie something annoying to L3/pressing in the joystick (like crouching in Breath of the Wild) and don't let you swap it out.

There are controllers and accessories that have back buttons that can assign to any other button. They're super convenient.

There are controllers and accessories that have back buttons that can assign to any other button. They're super convenient.

neither do I
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/5/8/4/AAceWkAAETC4.jpg
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/5/8/5/AAceWkAAETC5.jpg
and that's pushing the sticks together

Doesnt really matter as much to me. I barely notice the difference