A Discussion on how you use your Dual Shock 2 Controller

  • Thread starter Thread starter ActiveMatx
  • 131 comments
  • 9,293 views
Wow I love this thread 👍 👍 It validates what I have felt alls along. You don't 'HAVE TO' use dual sticks to be fast... Taking one look at my friend F310B confirms that much. (He's a certified Gold Junkie. :))

Intellectually, I know that analog travel (sticks; triggers) is better than trying to manage pressure-sensitive buttons, and I agree with T5-R that in a perfect world the DS2 would have triggers. :grumpy: Oh well.
 
I used to steer with the analog stick, gas/brake with the buttons(analog). After while, my left thumb would get tired, so I started using the D-Pad. I've been using D-Pad and the buttons since.
 
I use a DF wheel for the missions, licenses, and very hard races for the most part. I use the DS2 the rest of the time and use the direction pad and buttons. Obviously that doesn't work great on high HP race cars as a direction pad press can cause a huge change in movement and the buttons aren't great for partial braking/accelerating, but like I said, I don't use it for anything that is hard.
 
It depends on the car to me. If its too sensitive in turnin I'll use the D-pad and lightly tap to turn. But if i feel its really comfortable and smooth I'll use the Analog. On the other hand, when I'm bored I use BOTH the analog to not bored myself.

BUTTTTTTTT.... I may have lied because I use the control randomly and usually never notice it until I crash m car and realize why do I suck? SO I look at the very hand that controls the car... That I'm not at my comfortable driving stance for that certain car =P

I'm weird eh?


-BTW I didn't vote because there's no "I use everything at random times" Choice.
 
F310B
D-pad and buttons. I also left-foot brake a fair bit. If you have a DS2 and use analogue for acceleration/brake, you cannot left foot brake and by definition that is an inferior technique for racing. You will be limiting yourself.

Strictly speaking, I would say the 'best' way to use a DS2 would be analogue for steering, buttons for brake/throttle.
Click to expand...


totally agreed.. and its too difficult to use the right-stick when you're using manual gears - stretches your hand way too much. I used to use the D-pad, but i find you cannot correct oversteer as well with it (in GT2/3 anyway - havent tried in GT4 yet) - once I used analogue steering, never went back. And left-foot braking gives such an advantage in GT4.. i knocked 0.4secs of B-2 just by doing it once. :dopey:

The steering wheel may be all well and good, but if you've nowhere to put it, no money and want to do the dirt/snow races without being a professional rally driver, i just wouldnt bother.
 
I'm left analog stick, R-1 gas, L-1, brake. Does anyone know if there is a good analog trigger style (like the XBOX controller) for the PS2?
 
d-pad, buttons and automatic :dopey: I have a GT force wheel though, but nowhere to set it up (my table is too low)... I tried it a couple of times and found that I could steer a lot better, but I was having a hard time with the pedals because of my driving position. So until I can afford/build a cockpit I'm sticking with the pad.

The new engine in GT4 makes it a little harder to use the d-pad especially with the LMP cars, but I manage.. I tried using the sticks a bit too, but they seem slow and awkward to me. I can get a lot of control with the gas and brake buttons too, I have no problems modulating the gas at almost any percentage (TCS off for anything but LMPs and high power FFs). Just gotta be light on the touch ;)

If I suddenly get rich, I'll probably go DFP and manual all the way though. Tried a good wheel and stick shifter on a PC earlier and found it a lot easier to drive fast through twisty tracks.

For me, it's wheel > d-pad > any stick combo
 
Using pad and buttons, kinda have to.
My controler has er... ehm... dropped a few to many times, and the sticks are a bit... sticky.
They often don't completly autocenter if I leave em alone and the last thing I want is speeding down the straight at a gazillion miles an hour and have the car suddendly pull to the right :scared:
 
Impreza04
Both analog sticks, have done ever since i played GT2 with a wheel.
It gives me far more control, i can 't use the buttons otherwise I suck.
Click to expand...
I dont know how anyone can race well without the analog sticks, no throttle or steering control at all, its terrible.
 
gsavill90
I dont know how anyone can race well without the analog sticks, no throttle or steering control at all, its terrible.
Click to expand...

IMO the buttons and pad give great control if you're a bit gentle, and they're more responsive than the sticks too. I agree that the steering can be a bit twitchy in cars with insane steering response (only LMP cars have given me any attitude), but in general, light tapping/brushing on the d-pad turns out pretty smooth (it seems that GT4 turns the wheels at a certain speed, so tapping the d-pad softly makes it keep the wheels at a certain angle. I've studied the behaviour of the front wheels in replays, and it seems to work this way). There's a slight and pretty unnoticeable wobble, but for me it's working great.
 
DFP when I can be bothered to get it out and set the damn thing up (wife and kids moan if I leave it set up), still the best set-up for me, and gives me the most enjoyment.

The rest of the time I use the DS2, left stick for steering and buttons for throttle and brakes, but I do set them up a bit different.

[] = Throttle
* = Brake

With this set up you can use the throttle with the tip of your thumb and 'left-foot' brake at the same time with the pad of you thumb. I did try using the right stick, but the inability to throttle and brake at the same time drove me mad.

Manual gears and in-car view all the time for me, manual (both DFP and DS2) gives far more car control and makes a big difference to me in GT4, particularly on the courses with steep elavation changes.

In-car I find allows me to see the apex of a corner much earlier and easier.
 
Ske
IMO the buttons and pad give great control if you're a bit gentle, and they're more responsive than the sticks too. I agree that the steering can be a bit twitchy in cars with insane steering response (only LMP cars have given me any attitude), but in general, light tapping/brushing on the d-pad turns out pretty smooth (it seems that GT4 turns the wheels at a certain speed, so tapping the d-pad softly makes it keep the wheels at a certain angle. I've studied the behaviour of the front wheels in replays, and it seems to work this way). There's a slight and pretty unnoticeable wobble, but for me it's working great.
Click to expand...

I guess it because back in the days of Colin Mcrae rally 1 on the PlayStation1 i was tought to use the analog sticks. I've just grown up with it.
 
buttons dont really give you an advantage do they??

analog sticks are easier for me as, if i want to turn a certain angle i just keep the stick in that position or do a slow motion to keep the speed up.

and i don't understand how you can get a numb thumb from an analog stick...

hope my post made sense..
 
slomo
D-pad & Buttons using the "tap method"

I guess i'm old-school
Click to expand...

eh, nothing wrong with that.
my fingers get really sore from using d-pad so i convereted to both analogues and manual, but changed my controls to my spec, cos normal manul stretches your fingers too much.
 
My wife bought me a Logitech Wireless. It is the same basic shape and configuration as the DS2.
I have it and my DS2's set with the throtle on R1 and the Brake on L1.
I drive with the left stick.
I don't know of many others that use this particular set-up.
But the shoulder buttons have more "travel" than the X and the Square, giving me finer control over the brake and gas.
I don't use the Right stick, because it's either all gas or all brake. Sometimes it is advantageous to be on the gas and just tap the brakes.

I'm a bit miffed that you can't set the shifter to the right stick. I was gonna go back to manual trans with GT4. But PD messed up my ability to use the easiest (for me) method.
If I was a lefty, I would just reverse the buttons, and use the left stick for the shifter.
 
I use both analog sticks. Mission halls, races and licenses would be so much harder without it, but maybe it's just me. I bet it's still possilbe.
 
gsavill90
I dont know how anyone can race well without the analog sticks, no throttle or steering control at all, its terrible.
Click to expand...

The buttons on the DS2 are pressure sensitive, are you sure its not the regular dual shock?

I use both sticks but sometimes switch to buttons for throttle/brake control. Dont know why, I just do.
 
Analogue to steer and buttons for me in GT4. In GT3, I used the D-pad to steer and swore that I would never touch the analogue sticks, but they seem to work a little better in GT4. I still can't tell which one I'm faster with though.
 
Left stick for steering and x/square for gas/brake for me. I can see how many people would find the x/square buttons tricky to use, but if you've played Richard Burns Rally then you'll know what tricky really means! The sensitivity required in GT4 is a piece of cake compared to that.
 
yeah... I use the analog sticks and R2 for upshift and L2 for downshift... I did the directional and x buttons for a while in GT2. Then, I switched when my copusin taught me. Yay!
 

Latest Posts

Back