Nintendo Controllers

[brak]

Not sure if this has been asked before, i search, no luck.

 

Why did nintendo label A + B buttons backwards a B + A ? They continued the trend to the SNES with X+Y and B+A again.

 

Just wondering if there was a reason behind it? somehow it made it easier to design? Was B for brake and A for accelerator? haha.

[Blarginatorr]

That's an interesting question.

This layout wasnt on the nintendo only though. As B+A been used atleast on the Atari Lynx and on the PC Engine, though PCE had II and I instead of B+A. Interestingly, Master System and Neo Geo Pocket had both the 1+2/A+B layout.

 

But why have B+A layout?

My guess would be that the "primary action" button "A" was closer to your thumb on the B+A layout, therefore making "B" the "secondary" button. Sort of meaning that it would be "easier" to hit the "A" button as it was closer and most often used more(?).

 

This could also reflect on the Playstation controller, and how on some games (usually japanese) the "Yes" button is the Circle and "No" the cross, creating this similar "B+A" layout.

[DaytonaUSA]

Yep, my Japanese PS3 has the O button as accept. The cool thing with that is that all the games that are American not only have these controls instead of the controls that "should" be in the game, but they also have the correct graphic displaying that O is for acceleration let's say, isntead of X which it's supposed to be. It's really cool.

[brak]

i had figured the TG16 and Lynx did it backwards too is because nintendo did. NES is the earliest i can think of with the backwards buttons.

 

the primary action being closest to the right makes the most sense to me so far.

[Tr3vor]

well, if it was A-B, then it would be backwards... video game wise if they were to switch, i wouldnt be able to play smb. ive tried. emu, with my pc controller. also, i thiink they put the main button in the more comfortable spot. also i bet the controller was designed around the launch games, like super mario bros. if you were to play smb with the buttons reversed, it would be kinda akward, then you would sometimes let your finger off the run button (a) when you jump(b).

Edited March 2, 2010 by Tr3vor

[Pyromaniac605]

Yep, my Japanese PS3 has the O button as accept. The cool thing with that is that all the games that are American not only have these controls instead of the controls that "should" be in the game, but they also have the correct graphic displaying that O is for acceleration let's say, isntead of X which it's supposed to be. It's really cool.

 

That would be because the data for the controller buttons is stored in the consle then used by the games.