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The D-pad is [kinda] obsolete.

Devil's Advocate

The steam controller was ahead of its time.

A while the shoulder buttons have evolved for relevancy alongside driving and shooting games (analog and 3d rumble) , the D pad and its keyboard like membrane has all been abandon by its most implemented genre, fighting games.

Because most fighting games have become more technical, the main bulk of fighting game players have set aside d pad In favor of hit boxes and gone back to arcade sticks.

This isn't to say all fighting games players have left dpads, but fighters have become so niche, that the players that do use them do not warrant traditional controllers to have them every generation.

This also isn't to say fighting game is the only genre where a dpad is useful. However, genres like 2D platformer and a vast majority of indie or pixel games, as simple as the D pad is, do not need a traditional d pad whereas as..... Touch based pad could be used instead.




 
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Comandr

Member
I used to enjoy playing retro games and 2D platformers with a d pad. I’ve since gotten accustomed to using the analog stick. D pad is largely just menu navigation and for the odd game of street fighter. Would be perfectly fine with a touch pad next time.
 
What a dumb thread.

Every bit off offence OP.

Dpad is wonderful for fighters and platformers, touch base sounds horrific.
Not once did I say "fighters don't need dpad" Im saying the genre is niche enough now where it doesn't warrant traditional controller to have one, especially sin e a large majority in the fighting game community have moved on.
 

cireza

Banned
Not once did I say "fighters don't need dpad" Im saying the genre is niche enough now where it doesn't warrant traditional controller to have one, especially sin e a large majority in the fighting game community have moved on.
So you are saying that every single buyer of any fighting game is a pro-gamer that also puts hundreds of dollars in fighting sticks ?
 

BossLackey

Gold Member
No. Wrong as fuck.

Maybe for you, but I would never want a controller without a d-pad.

For menu navigation alone, there is nothing better. Anyone that uses the analog stick for menus is a fucking psychopath in my opinion (or just dumb).

Lemme list the genres in which I use a d-pad exclusively for gameplay:

2D platformers
Puzzle games
Run 'n gun
Beat 'em up
Metroidvanias
NES/SNES emulation

All of which I play a lot of. The only reason I didn't add more games to that list is that I have a lot of fightsticks that I use for arcade games, but failing that, a D-Pad is second best (outside of shmups).

Not to mention it's use in just about every genre not included above as item buttons or whatever. The d-pad is a nearly perfect tool for it's intended uses. The ability to get clean, fast inputs is nearly unrivaled, especially for certain genres.

I don't like you OP. I don't like you one bit.
 

anthony2690

Banned
Not once did I say "fighters don't need dpad" Im saying the genre is niche enough now where it doesn't warrant traditional controller to have one, especially sin e a large majority in the fighting game community have moved on.
They haven't though, you see pro players with fight sticks or hitbox, but I can assure you majority of people are playing on pad.

And a few wild people with racing wheels, keyboards and other odd devices.
 

Yumi

Member
Menu selection feel way more natural and quick with the D-Pad to me. It’s also 4 inputs available on your left thumb, and the cardinal directions make it easy to memorize inputs for the game. It’s not just for navigation and movement.
 

BossLackey

Gold Member
They haven't though, you see pro players with fight sticks or hitbox, but I can assure you majority of people are playing on pad.

And a few wild people with racing wheels, keyboards and other odd devices.
100%. I play a lot of fighting games. And while I use a fightstick or hitbox these days, I used a d-pad just fine for years and the vast majority of players, especially now, are on pad. Many of the very best in the FGC are exclusively pad players.
 
Terrible idea. The D-pad is still required for precise inputs and also doubles as four extra buttons even if the game doesn't require precise inputs. As a huge fan of 2D fighting games I would have to buy a modded controller with a d-pad if they were to take them out. And arcade stick isn't an answer either, I tried it and it just didn't click with me. No one should be required to buy one to play fighting games.
 
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Ev1L AuRoN

Member
Maybe for young gamers that only play AAA games. For the more mature and the cultured gamer that enjoyed both the bleeding edge stuff but also the amazing indie titles and retrogames D-pad is still very important.

D-pad is the whole reason I much preffer DS4/Dualsense vs the excellent Xbox controller.
 

OverHeat

« generous god »
Maybe for young gamers that only play AAA games. For the more mature and the cultured gamer that enjoyed both the bleeding edge stuff but also the amazing indie titles and retrogames D-pad is still very important.

D-pad is the whole reason I much preffer DS4/Dualsense vs the excellent Xbox controller.
Elitisme much…
 

Knightime_X

Member
Tom Delonge Wtf GIF by Justin

troll GIF by Pixel Bandits
 
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So you are saying that every single buyer of any fighting game is a pro-gamer that also puts hundreds of dollars in fighting sticks ?
(was anticipating the reaction) Majority, minority, and the extreme,.

No. Not everyone who plays fighting aims to be pro. Only an extreme amount of gamers play fighter at pro level, the minority play casually. But the majority don't play fighter at all.

I'm saying the minority of casual players that do play fighters (which is probably a minority within itself given that most fighters are not designed for casual in mind, there's are exceptions) do not warrant for the majority of players who don't play for dpad to be implemented into mass manufactured controllers when something like a touch could be implemented.
 

RoboFu

One of the green rats
Steam controller was pretty much shit imo. I still have one somewhere around here.
 

Wildebeest

Member
It was always a very poor substitute for a digital joystick, but kids just grew up with no alternative, so think it feels good to them. In twenty years time, grown adults will be raging and throwing all their toys out of the pram when somebody suggests that touch screen gaming isn't the be all and end all.
 

Holammer

Member
If you exclusively play games like Sony's 30fps third person walking simulators it might actually be a good idea. But for everything else the traditional d-pad is the optimal design when you need the fastest possible on/off state (WASD is faster, but I'm willing to sacrifice for comfy). Sliding your finger would be hopelessly inefficient just like trying to control a traditional 2D game with an analogue stick makes you play like a handicapped child.

You'll have to pry the d-pad from my cold dead hands.
Because of rigor mortis.
 
This is what happens when you raise children playing Smash Bros.
Breaking character here: I'm 33 year old and still prefer the dpad, again... Or at least a statement I personally hold true "just because it's obsolete, doesn't mean it doesn't work. Dpad will continue to be useful in gaming but not en mass.

You bring up Smash bros which is one of the few exceptions: it's a fighter, with wide player base (can be played both casual and pro) and very much relies on the D pad.

However, it not only relies on just a dpad, but a specific controller, the GameCube controller layout. Like the adoption of hit boxes and arcade sticks, Smash too replies on a niche controller both from a casual player and pro. Thus further implies that a dpad, which ideal for fighters, not needed for mass gamers.
 

hinch7

Member
I'd like it if controllers evolved somewhat. The Steam Decks haptic trackpad feels so good and intuitive to use. For most modern titles, its replaced the D-pad in all but beat'em ups. Also allows for way more programmability than just 4 functions.
 
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Larxia

Member
Can't beat a good d-pad!
Playstation does them the best these days.

Xbox really need to sort theirs out.
I think the Xbox Series d-pad is fantastic. It's really a shame that it's SOOOO loud, it kind of ruin it, but the precision is perfect, I find it a lot better than the dualsense d-pad, outside of the noise obviously. If you don't want accuracy and want something more silent, then playstation is better.
 
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cireza

Banned
I'm saying the minority of casual players that do play fighters (which is probably a minority within itself given that most fighters are not designed for casual in mind, there's are exceptions) do not warrant for the majority of players who don't play for dpad to be implemented into mass manufactured controllers when something like a touch could be implemented.
Are you aware that the d-pad can be useful in other games than fighting games ?
 
(was anticipating the reaction) Majority, minority, and the extreme,.

No. Not everyone who plays fighting aims to be pro. Only an extreme amount of gamers play fighter at pro level, the minority play casually. But the majority don't play fighter at all.

I'm saying the minority of casual players that do play fighters (which is probably a minority within itself given that most fighters are not designed for casual in mind, there's are exceptions) do not warrant for the majority of players who don't play for dpad to be implemented into mass manufactured controllers when something like a touch could be implemented.
There is literally no problem with a D-pad being present. You're just making a mountain out of a molehill here.
 
I see no downside. Its crucial for menus, 2d games, or 4 additional input item slots.

The big thing missing is universal gyro an a standard option.
 

Ansphn

Member
I will have to disagree. It's still used in fighting games and for other games it's used as the inventory, quick change button.
 
D-pads were always obsolete, they were only included because competitors saw a popular console have it and wanted to make consumers they wanted to come to their console not feel like they were being alienated and comfortable transitioning over.

They were never good for precise control that low-joy sticks or flat pads (which worked almost the exact same as D-pads anyway) were. They were useless for multi directional free-movement games too, and 3D in many cases.

However, it's become expected to have on gamepads so it will be there, but my issue is they have barely been improved upon in years, and in some cases are getting worse. Seem like companies are just throwing them in as bare minimum.
 

Dorago

Member
Devil's Advocate

The steam controller was ahead of its time.

A while the shoulder buttons have evolved for relevancy alongside driving and shooting games (analog and 3d rumble) , the D pad and its keyboard like membrane has all been abandon by its most implemented genre, fighting games.

Because most fighting games have become more technical, the main bulk of fighting game players have set aside d pad In favor of hit boxes and gone back to arcade sticks.

This isn't to say all fighting games players have left dpads, but fighters have become so niche, that the players that do use them do not warrant traditional controllers to have them every generation.

This also isn't to say fighting game is the only genre where a dpad is useful. However, genres like 2D platformer and a vast majority of indie or pixel games, as simple as the D pad is, do not need a traditional d pad whereas as..... Touch based pad could be used instead.





Nice bait. D-pad is almost universally used as a quick menu in modern (read PS3 era and later) 3D games. It is also used for every PS1 and earlier game and for all fighting games. The best d-pad ever is probably the SNES controller followed by the Saturn controller. There aren't any modern or repro controllers that match the SNES quality but the Retrobit Saturn controller is very close.

A truly obsolete input would be the arcade cab dial which was last seen on Capcom's ill fated forgotten worlds. The dial offered extremely precise single axis control at the cost of speed. The Atari 2600's packed in paddle controllers actually offered an upgrade to the dial with a larger wheel and lest tension to turn. This made control must faster at the cost of some precision. Play a game of Super Breakout or Rampart and you'll find a fluidity of control that cannot be matched on anything today.

Another obsolete input is the weighted trackball. Centipede and Missile Command were well known for having these in the arcade. Home conversions utilized conventional controls to the detriment of speed and shall we say manual feedback. The accuracy of the trackball could be high but it took considerable practice to achieve this. Once you got good though you could deposit your character exactly where you wanted on screen with a simple flick of the wrist.

Both of these control scheme's are lost to time now not because of their lack of precsion or accuracy but because of their cost to manufacture and upkeep as well as their lack of utility in for instance platforming games. I was very heartened to learn that the Steam Controller would have a simulated trackball as a control option when it was coming out. When I got the controller it wasn't exactly what I expected due to the concave track surface and lack of momentum but the clicking sensation did get it close. Imagine having a weight you cant feel but after you've moved it you can accurately sense it perturbations in the air. This sounds complicated but serves as a reasonable facsimile of the real trackball experience.
 
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