#564

The Most Comfortable Way to Hold a 3DS

Released: May 09, 2014

Artist & Writer

Matthew Taranto

@TriforceBun

Creator Notes:

I’ve been wanting to do a comic on this for awhile.

Nintendo’s had a weird focus on making the A button on a diamond-shaped (i.e. SNES-style) layout the primary button. During the SNES days, this wasn’t the case; games like DKC and Mario World would have you running by holding Y, and tapping B, while Square’s games always stood out to me for having the far-right A be the confirm button (and B being cancel).

Since the Wii’s classic controller, though (and extending to the 3DS), they pretty much go back to this awkward A/B layout every time, including in the new Kirby game. I think it’s to keep the button names consistent across platforms, but the B/A configuration on the NES controller is clearly the equivalent of the Y/B configuration on the SNES, because of the way your thumb is angled.

Now, this strip exaggerates the curvature of one’s thumb a bit, but even so, the most comfortable way I can play games like this is by having my thumb sit on the edge between both buttons, and “rocking” back and forth–and this just doesn’t feel all that great.

So amidst people clamoring for Nintendo to make more “hardcore” games, I just would like them to go back to the way Super Mario World controlled already!

-By Matthew