controlling movement with the right hand

[professor ganson]

Playing Centipede at Chuck E. Cheese the other week, I had the thought: "Why the f. am I dying like this? I don't suck this bad!" Then I realized how uncomfortable I felt with the rollerball: because the buttons were situated to the left of the rollerball I was compelled to control movement with my right hand and this felt really awkward. Whether I'm driving my car or playing console games, I always use my left hand to control movement.

So was this a strange cabinet, or is this not so uncommon to have this sort of layout? And I wonder if there is something about the brain chemistry-- at least of right-handed folks-- that makes controlling movement with the left hand more natural. Perhaps it's just what we're used to and we have no natural preference.

[MovingTarget]

Its like eating too, the correct method is fork in left hand, but thats wrong!

[Kiken]

Playing Centipede at Chuck E. Cheese the other week, I had the thought: "Why the f. am I dying like this? I don't suck this bad!" Then I realized how uncomfortable I felt with the rollerball: because the buttons were situated to the left of the rollerball I was compelled to control movement with my right hand and this felt really awkward. Whether I'm driving my car or playing console games, I always use my left hand to control movement.

So was this a strange cabinet, or is this not so uncommon to have this sort of layout? And I wonder if there is something about the brain chemistry-- at least of right-handed folks-- that makes controlling movement with the left hand more natural. Perhaps it's just what we're used to and we have no natural preference.

Actually, a local Putt-Putt-esque establishment used to have a Final Fight machine that had the sticks toward the outside of the cab and the buttons toward the inside. The upshot was that the Player 1 side had the stick on the left and the buttons on the right, but the Player 2 side was mirrored and I found it very difficult to play on that side.

Coversely, when playing in Tandom Play, I find that I have greater control over player 2 (my right hand) than over Player 1 (my left hand)... but I think this is due to the fact that since the joystick is on the left, using it strictly in the right hand means that your thumb and forefinger are acting as control and your ring and pinky fingers are acting as fire/bomb. With the left hand, control is relegated to the ring and pinky fingers.. as well as the left side of the palm, which is a tad awkward.

[crithit5000]

So was this a strange cabinet, or is this not so uncommon to have this sort of layout?

http://images.google.com/images?q=centi ... anel&hl=en

All the images I find have the buttons to the left.

I'm right handed and pretty much prefer the usual set-up of the left hand controlling all movement in games with normal console controllers and arcade control panel layouts...there's exceptions, though. If I'm playing Pac-Man or Ms. Pac-Man at the local truck stop or some random pizza shack, I'll use my right hand. And as a kid, I always played my dad's C64 games with that giant red joystick with the white button on top with my right hand as well. I also hold my steering wheel with my right hand, as holding it with my left just feels rather unnatural...

[professor ganson]

...there's exceptions, though. If I'm playing Pac-Man or Ms. Pac-Man at the local truck stop or some random pizza shack, I'll use my right hand. And as a kid, I always played my dad's C64 games with that giant red joystick with the white button on top with my right hand as well. I also hold my steering wheel with my right hand, as holding it with my left just feels rather unnatural...

Interesting. An exception I thought of was controlling Centipede for the DS, with the stylus. The stylus is so much like a pen, and I write with my right hand, so I naturally control movement with the right hand in this case.

[Ganelon]

I strongly believe it's mostly due to what we're accustomed to. Mexican folks have the stick-button sides reversed and can't play fighters without crossing their hands.

[professor ganson]

One other exception I noted today. I had to drive my wife's car just now, which has an automatic trasmission (blah), and I found myself spontaneously and immediately preferring my right hand. I guess it's the shifting that has me preferring the left hand in my car.

[sffan]

I cross my arms when playing a Centipede machine. That solves the problem.

[SFKhoa]

And you people don't complain when you play with the keyboard?

[MovingTarget]

the keyboard is bad enough as it is

[Andi]

I strongly believe it's mostly due to what we're accustomed to. Mexican folks have the stick-button sides reversed and can't play fighters without crossing their hands.

Shit! That explains why all those dudes at the arcades I used to visit crossed their arms to play KoF!

Amazing!