The thumb and/or palm sits on the outside, top, or inside of the handle. The palm faces upward, inward, or downward. There are many ways in which different players hold the joystick. Many players prefer a layout slanted a bit clockwise (usually about 10 degrees) because their hand and fingers slant while in a comfortable position, and rows of buttons can be closer together when they are a bit staggered it is often quicker to move fingers between rows when they are slanted. For most hands, when the whole base of the palm rests on a flat surface, the hand twists to face more inward and fingers angle toward the inside.Ī horizontal distance of about 5.9, 6.3, or 9.5 centimeters between the middle of the joystick and the middle of the leftmost button are common standards. Most players use straight or near-straight elbows with the hands at about half the spacing of the shoulders, lightly slanting them on the panel. This will determine the angle of the button layout and the spacing between the buttons and joystick. This is affected most by how much the player usually bends elbows and wrists, and how close hands are from one another while playing, and how much the hand twists with its palm resting level on a flat surface. Buttons running in arches instead of even rows can be slightly less intuitive, but anatomy and some training more than make up for this.Ĭonsider the angle at which each hand will best rest for play on the panel. Unless you have a unique hand, aligning buttons with your naturally set fingertips will form an arch. Buttons meant for the index finger should be set lower than corresponding ones meant for the middle finger. The middle finger sticks out and the pinky is short. Fingers do not line up horizontally in a nice row. Given the shape of the human hand, buttons should also be rowed in arches. This common poor layout is another reason Americans tend not to complete well in fighting games. Often when you see players using this panel, they are pressing every button with their index and middle finger when the index finger should cover the first column, the middle the second, and the ring the third. The fingers have to make unnecessary adjustment to suit the panel when the panel should suit the fingers. The American standard over-spaced 3x2 setup (which is a standard in many other places) is intuitive, but is not a good example of an accessible layout. When determining how to line up buttons side-by-side, consider both the intuition of the mind and the shape of the hand. About 36mm or 39mm is a common standard spacing between button rows. Keep in mind also that there is a large plunger face on standard buttons and centering the fingertips on every button is not entirely necessary. If a player would be more comfortable with less spacing, smaller buttons should be considered. With 24mm buttons, the minimum distance is more like 29mm. About 36mm-36.5mm is a common standard spacing between 30mm button centers. So for Sanwa and Seimitsu 30mm screw-in buttons, the minimum distance between centers is 35mm-36mm. The minimum space between the center of each button is equal to the largest diameter along the button device. If these installations are going to make for a fragile panel, either consider more spacing or, much preferably, a stronger panel. The panel has to withstand having these holes and buttons installed. For example, Sanwa and Seimitsu 30mm screw-in buttons have tops 33mm-34mm wide and nuts 35mm-36mm wide, so their holes need to have at least 10mm-12mm of panel between them (thinner standard Seimitsu nuts work for both). The top and securing parts of the buttons are wider than the holes in which they fit. Some essential things to consider are the structural constraints of the devices and panel. You have more than one finger, so use them. Remember, this supported panel is an advantage over the thumb-pressed control pad. Buttons should not be spaced beyond a relaxed distance comfortable to the player's hand. The buttons should be spaced proportioned to active fingertips so the fingers can rest across them and type like using multiple fingers on a keyboard. Even if you do not plan on making your own layout, you can learn to assess what will most likely work for you. One of the main advantages of building a custom joystick controller is being able to determine your own layout. This section discusses the goals in choosing or making a layout.
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