A Discussion on how you use your Dual Shock 2 Controller

  • Thread starter Thread starter ActiveMatx
  • 131 comments
  • 9,293 views
Crayola
Now that I sue both sticks I can drift so incredibly much better.
Click to expand...


I just cannot use 2 sticks... my left hand is moving one left-to-right, and my right hand is trying to move the other up-n-down. The brain gets horrifically confused, especially as the natural movement of your thumb on the controller is left-to-right... anyway, I can modulate throttle on the X-button quite nicely, so I have no worry.

I will never understand the D-pad drivers tho... I saw a video of one - the car was always jerking around; I thought smooth was quicker... (and the video was a very quick lap too...:boggled:) I used to do it, but I found that you just cant correct oversteer with a D-pad in GT3... however, GT4 I find my "full opposite lock" approach sometimes results in tank-slappers, so I need to calm that I guess.
 
ive got a question about the specifics of using the X and [] buttons.....

do people use their finger to sort of jab the buttons one at a time or do they rest the length of their thumb on the buttons so that the tip is on the X button and the [] is under your knuckle [like me]??

throttle/brake modulation is easy on a DS2, you can get a nice smooth braking and acceleration into and out of corners. guess it just takes practice.

the only thing i cant do with the buttons is drift racing.... for that the wheel has to come out.
:)
 
whvn
ive got a question about the specifics of using the X and [] buttons.....

do people use their finger to sort of jab the buttons one at a time or do they rest the length of their thumb on the buttons so that the tip is on the X button and the [] is under your knuckle [like me]??

throttle/brake modulation is easy on a DS2, you can get a nice smooth braking and acceleration into and out of corners. guess it just takes practice.

the only thing i cant do with the buttons is drift racing.... for that the wheel has to come out.
:)
Click to expand...

Yes - the centre of my thumb rests on the X, with the tip on the square.

It gets a little sore after 4 hours... :D
 
Very sore. So sore i'll actually go into the "stab a single button with the tip of my thumb" for awhile while it recovers. Sometimes i even jump to the sticks to give my thumb a rest. Cant believe after all of this GT3 and GT4 that my thumb hasnt built up a tolerance....
 
i did the nurburgring 24hr A-SPEC!!!! with the X and []

the most severe case of RSI EVER!!!

i would have used the wheel but once i get a certain level of stoned a cant drive properly anymore so its best just to stick with the buttons.
:dopey:
 
I have total forgotten about the d-pad.....and i only use my buttons to R(rarely do tho)---Its all analog and shoulders for me bud
 
Dual sticks, manual. Since GT1. Any racing game that doesn't let me use this configuration annoys me immensely. I get a sore thumb on the buttons, but not sticks. Xbox style triggers are good in theory, but that means we don't get manual shifting where we want it (shoulder buttons) and you get very tired fingers holding the accelerator trigger in for ages. I have to alternate between using my middle and index finger for the throttle in any Xbox racer...
I can play GT4 comfortably for ever.
 
JBR-Man
I use directional and buttons.

This is why Enthusia and NFSU are a total Garbage Can.

No, i will NOT learn to use that, The game needs to be ergonomic. They forgot that many people suffers from injuries in muscular system because of writing, typing, playing guitars or mounting things with hard screws.

Dumb people of EA and Konami.
Click to expand...

I agree. I was so looking forward to Enthusia but it uses analog only so I took it back. D-pad and buttons all the way baby! 👍
 
left thumb= analog stick, right thumb (or what is left of it after an endurance race) on ''X'' and and the brake...(and working on the change from AT to MT.....)
 
I use both analog sticks. Far and away easier to modulate your throttle roll in with the super high powered beasts with no TCS. I feel it also gives the closest sensation to pushing a gas pedal and a brake pedal.
 
Interesting thread, whatever some people may have thought...

I switched from buttons for throttle/brake to right analogue stick this weekend, then came across this thread - should've searched earlier!

It only took me half an hour or so to become comfortable with it and it feels way better than using the buttons. Much smoother, much more control. It might feel a bit like rubbing your stomach and patting your head at first but suddenly it clicks. Might have to go back and try some 'left foot' braking tho' and see if I can shave a few tenths...

So, both analogue for me and I'd recommend anybody on buttons to try it!

PS Can't quite believe anybody is still playing with auto gearbox, surely manual is the only way to race???
 
I can't even imagine playing GT4 w/o analogue for throttle and brake. Precise throttle control seems so much more important in GT4 than any of the previous games.
 
iREVhi
WOw... I guess i'm part of the small breed who likes to use the stick and buttons.

I may try both sticks until i can get my hands on a DFP.

Great post though!
Click to expand...
You can still use the D-Pad , even if you use the left stick , this is great for learning to Drift & for tight 90s . The full lock is only a firm slam away ...
They don't allow pull-back acceleration on the RStick in 4 though , but ime becoming x10 cleverer with tapping & brushing the sensitive XButton :)
A wheel (DFP) is permanent human rights in a nutshell
koenigsegg.gif
 
when i played gt2, i used the buttons. then i remembered i had an old mad catz steering wheel. i pulled that out. it was a ***** to callibrate to my liking, but fun as hell when i got it right. finally got ps2 last summer after i graduated high school. got gt3, and pretty much only did the lisence tests (burnout 3 came out, then gta san an) but i did that with the buttons as well, realized it was too hard with the buttons to steer, and used the analog to steer. enter logitech wireless controller. the buttons suck on that thing (for gt4 anyway, they seem unresponsive, everything else they work fine with.) so i switched to full analog.

i just got a dfp on saturday. or friday. or someday. whenever...it was recent. it pretty much rules. i use 200 mode for race cars and higer powered cars, but for normal street cars i switch it over to full 900. i suck, but its a blast. ive got some wood from an old waterbed and some scrap 2x4s that are becoming a cockpit. haha.
 
I have been reading through this thread and it seems people seem to think that using both the sticks is the best way because there analogue. im not going to say its not the best way because i feel that the best way is whichever way you feel comfortable with

I personally use the left stick for steering and the buttons for acceleration/braking, but has everyody fogotten the buttons are actually analogue too? since gt3 i have used this method and i think i have become quite skilled at feathering the throttle using the buttons!

this thread led me to see if the stick does actually offer a smoother or a more variable increase in throttle. I found that i could make the car sit at any revs easyer with the buttons as i could with the stick, obviously this is because im used to using the buttons but the increase in rev's were roughly the same when pressure was increased on both the button and the stick. I also noticed that there seems to be about 5 or six increments of thottle based on preassure. What i mean by this is that i dont think the buttons or the sticks are not fully analogue they are just pressure sensitive to a set amount of factors like 20% of maximum movement, 40% of maximum movement etc etc

i think that the stick and the buttons offer the same accuracy its just a matter of personal preference and what you are used to. :)
 
Wow... thread resurrection, but a good one. I use the buttons for throttle and brake, but I occassionally switch to the stick if I'm driving a car with excessive wheelspin, but only when exiting corners. The right analog stick is good for smooth accelerator input and braking, but since I cadence brake and left-foot brake in real life, I can still get the same lap times with the buttons, even WHEN I don't switch to the stick for the take-off.

In real-life racing without ABS and traction control, you're often mashing pedals asynchronously to get the car through a particularly tricky corner... not something you can do intuitively with a stick, and not in the heat of the race. I experimented briefly with using the stick to throttle and a shoulder button to brake (they're also pressure sensitive) and I figure you get the best of both worlds with it. But it takes a lot of getting used to.
 
Lo!

I use the dpad a buttons, very good with the pressure-sensitivity thing, just can't get the hang of the analogs, can't afford a wheel either.

NOTE: if you're really into the pressure sensitivitym then don't buy non-ds2 controllers, they really lack in the sensitivity department. :sick:
 
I use the stick and the only thing I miss is left-foot braking, but as long as I can get golds from the licences this way I won't need it...
 
I started with d-pad and buttons in the GT. I switched to analog stick for steering in GT2 while still using the buttons for accelerator and brake. That remained constant in GT3 even though I could never master the pressure sensitive buttons. Thus, I had to use button tapping. Late in my GT3 cycle, I started trying to get all golds on the license tests. Trying maintain a constant speed in some of those difficult turns turns forced me to try the right stick for acceleration and gas. Since then, I have been comfortable with it. I went back and tried in GT and GT2 and realized what I had been missing. No more sore thumbs from staying on the accelerator for 15 laps at the Test Course!

I will give the d-pad the advantage in one area, instantaneous full steering lock. The analog stick seems to gradually get there.
 
MrGSCoTT
I will give the d-pad the advantage in one area, instantaneous full steering lock. The analog stick seems to gradually get there.
Click to expand...
It simulates turning the wheel like in real life as you probably can't turn the wheel lock to lock in a split-second. It also makes driving a bit smoother.
 
"its just a matter of personal preference and what you are used to"

Amen, Benjii. Nice to be able to have this discussion without someone saying "Stiks rool! Buttons are for butt-ons!" or suchlike.
 
If You Use Both Analog Sticks You Can Set The Controller Up To Have The Accelerator As The R1 Button. This Way You Can Left Foot Brake Or Heel And Toe If You So Desire. Much Easier Than Leaving The X-button As The Accel And Trying To Bend Your Finger In Some Non Human Way To Reach It And The Analog At The Same Time.
 
I always use the analog stick to steer, though my preference for throttle/brake control depends on the game and situation. Am I going to be holding down the throttle for most of the time, and/or for a very long time? (arcade games, especially the Tokyo Xtreme Racer series) Or am I going to need precise throttle and brake control? (Enthusia)

The reason why I use the sticks if I don't need precise control is that holding down the X button as hard as possible (to max out the analog for full acceleration) hurts my thumb. :lol:

In GT4 I use both sticks because its the lazy way to do it, and precise throttle/brake control won't change the fact that the game is unrealistic. So, I might as well not hurt my thumbs at all. 👍
 
I use the DFP wheel, but before that and the times I don't use the DFP its "analog and the buttons"

I found that its much easier than the DFP on the rallytracks (that I'm finding a bit hard :grumpy: )
 
Fletch
I use the DFP wheel, but before that and the times I don't use the DFP its "analog and the buttons"

I found that its much easier than the DFP on the rallytracks (that I'm finding a bit hard :grumpy: )
Click to expand...

Don't worry, PD seriously screwed up on the rally physics. They accidentally simulated a hovercraft...
 

Latest Posts

Back