D-pad question

[Taleweaver]

Ever since the introduction of the joypad on consoles, the more classic cross of the D-pad that has been around since the NES* have sort of lost the limelight. They're certainly not obsolete or gone, but are more these things that are sort of there. Of course you need buttons to move around. And while joypads are more fluid for 3D movement, in these games they could at least function as four extra buttons. It's not something I paid much attention to.

That is, until I've read negative comments in this thread because a company went with the style that sony uses**: a circle broken in four individual buttons that are still close enough to be pressed simultaneous.

It got me thinking: how does your preferred D-pad look like? And since the switch has (at least in some instances) buttons instead of a classic D-pad...can that be a preference? Then there's the steam controller. While it has no traditional D-pad, the touchpad can be set to emulate it.


Of course build quality may vary (I've heard a lot about how the xbox360 Dpad was much worse than nintendo's quality), but I assume this is mostly dependent on how things feel. The question I'm asking is more like "if you could design the look of a controller, what kind of D-pad would you choose?" kind of thing.

So...what did you pick? And why?



*or even before? I'm not too familiar with older consoles
**but probably not as well designed

 

[Sonic Angel Knight]

Does the Joycon d-pad count? is technically not a pad since is actually buttons but it serves the purpose, it has a lot of precision since is buttons and not a combined balance board.

 

[Ryccardo]

Sony or Nintendo as long as they're made of microswitches instead of membrane buttons

Don't like the old Microsoft style of having the arrows inside of a circle

 

[Taleweaver]

Does the Joycon d-pad count? is technically not a pad since is actually buttons but it serves the purpose, it has a lot of precision since is buttons and not a combined balance board.

Oops...my bad. Sorry...I had this thread made earlier but was unable to post it. I had the text saved but not the options. And I had forgotten to re-add this. I've added it now.



As for my own choice: I'm leaning towards sony's implementation. Granted, I haven't touched a PS1 or PS2 controller, so I may have missed earlier iterations but the PS4 one is something I'd solder on all my devices if I had the choice.

The classic D-pad has its goods and bads. I guess I agree with Ryccardo on that one, but I can't spot the difference from the surface. They have to be large enough, though. The D-pad of my (original) 3DS is way too small, and on my GPD win it's also just off by a couple millimeters on each side.

Oh, and while the steam controller is technically not a D-pad, I added it out of curiosity. I've tried it a couple of times for platformers, but while it works technically, it's just 'off'. It has that 'click' when you press, but not having the physical outlines beneath your fingers is more of a handicap than it may sound. Heck...I even remapped a few games (that 2016 pacman game) so I can use the buttons as movement. The fact that I'm literally better using my right thumb for quick movement than the joypad or that steam controller says something. Granted, that pac-man goes insanely fast after a while, but still...

Something I explicitly haven't added because it's impractical as hell: a keyboard's classic WASD setup. Because you use three fingers on this, it allows for much greater precision and accuracy than any gamepad or D-pad (I'm currently playing unreal with a joypad...it works, but it's like my character is drunk all the time ).

 

[FAST6191]

+1 to microswitches. Once you feel the clack you'll never go back, unless you are compelled to as the concept seems to have joined splitscreen, local co-op, space sims, bmx games and the universal idea of lobbies for multiplayer games in terms of things which are no longer seen in games.

I will have to look and see if the Nintendo patents expired yet ( http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-...50&s1=4687200.PN.&OS=PN/4687200&RS=PN/4687200 is the main one but you can get others off the back of it and I think a few of those were around last I checked).

Equally it is not my favourite by any stretch of the imagination but I will have to give some props to the rotating dpad Microsoft brought out later in the 360 lifetime.

 

[Langin]

I personally prefer the ones which have microswitches, consoles like the 3DS, Vita and Switch have in my eyes very good d-pads.

I really like the switch its d-pad or d-buttons if you want to call it like that. Even though there is so much room in between the seperate buttons, I have a feeling I am truly in controll instead of the mushy d-pad on the nes, snes, n64(ugh) and probably worst: xbox 360 and ps3.

Those final two I mentioned are just plain horrible. I personally can't handle that mushy feeling of d-pads.

 

[hippy dave]

I don't understand why Sony are still pretending that their dpad design was ever a good idea.

 

[invaderyoyo]

I don't understand why Sony are still pretending that their dpad design was ever a good idea.

Nintendo had the patent for the cross. Sony had to come up with something else. Imho what they came up with is just as good.

 

[hippy dave]

Nintendo had the patent for the cross. Sony had to come up with something else. Imho what they came up with is just as good.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, even if it's wrong

 

[Taleweaver]

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, even if it's wrong

It's pretty hard convincing others that their opinion is wrong if you start out by saying you don't understand the situation the opinion is based on.

Plenty of people bought sony's and microsoft's consoles this 21st century. Yet most I can find on Dpads on either products are about how not good the xbox360 dpads were. From that alone, I can conclude that sony's implementation is indeed at least as good (they're a capitalist company: they would've switched if it wasn't received well).

 

[jDSX]

I like the cross style dpad on the xbone works great and much more precise then the 360 'rocker' dpad was for playing platformers also it's plug and play too

 

[AmandaRose]

I don't get why Sony use the broken cross in all its controllers it's bloody awful lol.

 

[invaderyoyo]

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, even if it's wrong

"wrong opinion" about d-pads. Nice.

 

[hippy dave]

Maybe I should have made it a winky face.

 

[HaloEliteLegend]

For me, the Xbox One controller has the most satisfying D-pad I've used so far. That's definitely the kind of D-pad I like.

 

[hippy dave]

Is the Xbox One one roughly the same as the Xbox 360 one? I'm finding the 360 one pretty decent, tho I still prefer classic nintendo.

 

[Saiyan Lusitano]

Classic Cross or Broken Cross. The new 'd-pad' on Nintendo's Switch is alright.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

I don't understand why Sony are still pretending that their dpad design was ever a good idea.

It's okay if you don't like it but it's an excellent alternative to the classic cross, in my opinion. After Nintendo's d-pad, Sony's the next best one.

 

[emigre]

Best DPAD. I'm still amazed Sony didn't use it on the DUelshock 4.

 

[laudern]

The gamecube had THE WORST dpad in existence. Terribly hard plastic, too small and sharp edges. Hated it back then and I still hate it now.

 

[Touko White]

The gamecube had THE WORST dpad in existence. Terribly hard plastic, too small and sharp edges. Hated it back then and I still hate it now.

the gamecube controller was stupid overall to be honest, although it was quite nice to hold