Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
It’s a debate that’s been raging since consoles gained two analog sticks, but it’s still a hot topic even today – are asymmetrical or symmetrical controls the best?
The latter is how you will find many of the most popular controls, especially since it is so Sony he uses them on his DualSense controller for PS5, but many will undoubtedly point to the offset sticks of an Xbox Wireless Controller or a Nintendo Switch Pro Controller as the “correct” mode only because of the two companies that adopt it.
In all honesty, most of this will come down to personal preference, but that’s not to say there aren’t subtle, and weak, benefits to each. Although in our minds, any controller that does the job is the one you should use. Let’s dive into it.
Symmetric vs. Asymmetric Controller: Performance and Use Cases
There’s a good chance your console (or platforms history) will inform your choice here. If you play on PS5 and have played the latest Sony consoles, you will probably be stuck with symmetrical controls that have both sticks towards the bottom of the pad.
Xbox fans, especially those who have been playing since the Xbox 360 days, will probably take the opposite approach, appreciating the offset sticks to help form the divide between movement and aiming or camera control. And hey, if there were no arguments for both layouts, we’d be in a world where we only have one usable layout, and that’s no fun for anyone.
Nintendo, despite being the pioneer of the analog stick in the N64 days (it can’t be symmetrical if you only have one!), has apparently fallen to the side of Xbox after the symmetrical sticks for the Wii U. It’s not just the Joy sticks -Con offset from each other, but the built-in controllers of the Switch Lite and the thumbsticks of the Pro Controller follow the same pattern.
Offset sticks are more comfortable because the left stick is right where your thumb would expect if you were holding a standard pad with both hands (try to think of the classic PS1 controller that had no sticks).
On the right side, the face buttons have long been more important than the second analog stick in previous console generations, but we have somewhat adapted over time to use our thumb to jump between the right stick and the buttons of the face
Some argue that having two sticks in a symmetrical position is “unnatural” for the common hand, but in preparation for this article, I asked half a dozen people, who do not play games, if they prefer the sticks to be in. the same place or not.
It seems for users who do not play games, it only makes sense to have parallels – which means that Sony could be on to something when it comes to getting newcomers into its ecosystem. Five out of six people in my super scientific survey said that they preferred to learn to play on a Dualsense simply because it made more sense that the sticks are in the same place on each side of the controller.
It is also worth noting that there is no “one size fits all” design, that is, depending on accessibility issues, you can always gravitate towards a third-party symmetrical option on Xbox, or asymmetrical on PS5. Or, one of the growing number of modular controls could be a means to make the best fit for you to have choice and flexibility.
In my research to cover this topic, I couldn’t find any evidence anywhere of anyone having a particular need for a stick setup in any game genre, but many esports Pros who don’t play on the PC tend to use offset stick pads.
Before you consider jumping on Team Offset, it’s worth noting that the Xbox’s lineage as a first-person shooter console probably played a big part in this, meaning that pros stick to what they feel most comfortable with.
Symmetric vs. Asymmetric Controller: Price and Value
There’s an element of nature versus nurture, then, and you’ll probably go back to whatever format you think works best for you.
Luckily, it’s getting easier to mix things up. For one, there are controls that literally swap your entire thumbstick so you can change its position around, like the Thrustmaster eSwap X2 controller and the Winner for the BFG.
This means that you can have the best of both worlds, which is particularly welcome if you play on PC, can’t decide in general, or have developed particular preferences for particular types of games.
Some argue that offset pads tend to have worse d-pads because the direction buttons tend to be placed in a smaller space, but I feel that it is definitely better in recent years, at least with the first part options. Sony has always been pretty consistent, but the Xbox 360 controllers had a d-pad that felt like pushing rubber down the sink, which might have put people off.
It’s also worth noting that Xbox and PlayStation both now offer “Pro” adjacent controllers with the Xbox Elite Series 2 Wireless Controller and Dualsense Edge. With customizable paddles and interchangeable sticks, there is no option to swap the position of the stick, suggesting that both are attached to their guns. These high-level features also come with higher prices, which means there’s an awful lot of difference between buying a standard controller and opting for a “Pro”.
Symmetric vs. asymmetric controller: verdict
There really isn’t a winner with stick position on symmetrical or asymmetrical pads. If you are new to the game, you will find yourself either waiting for symmetrical sticks (probably) or naturally adjusting your hand to whatever is on offer. The introduction of modular controllers opens up the choice a bit more now, but it will set you back and are generally aimed at those looking for more premium and customizable pads.
