Secret Meanings of PlayStation Controller Symbols Revealed

[HeySeansOnline]

Huh ... I always thought the triangle was representing the pyramids, in which the left block had to be moved represented by square, and then you would enter and reflect the light with a tilted cross represented by X, in order to find the mystic orb which is circle.

You see in my mind triangle was green showing how money funded the pyramids on the backs of slaves, square was pink because in those days femininity was a sign of weakness indicating the weaker block, and x is blue, cause religion is calming, but the cross is tilted to show how it was bent by the emperors, and the circle is red because the orb will undoubtfully destroy you In your own rage and hatred, much like the emperors destroyed themselves for power.

... what he said also makes sense.

 

[InnerRebellion]

I always thought the symbol buttons looked like a robot with Triangle its head, Circle and Square its arms/hands which perform different tasks, and X its legs.

I used to think that too!
OT: At first I expected some religious conspiracy...

 

[FinalHeart95]

TBH I've always found that layout of the 4 buttons a bit backwards. Like X should be cancel and Circle should be accept (as most RPG's on the snes were like this in layout with B being cancel and A being accept)

It actually was like this on a lot of Japanese games. FFVII is a good example (although FFVIII switched to the other style).

Now that I think about it, The Playstation controller kinda looks like an SNES controller with grips... I'll never see it the same again.

 

[oktalist]

That's kind of interesting. His ideas make sense.

Regardless, Goto is the most amazing name for a designer of technology.

10 PRINT "I am Goto!"
20 GOTO 10

 

[Wuffykins]

How odd, I always passed off the face buttons as an interesting display of a '1-2-3-4' configuration that matched the SNES controller's layout. Goto's explanation of concepts and ideas for a standardized layout of all games is a little too artsy for me, and more than a little convinient.

Pfft, nuts to that. I call shenanigans.

 

[Phoenixlight]

Interesting although I'm a bit dissapointed as I thought that this would be about the sony symbol/logo thing.

 

[Waif]

An interesting read, but I was hoping for more mysterious origins ^~^''. Oh well, it's still nice to know the background behind the symbols.

 

[MysticnFm]

That stuff about the symbols on the buttons actually makes sense when I think about it. A lot of games I have played have used the buttons pretty much exactly as he has described them up there. Awesome

 

[The Random One]

When we're putting in cheat codes, it's strange to think that we could be inputting "Left, Monkey Face, Monkey Face, Balloon, Eyeball, Right, Eyeball," instead of the "X, X, O, O, Square, Triangle, Start" that we use today, if it weren't for Goto.

I honestly don't think Square, Triangle, Square, Circle, Square is a significant improvement over Monkey Face, Balloon, Monkey Face, Eyeball, Monkey Face. Not when in the other two controllers it would be XAXYXB.

That's my pet peeve with Sony consoles so Goto gets no love from me.

 

[Tom Phoenix]

Behind the look of every videogame console and accessory is a backbreaking amount of work. It's not often that you get to hear about the designers that slave behind the scenes of the likes of Nintendo and Sony and are ultimately responsible for the appearances of the products that look so natural to us in our homes and in our hands.

And we hear even less about the Chinese workers who actually end up assembling all these systems and controllers.

But anyway, nice to hear about the thought process behind the PS controllers. It is good to see that it was well thought-out and not just slapped together.

 

[Electrogecko]

You know, around when the Play Station first launched, I thought the name sounded like something we used to have in kindergarten. Then when I saw the controller, it only reinforced my initial impression. I thought it could be easily parodied to appear like a toddler toy- you know- "PRESS THE CIRCLE. GOOD JOB." Being a Nintendo fan, my only real explanation at the time was that they simply didn't want to copy the SNES. More recently, I thought the icons were used because shapes are a much better visual cue than letters. Although it's much more annoying to explain a control scheme to someone, (with the amount of syllables and, like I said, sounding kinda foolish) I think that using shapes instead of letters on buttons makes more sense and is much less arbitrary. I never would've guessed that the shapes had meaning. I didn't even know they were different-colored. In terms of position, I thought that the triangle's and X's made sense and the O and square were interchangeable.

P.S. I find the PS2 and 3 controllers uncomfortable. It looks nice because it's kinda symmetrical, but I'd much rather have the main control stick where it's always been for all of my gaming experiences. Even reaching for the D-pad on the 360 controller is much more natural (to me at least) than using the main analog on the PS3. Also, I feel like the opportunity to make a controller that could be played the same lefty and righty was missed. Because of the fact that the left equivalent to the D-pad is one large tilt button, games involving running and jumping, or pressing 2 buttons at the same time, would feel unresponsive under your thumb if played lefty.

 

[sephiroth1991]

I will never be able to look at controllers the same again, now i wonder what some other controllers symbles mean.

 

[TheAngryMonkey]

In a lot of games, O was Confirm and X was cancel.

Look at FF7 and MGS.

Only later did they become reversed.

I also like how /_\ became menu in RPGs, too.

So, all his intents were for naught.

Yes, but I'm fairly sure that the only reason that we drifted away from the intended button design was because of the design of the controller; with an SNES controller, or GameBoy, or DS, your fingers generally sit on the rightmost button as opposed to the bottom button. However, adding the grips made it so our thumbs would most likely line up with the bottom button.

So it seems that the button's meanings would have been maintained more had they stayed with the flat controller.

I own the 1gen White PS3 from Japan, and my home screen menus are controlled by 'O' as accept, and 'x' as back. I believe its only in the European and North American markets where they switched it around.

 

[dochmbi]

Goto is overjoyed that these symbols have "come to represent both the PlayStation and the fun of video games." He continues to work at Sony and was responsible for the design of the PlayStation 3 [http://www.amazon.com/PlayStation-3-160-GB/dp/B003VUO6H4/ref=sr_tr_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1282844539&sr=8-1] and its peripherals. When we're putting in cheat codes, it's strange to think that we could be inputting "Left, Monkey Face, Monkey Face, Balloon, Eyeball, Right, Eyeball," instead of the "X, X, O, O, Square, Triangle, Start" that we use today, if it weren't for Goto.

Source: 1up [http://www.1up.com/news/playstation-1-design]


Permalink

Of course, if that were so, then it would seem entirely natural to us, and inputting XXOO Square Triangle Start would seem strange.

 

[scyther250]

Huh, I figured they were simply numbers in geometric form; the circle is a one, cross is a two, triangle a three, and square a 4.

In any case, I prefer my lettered buttons to the random shapes of the Playstation buttons.

 

[Souplex]

Interesting, but what made them decide to make it so damn uncomfortable to hold and have the control pad and stick be in the wrong places?
I still prefer the ABXY, because it makes a helluva lot more sense, and is much easier to memorize the locations.

 

[Dollar Bill]

So, THAT's what they were like that, actually no,it makes no sense at all

 

[FinalFreak16]

I always knew what the X and O were meant to symbolise. Its fairly evident when playing Japanese games as they use this yes and no system. Not entirely sure why its reversed most other places.

The info about the other buttons is new to me though. I guess the square as menu makes sense but i cant think of any game that uses this button for accessing menus off the top of my head. Its usally Start these days or alternatively triangle like in some RPGs.