Dpads, Whats The Difference (No Flame Please)

[willrandship]

Since I've only had experience with connected dpads and my ti-86, I would like to know what the difference is between them and separated d-pads. Personally, separated dpads that act like buttons sound more comfortable to me, but I've never actually tried them enough to have a usable opinion. Can anyone explain the difference without sounding like a fanatic?

Will

Yes, I know this probably made everyone's opinions of me worse, but I still want to know

 

[Esn]

Why do they sound more comfortable to you?

 

[Prometheus]

Separated d-pads don't usually act like buttons, as they're actually joined up below the surface in the same way as a proper d-pad (when they're actually buttons, they can't really be called a d-pad - see the BanDai WonderSwan for an example of this, it uses buttons entirely and has no d-pad at all. You actually need to fit an aftermarket plastic pad onto the d-buttons in order to be able to use them well enough, I've found.).

What I've found, though, is that separated d-pads don't seem to be suited to quite a number of games, since there's less room for manoeuvring the thumb on the pad.

This platforming nut finds separated d-pads painful. Your mileage may vary.

 

[droneb]

hmm, i would place my bets more on that diagonal movement is natural on an actual Dpad, on one that is composed of buttons, either you need extra hardware/software to emulate that kind of actions.

also i find Full Dpads less softer but more reactive than buttons, maybe thats due all the cups are attached to the same frame, so it makes it more bouncy reaction, buttons are much soft so if you change dirs quickly on a combat games like trying a hadouken you will usually fail.

 

[Nintendo]

I just want to be able to do all the Street Fighter II moves. andora2ut4: B)

 

[Asiyura]

My first d-pad experience was from the Nintendo game & watch Donkey Kong game, then the 8 bit Nintendo controller (these squarish gamepads were able to poke holes in your hands... a way to prevent videogame overdose?).
I'm used to those + control pads, pretty easy to get the diagonals only when you want them.

As prometheus said, gamepads like the dualshock look like they have separated d-pads, but in fact, they are using the same technique as the + from nintendo.

 

[atomicthumbs]

with separated D-pads you have to move your thumb onto each direction. with good d-pads you keep it in the center and tilt it a little.

 

[Alpha2]

If the directions of a Dpad are split under the surface of the controller then you loose the instant transfer of the diagonals sometimes. Some people find it hard to play games like street fighter because the quarter and half circle movements require that accuracy. On controllers like the PSP and Playstation controllers it's not as bad as that for most people because the Dpad IS connected under the shell but some people still complain because the gaps between the directions can be irritating for them when making the same quarter and half circle motions.

 

[willrandship]

Well, the only experience I have had with separated d-pads are ti calcs, and I must say they work great for playing games like mario! Connected Tends to lead to sore thumbs for me since I press really hard. BTW Ti calcs have Dpads act exactly l;ike buttons, and they are actually part of the button mapping if you use the GetKy option.

Not quite sure what you mean with the "Diagnol emulation" bit. dpads, unless you're referring to that one sega (was it a sega? I saw one in a thrift store once) with the diagnols and 16 point capabilities.

With good separated Dpads, they are the same size as your thumb so that you don't have to reposition anything!

Yeah, the dualshock PS2 ones were nice....

 

[hedwards]

Well, the only experience I have had with separated d-pads are ti calcs, and I must say they work great for playing games like mario! Connected Tends to lead to sore thumbs for me since I press really hard. BTW Ti calcs have Dpads act exactly l;ike buttons, and they are actually part of the button mapping if you use the GetKy option.

[SNIP/]

Yeah, the dualshock PS2 ones were nice....

If that's happening, you're doing it wrong. The point of the D-pad is that they're all connected and analog. Meaning that you make slight adjustments of pressure and you get a varying response. It's easier to do that with them being properly connected. Which won't happen if you aren't mindful of the pressure you're applying.

If you're pressing that hard, then you ought to reconsider your technique rather than blaming the hardware. It's not like those Satan designed pieces of garbage that Sony tries to pass off as controllers. Seriously, as much as I loathe and despise Microsoft, they at least have some concept of comfort. I can accept that one size fits all doesn't work so well, but to make them midget sized and then not offer up an adult sized controller is just evil. A properly sized controler should not have one's thumbs over the middle of the controller and the shoulder buttons resting uncomfortably in the precise middle of the respective fingers. It sort of worked for the older NES controllers, but they were designed so that you wouldn't have any more contact than just the tips making them more or less one size fits all.

Mario probably works fine without the diagonals, but you're losing an awful lot of control by using the TI style directional arrows.

 

[verm71]

I've never heard of an analog, pressure-sensitive D-pad. Mind you, I'm only familiar with PSX, NES and SNES, and own a Logitech RumblePad 2. Which platforms have this?

 

[second exodous]

The most comfortable 'd-pad' I've ever used was, and I know people are going to disagree with me, is the turbo touch 360.

I had this one for the SNES and I could play every game fine and even pull moves off easily in Street Fighter II, Mortal Combat, and Killer Instinct. I only had this for the SNES and after a few years it died out because every one thought it was awful. To this day I think most people that say bad things about them are people that have never used one and just repeat what they hear from what others say about them that also have never used them. Also, the advertising was messed up saying things like you get an extra button and such. Dressing a guy up like a controller didn't help either.

I do like the normal rocker one piece d-pads better than the separate buttons though. Like is said above most people that like the separate buttons are thinking of the PSX/2/3 controller that are actually one part just the middle is covered up by the controller shell.

 

[Gerix]

The most comfortable 'd-pad' I've ever used was, and I know people are going to disagree with me, is the turbo touch 360...

Hey, I got one of those when I bought a box of stuff at a garage sale. I thought maybe the dpad fell off. I couldn't try it because the Genesis was busted. I was more interested in the Saturn anyway.

 

[Asiyura]

*SNIP*
Seriously, as much as I loathe and despise Microsoft, they at least have some concept of comfort.
*SNIP*

I have to agree with you, nearly all my PC gaming peripherals are from microsoft, they got me with one of their first joystick : the Sidewinder 3D pro. It survived many years of heavy abuse during really long sessions of Mechwarrior 2, Wing Commander games and later space sim like Freespace 2. Then it started to act funny with some games, so I through it was time to get one of those force feedback joysticks.

My current joystick is the Sidewinder Force Feedback 2 it's a nice piece of hardware, its only flaw is the hat switch that "floats", it's missing a spring or something.

And the only reason I got a thrustmaster gamepad was that I wanted a joypad with d-pad and analog joysticks.

But I don't like that much the "wavy" d-pad, It's too far from my good old nintendo d-pad

 

[Loonie]

It's not like those Satan designed pieces of garbage that Sony tries to pass off as controllers. Seriously, as much as I loathe and despise Microsoft, they at least have some concept of comfort. I can accept that one size fits all doesn't work so well, but to make them midget sized and then not offer up an adult sized controller is just evil.

I can only assume that I must have some kind of freakish child-like hands, since they cope with the PS controller just fine.

Did I read that correctly; that you just favorably compared the 360's D-pad to the PS's?

 

[Alpha2]

The Trustmaster doesnt hold up very well. I used to have one to play FF11 on my laptop when I couldnt use my PS2, the analogs go wonky after awhile and no amount of recalibration fixes them and then the Dpad gets loose and doesnt respond when you press different directions. The first I had lasted maybe a year, I bought a second and it lasted 6 months.

 

[Rathum]

It's not like those Satan designed pieces of garbage that Sony tries to pass off as controllers. Seriously, as much as I loathe and despise Microsoft, they at least have some concept of comfort. I can accept that one size fits all doesn't work so well, but to make them midget sized and then not offer up an adult sized controller is just evil.

I can only assume that I must have some kind of freakish child-like hands, since they cope with the PS controller just fine.

Did I read that correctly; that you just favorably compared the 360's D-pad to the PS's?

I shudder to think of how large his hands must be. My hands are so big that the most comfortable controllers I've ever used were the Duke Xbox controllers and the PS3 controllers still don't give me problems. I actually prefer the PS3 controllers over the 360 controllers.

Maybe he's this guy

 

[SoleGrave]

Im the only one that liked the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis D-pad.

 

[b1llygo4t]

my favorite is the s type xbox or the saturn

 

[second exodous]

Bob Bobson is a cool name.