Super Famicom controller cord length..... really?

[MrPopo]

If I had to guess I'd say that the red circle has more of a "bad" feel to Americans than for the Japanese. What's interesting is the early PS1 games tended to switch between one or the other depending on who localized it. But now the PS3 and PSP have it standardized.

[CRTGAMER]

If I had to guess I'd say that the red circle has more of a "bad" feel to Americans than for the Japanese. What's interesting is the early PS1 games tended to switch between one or the other depending on who localized it. But now the PS3 and PSP have it standardized.

My recently acquired PS2 Japanese game Sidewinder (2003) defaults to CIRCLE, same as older PS1 games.
How about Europe PSX game default button? Maybe same analogy as in driving on opposite side of the road?
It is a mystery, too much coffee.

[jeffesaurusrex]

how short is the cord anyway? Like 2 feet?

One meter, a little over 3 feet.

It's too short to reach my chair, and my retro setup is not very far from my chair. I have an old CRT TV with a TV stand that has all my old systems, and when reclined I can press the buttons on the TV with my feet, but there's no way in hell that cord would reach me, even if I was sbending over in my chair. I'd have to be sitting right in front of the TV to reach.

I think what someone else said about the length is right: Older Japanese gaming systems were thought of more like a board game, where you would pull it out from the closet and set it up all over the floor. That way you have the power and AV cord's length. I think the system was probably usually at arm's length all the time.

It makes me wonder what video games would have been like if they were focused more on a family or multiplayer experience from the beginning, instead of being a more solitary experience due to it only having 2 controller ports and most early multiplayer modes being crappy.

[Flak Beard]

I bought a Super Famicom controller a couple years back and was also surprised at the cord length. Even with an extension cable, it felt a tad too short.

What I ended up doing was taking the PCB out of a US SNES controller and placing it into the SFC casing, keeping all the SFC buttons and d-pad. Worked like a charm.

[Hobie-wan]

Another side track point. Could never figure out why on PSX Japanese default button is CIRCLE and U.S is X.
Carried thru from the first digital only PS1 games thru PS2, probably also in PS3.

It is because Japanese is a right to left and English is a left to right language. Notice that NES and SNES buttons are B A not A B. In Japan the O is to select like you're circling your answer and X is cancel. If you play Japanese imports it takes a while to get used to using O for most menu selection things. In the US developers always make the X the default main button to use since it is on the left so that design queue is out the window. Notice how in most PS RPGs the Triangle points upward and is usually used for bringing up menus or occasionally canceling as well.

[CRTGAMER]

The right to left Japanese text layout analogy makes sense. But X is on the bottom seems closest button for natural position of thumb when holding PSX controller. A good point about NES-SNES controllers, maybe Sony followed suit when they broke away and made the PSX. Still, its a good urban myth to crack with text layout so far making the best sense.

How about our PAL Euro members is the PS1-PS2 CIRCLE or X button the normal default?

[Hobie-wan]

The left to right Japanese text layout analogy makes sense. But X is on the bottom seems closest button for natural position of thumb when holding PSX controller.

I agree and think that's a secondary reason it was done that way for western releases. Even most NES games used B for the main action button. Though some early games did not. For instance Gradius uses A to fire and B to pick weapons unlike later games where B is fire and A is pick/jump/whatever.

We return you to your normally scheduled thread.

[Gnashvar]

From pictures I've seen, so I'm no expert, while we usually have our consoles close to the TV they seem to do the oposite, they place the console next to them. Since they have a small space maybe back then they would put the console away after playing. Or who knows.

[MrPopo]

Another side track point. Could never figure out why on PSX Japanese default button is CIRCLE and U.S is X.
Carried thru from the first digital only PS1 games thru PS2, probably also in PS3.

It is because Japanese is a right to left and English is a left to right language. Notice that NES and SNES buttons are B A not A B. In Japan the O is to select like you're circling your answer and X is cancel. If you play Japanese imports it takes a while to get used to using O for most menu selection things. In the US developers always make the X the default main button to use since it is on the left so that design queue is out the window. Notice how in most PS RPGs the Triangle points upward and is usually used for bringing up menus or occasionally canceling as well.

I thought characters were left to right if written horizontally, but it also has a top to down (and I don't know if the vertical lines are then read from right to left). The pages go right to left, though.

[Hobie-wan]

I thought characters were left to right if written horizontally, but it also has a top to down (and I don't know if the vertical lines are then read from right to left). The pages go right to left, though.

Hmm, maybe it is only the vertical text. Though I could see the button labels done in 'vertical' style. Or perhaps I've just read too many badly repeated facts.