• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Poll: D-pad or Analog stick when in a menu?

To scroll and select stuff in menus with a controller, do you use the D-pad or the analog stick?


  • Total voters
    133

kyliethicc

Member
Lets find out who the real sick fucks on here are.

If you pick analog stick, then you are a degenerate human being. You frighten me.

Just messing around. This all for fun, just a joke. Not trying to insult anyone.

But really, cut that shit out.

why are you the way that you are GIF
 
Last edited:

llLeonhart

Gold Member
D-Pad any day. Some games, (like Darksiders 2) almost made me quit because menus only work on Analog stick.

What kind of horrible person do you have to be to make such an evil design decision?
 

DunDunDunpachi

Patient MembeR
D-Pad for sure.

I especially hate menus with a simulated "mouse cursor" where you have to highlight a selection and press-and-hold to select. Tons of games this past gen began using that. No Man's Sky and Destiny were the first major ones I noticed.
 
Why is the poll anonymous? We need to see the animals who use the analog sticks in the menu.
Instant permanent bans!

We may want to contact Google/Facebook/twitter/Amazon to pressure them to ban them from their platforms as well! Uniting against these 'people' is what should put an end to the great console wars, I would not be surprised if PC gamers would join forces given the seriousness of the moment.

💥 ALL GAMERS UNITED AGAINST THE THREAT OF THE MENU ANALOG STICKERS 💥
 

Haemi

Member
I depends. If the menu has a lot of selectable stuff, an analog stick that controls a mouse pointer is faster. If the menu has just a few options, i prefer a d-pad.
 

Jeeves

Member
D-pad more often than not, but sometimes I might use the control stick, especially if the controller has a shitty d-pad (I never use the d-pad in Gamecube menus for example).
 

GymWolf

Member
Stick on a M controller
Dpad on a sony controller


Like most things, is a matter of location location location.
 
Last edited:

Kuranghi

Member
Clearly its situational you diametric heathens:

Dpad
* If its a settings menu with a list of toggleable options then the dpad because holding down on a stick and going slightly left or right by mistake might rapidly toggle through options without you noticing because its scrolling so fast.
* If its arrray-like menu where you move in cardinal directions then most likely the dpad there because using the stick may make you do diagonal movements that make navigation slower because its less reliable.

Stick
* If its a skill/upgrade menu where the options are placed at different distances and angles to each other then using the stick can give you major shortcuts to different options that would've taken many more clicks on a dpad.
* I've lost interest in this post, got sidetracked... a radial menu?
 

TheAssist

Member
Those red pointing sticks old laptops

Everything else is for plebs

no, but for real, I use my steel batallion controller
 
Last edited:

TheUsual

Gold Member
Really dislike Ubisoft approach with the analog stick on main menus lately. Namely Assassin's Creed Origins and Immortals Fenyx Rising. D-Pad would just be more responsive and snappy.
 
Last edited:

kunonabi

Member
D-pad. Only other viable options are touch, IR pointer, or mouse and even then I still usually go back to dpad unless there is a legit gameplay advantage to the other methods.
 

M1chl

Currently Gif and Meme Champion
D-pad, I like that Series d-pad, it's clicky as my Cherry Mx-Blue switches

Which I use when GF is not in vicinity of those -clacks-
 

Soodanim

Member
D-pad, I like that Series d-pad, it's clicky as my Cherry Mx-Blue switches

Which I use when GF is not in vicinity of those -clacks-
Nothing puts me off a controller quicker than noisy clicks. I don’t know why people like them. If I wanted to know if I pressed a button or not I’d look at the screen.

Oh, and I use a d-pad, because I’m civilised.
 
Last edited:

M1chl

Currently Gif and Meme Champion
Nothing puts me off a controller quicker than noisy clicks. I don’t know why people like them. If I wanted to know if I pressed a button or not I’d look at the screen.
I like it, it's satisfying. Mx Blues are really great for typing in my opinion, it's only way I don't have to look on keyboard.

And well for Series controller, It's not much about clicks, rather the feedback.
 

Soodanim

Member
I like it, it's satisfying. Mx Blues are really great for typing in my opinion, it's only way I don't have to look on keyboard.

And well for Series controller, It's not much about clicks, rather the feedback.
I think it’s the travel time that makes the difference. When I press R1 on any controller, I’ve bottomed out immediately because they’re designed for presses in quick succession. I think I actually like the tactile feedback less on a d-pad because it’s an 8 way thing you can roll around with your thumb, and the mess of clicks is just a distraction.

I don’t know what the Series controller is like, but audible clicks from a controller when I’m trying to listen to the game are a pain (I’d use my Steam Controller a lot more if they were quiet). I don’t know how people game on MX Blues.
 
Last edited:

ethomaz

Banned
Depend of the game menu.

Destiny and GTS are better with stick.
Normal menus with D-PAD.

Even so most game I will use the stick just because it is a more comfortable position on PS consoles.

PS. Write text in PS is faster with sticks too.
 
Last edited:

M1chl

Currently Gif and Meme Champion
I think it’s the travel time that makes the difference. When I press R1 on any controller, I’ve bottomed out immediately because they’re designed for presses in quick succession. I think I actually like the tactile feedback less on a d-pad because it’s an 8 way thing you can roll around with your thumb, and the mess of clicks is just a distraction.

I don’t know what the Series controller is like, but audible clicks from a controller when I’m trying to listen to the game is a pain. I don’t know how people game on MX Blues.
I don't game on MX Blues, it's just for work stuff, I am programmer, I write a lot of words, characters/per day.

It's just a preference probably I am sure that some people are not going to like it and good thing they can use the X1 controller instead.
 

ethomaz

Banned
Clearly its situational you diametric heathens:

Dpad
* If its a settings menu with a list of toggleable options then the dpad because holding down on a stick and going slightly left or right by mistake might rapidly toggle through options without you noticing because its scrolling so fast.
* If its arrray-like menu where you move in cardinal directions then most likely the dpad there because using the stick may make you do diagonal movements that make navigation slower because its less reliable.

Stick
* If its a skill/upgrade menu where the options are placed at different distances and angles to each other then using the stick can give you major shortcuts to different options that would've taken many more clicks on a dpad.
* I've lost interest in this post, got sidetracked... a radial menu?
What stick are you using that doesn't go down in a straight line? I mean the DS4 and Dual Sense sticks are pretty accurate in choose menus without slightly go left or right by mistake.

BTW writing text with stick is faster and feels I like Swipe on Android phones.
 
Last edited:
D-Pad for sure.

I especially hate menus with a simulated "mouse cursor" where you have to highlight a selection and press-and-hold to select. Tons of games this past gen began using that. No Man's Sky and Destiny were the first major ones I noticed.

I really don't understand why games have that beyond laziness. Fenyx has it as well and I fucking hate it. Make menu nav way too cumbersome.
 
If you use the analog stick, you might be a serial killer.
It might have something to do with the younger generation. I had my younger brother play some old games that didn't have the analog stick as an option to navigate the menus and he was baffled by the concept. I made him play Crash N.Sane Trilogy with the d-pad and he understood why I like it so much with the d-pad, he thought it to be more precise than the analogs.
 

ethomaz

Banned
Why is the poll anonymous? We need to see the animals who use the analog sticks in the menu.
🙋‍♂️

Due the position I basically only use D-Pad on fighting games (most due the timing... on stick I need to go all the way to left while in D-Pad is a small hit on left button works).
 
Last edited:

dcx4610

Member
D-pad for anything that requires precision. Analogue for 3D controls only.

I do think it depends on your age though. People that didn't grow up with d-pads (they are out there now), I've noticed rarely use the d-pad for anything.
 

Kuranghi

Member
What stick are you using that doesn't go down in a straight line? I mean the DS4 and Dual Sense sticks are pretty accurate in choose menus without slightly go left or right by mistake.

BTW writing text with stick is faster and feels I like Swipe on Android phones.

It's only been in a few games really, not a big problem. I think it happens because the devs translate the analogue input in such a way that any X-axis input no matter how small causes a left or right press, so now I just use dpad in menus as a precaution. It was happening in the Destroy All Humans! Remake on PC, as a recent example.
 

Jubenhimer

Member
Depends on what mood I'm in. Sticks are convenient for when you don't want to shift your thumb around the controller. But a D-Pad is usually faster and more precise.
 
Top Bottom