How you hold your NES controller

[Ghaleon]

Something reminded me way back in the days when the NES was spiffy and new. I would hold it like I assume everyone else did, with my right hand wrapped around the back of the controller, and my thumb pushing A and B. But my brother as well as someone else living with me at the time would hold it so their thumb was at the back, and they used their fingers to tap the A and B button.  I'm just curious if anybody else ever did this, or if only I had the privilege of seeing people hold their controller like that >=P

[Bananamatic]

their thumb was at the back, and they used their fingers to tap the A and B button.

Didn't that hurt?

I have a weird keyboard layout for touhou myself as I'm left handed....but that's all :V

[Kuma]

What's an "NES"?

[neight]

Depending on the game, I've held the NES controller in a similar manner like your brother.  I found it was easier using my fingers instead of my thumbs for games that required rapid button mashing (such as Track and Field).

But for non button mashing games, I held the controller in the "traditional" manner 

[Ghaleon]

Didn't that hurt?

It sure as hell felt uncomfortable for me.

I remember though that my thumb really hurt (my left one though) after playing rad racer. Holding up most of the time really wore it down, ick.

[Tinari]

I held it in the typical, "Fingers on back, thumbs for the buttons" style.

But I knew a girl once back in the day who held the controller spun upside down.  She'd use the right hand for movement and left hand for A and B.  It was really weird.

[Aisha]

I held it the normal way. Although it's possible that I switched to how your brother held it, depending on what the game demanded--it's been a depressingly long time, so I can't really remember.

I've heard of people laying their PS2 controllers down flat and using them like an arcade control panel. I tried it once but I think my fingers were too big.

[dustyjo]

I hold it the same way you hold the SNES controller, thumb on front, 3 fingers on back and one on top.

[Cadmas]

Hehe rectangle controller has there ever been another system with one?
I hold mine like a normal person would.

On my keyboard I can't press Ctrl to crouch so I use Cap lock or Shift.

[Matsuri]

I hold it the same way you hold the SNES controller, thumb on front, 3 fingers on back and one on top.

Yup, same here.

Don't get me started on how I hold N64 controllers though. That's a whole different story :V

[Aisha]

Yup, same here.

Don't get me started on how I hold N64 controllers though. That's a whole different story :V

Go for it.

[Bananamatic]

Yup, same here.

Don't get me started on how I hold N64 controllers though. That's a whole different story :V

I've started up my N64 after a few years 2 days ago, and the controller almost doesn't fit into my hand when I use the stick :V

[Matsuri]

Go for it.

I took a picture a long time ago. Had to dig through my Photobucket to find it again



That's how I hold it with my left hand. My right hand holds it normally, and has access to the Z button on the back.

The N64 controller was so fucking stupid :V

[Gpop]

People had so many ways to hold the N64 controller. I held the middle handle with my left hand, and the right handle on my right.

I had a friend who used his left hand on the left handle though. He had to stretch his thumb a lot though.

[dustyjo]

That's how I hold it with my left hand. My right hand holds it normally, and has access to the Z button on the back.

What the fuck :V


I must be the only person in the world that actually likes the N64 controller.

[Aisha]

Haha that's just weird.

I held it the "normal" way, and it was really difficult to get at the D-pad with your left hand on the middle...prong.

[Cadmas]

Back when I played the N64 my hands would always hurt after playing because it was too large for my hands.

[Matsuri]

In my defense, my hands were smaller back when I was a kid, too, but dammit, I had godlike control over that lousy joystick.

[shadowbringer]

perhaps in a similar fashion of how I would hold my old Game Boy: Thumbs for the buttons, and the index fingers would be stretched out, some times. The GB control did hurt the base of my left thumb

[dustyjo]

Haha that's just weird.

I held it the "normal" way, and it was really difficult to get at the D-pad with your left hand on the middle...prong.

None of the games I played ever really used the D-Pad.

[Janitor Morgan]

I must be the only person in the world that actually likes the N64 controller.

That makes two of us.

[Lloyd Dunamis]

I only shift to that style of handling when I need alternate rapid button mashing or when my thumb is weary or when I'm lying on my stomach. This only applies to my right hand though. Pressing the D-pad by the left-hand fingers, I do only when the game doesn't require much moving around.

And this:

laying their PS2 controllers down flat and using them like an arcade control panel.

I apply that weird controller handling on portables as well (especially DS. Thumbs up for top screen)

[Esoterica]

I held it in the typical, "Fingers on back, thumbs for the buttons" style.

[Generalguy]

But I knew a girl once back in the day who held the controller spun upside down.  She'd use the right hand for movement and left hand for A and B.  It was really weird.

That's what I do. The buttons being higher when held backwards makes it MUCH easier on my fingers when I need to use them, because of the way I hold the controller. I started playing at 3, and at that age it really makes a difference. Also, I felt using the D-pad was easier with my right hand. The controls being inverted doesn't really affect me at all.

Tried it with Super Mario World once, but the B button was on top so it didn't go too well.

[Letty Whiterock]

I hold controllers the way they're meant to be held. Any other way is dumb.

[Grand Octopus]

Cannot unsee the rabbit.

On topic, I hold all controllers normally, though I used to use a spoon for button-mashing in the N64 Mario Party games.

[M. Burusu]

I held my controller the standard way (this statement applies to not only my NES controller but also my SNES controller and N64 controller), though there recently was one thing I did odd with my N64 controller (which I hold left-hand-on-middle-prong-right-hand-on-right-prong) . . .

Remember those minigames in Mario Party (the original one) that had copious amounts of spinning-the-joystick (Tug-of-War, Pedal Power, etc. etc.)? Controller was held by the middle prong and the palm of my right hand applied to the joystick.

Just add "wax on" ad infinitum and the only one that ever gave me problems was Tug-of-War (because let's face it, the AI for that minigame is overpowered at any setting).