Fellow lefties, I have a question...

[Zadoc]

Do you ever wish that there were more options for controllers that are designed for people like us, those who are left handed?

I personally do not. For example, I have remember when the Lynx came out and I thought it would be cool to be able to customize it for left-handed controls. Well, having grown up with a 2600, then a NES and at the time a Genesis, I was already quite good with a standard control scheme and found that I could not play well with the "left handed" setup.

Now, I would also like to note that I am a "true" lefty. That is to say, I write left-handed, play drums left-handed, I bat and golf left-handed, I use left-handed scissors, I use a mouse left-handed, and if I could, I would prefer to drive a left-handed car.

I mention this because most lefties I know only write left-handed and do everything else with their right.

[TurboGenesis]

I would prefer to drive a left-handed car.


All US vehicles are classified as "left hand drive". European markets are "right hand drive" ;) .

I have a friend who is left handed and in games like Wii Sports and Guitar Hero she utilizes the configurations for left handed play.

[y-bot]

Do you ever wish that there were more options for controllers that are designed for people like us, those who are left handed?

I personally do not. For example, I have remember when the Lynx came out and I thought it would be cool to be able to customize it for left-handed controls. Well, having grown up with a 2600, then a NES and at the time a Genesis, I was already quite good with a standard control scheme and found that I could not play well with the "left handed" setup.

Now, I would also like to note that I am a "true" lefty. That is to say, I write left-handed, play drums left-handed, I bat and golf left-handed, I use left-handed scissors, I use a mouse left-handed, and if I could, I would prefer to drive a left-handed car.

I mention this because most lefties I know only write left-handed and do everything else with their right.

Have you really come across alot of people who write left-handed but do everything else right handed? That's what I do but I haven't met many lefties who do that.

y-bot

[Zadoc]

I have a friend who is left handed and in games like Wii Sports and Guitar Hero she utilizes the configurations for left handed play.

That doesn't really count.

This is an example of a left-handed controller:

http://www.oneswitch.org.uk/IMAGES/1/left-hand-fighter.jpg


Have you really come across alot of people who write left-handed but do everything else right handed? That's what I do but I haven't met many lefties who do that.


Yes, most lefties I know call me a freak because I do everything left-handed, and most of them only write with their left hand and do everything else with their right.

[Zadoc]

You know, the only time I ever wished I had a left-handed controller is for arcade fighters, when you really need to hit the buttons fast, but don't so much need the directional stick. I just use the cross-over method in those situations.

As a side note, I also need a left-handed or universal flight stick for flight sims, because most are contored (sp?) for righty.

[zer0cool]

im a true lefty.....except i use right handed sissors for some reason ...perhaps habit. i find controller set ups perfect for lefties . i want my good hand to be controlling the toon which it does ... i couldnt imagine using my bad hand for it . ive been wanting to learn guitar and thought about left handed guitars .... no thanks .. i want to manipulate the frets with my good hand where it takes cordination ... i can strum the damn strings with my bad hand....maybe this is just me.or maybe 31 years of being left handed im just used to it .. i do hate when people offer me their right hand to shake but then again i hate shaking hands cause i dont like being touched ...anyhow ... un-needed info.

[Zadoc]

ive been wanting to learn guitar and thought about left handed guitars .... no thanks .. i want to manipulate the frets with my good hand where it takes cordination ... i can strum the damn strings with my bad hand....


I think you might change your mind on this one. Picking takes a lot more percision. Not only that, but your dominate hand keeps the rythem.

Try sme air guitar, and tell me what feels more natural. :)

[jcalder8]

I'm a righty but I'm curious to find out how many lefties use their left hand for the mouse?

[snes_collector]

I'm left handed, and I wouldn't want to use a left handed controller or anything like that. The only except is for DS with the stylus.

[Captain Wrong]

I mention this because most lefties I know only write left-handed and do everything else with their right.

OK, here's one for you...I'm exactly the opposite. I write right handed, but I do everything else left. As best I can figure, I had a teacher early on who made me write right handed. Otherwise, I got nuthin. LOL

Anyway, I've tried to play games leftie style and I usually do pretty poorly at it. I've been known to switch hands with the Wiimote though and that I seem to favor my left as I naturally would.

[Pantechnicon]

I write left-handed and consider myself predominantly so but I do a few things exclusively on the right such as bat, use firearms and computer mice.

With respect to game controllers, I've always had this knack for taking whatever was given to me for a given game or machine and accepting it. But once I've "imprinted" on a particular controller orientation I can't switch. For instance, I cut my gaming teeth on a CX40 Atari joystick, but I cannot use the Atari European 2600/7800 joypad to save my life. On the other hand I play NES games just fine with a pad that more or less has the same button layout as the Atari. Makes no sense to me, but you can't argue with your neuromuscular system.

[Mayhem]

I'm left-handed. I call that because I write and throw left-handed. And play guitar. However many other things I am either right-handed or ambidextrous. There is one real consideration, when young there weren't left-handed bits of equipment so I had to learn how to use them with my right. Thankfully it wasn't as draconian times when I'd have been FORCED to write with my right as well ;)

Right handed wise I use scissors, I bat (cricket, baseball, golf etc) right handed, which is a real twist on things considering I pitch left, and I can play tennis/squash either way. I can box/karate either way, though I generally prefer right stance to southpaw (so I lead with my left).

Games playing I grew up using both control type methods, so I am equally at home with both. Arcades and almost all consoles today have the control on the left side, whilst playing computers at home with your standard stick and one button meant I was holding the control in my right.

However when it comes to playing FPS on console pads, I MUST have the movement on the left. I can't do movement on the right. I grew up with the Goldeneye scheme so that's imbedded in my brain now. It also means I must have rotate on the left too, not strafe. So many games PISS me off by not allowing to me configure controls like that. I must have look up/down and strafe on the right, or I'm a little thrown out. Thank god for programming teams like Free Radical. Actually Timesplitters 2 imo has the best customisable control system EVER.

For the DS I use the stylus in my left, and for the Wii it's usually the left as well, apart from when using the nunchuk on top when it sits in my right just as well. In fact for FPS on the Wii, just as before, I need that movement in my left and the aiming on the right. I've managed to get accustomed now at least to "breaking" my programming for the Wii as least regarding doing all the aiming on the right, though it don't wanna shake for normal pads!

[Andred]

My old roommate writes and throws lefty but does most other things righty, including using a mouse.

[Gamereviewgod]

I do everything left handed. Everything. I ca't throw, bat, golf, use a mouse, etc. with my right.

For games though, since I grew up with the NES, I have to have the d-pad/analog stick/arcade stick on the left. Switching it is impossible for me. It's one reason I never played PC games. I don't have the coordination to pull off WASD. I always hit the wrong buttons. Unless I could use the arrows and other buttons on the right, I was screwed.

[Griking]

Have you really come across alot of people who write left-handed but do everything else right handed? That's what I do but I haven't met many lefties who do that.

y-bot

I'm kind of in this boat.

What I've pretty much figured out is that I do everything that requires dexterity left handed (write, play pool, play guitar, computer mouse, etc...) but I do everything that requires strength with my right hand (throw, swing a bat, bowl, punch, etc...)

Ever since I was a kid I've always held my Atari 2600 joystik so the button was on the top right. So while up wouldn't really be up it didn't really matter to me because it was more "natural" feeling and I'd adjust

[Damaniel]

I'm a lefty, and I do some things (like writing, throwing and batting) left handed, while I do other things (like mice and guitars) like I was right handed.

I prefer the 'standard' controller layout, probably because I grew up with it. That lefty controller just looks strange. ;)

[jcalder8]

I do everything left handed. Everything. I ca't throw, bat, golf, use a mouse, etc. with my right.
Thats great to hear, like I said I'm a righty but I love to use my left hand on the mouse, so far you are the only person I've met who uses their left hand, even my lefty friend can't use my computer without switching the mouse over.

[ProgrammingAce]

I'm a lefty, i use laptop mice with my left hand, but normal mice with my right. I write with my left hand, but anything else it doesn't really matter which i use.

To quot my father, "I'm ambidextrous, i can use my right hand on both sides of my body".

[rcgamer]

Have you really come across alot of people who write left-handed but do everything else right handed? That's what I do but I haven't met many lefties who do that.

y-bot


I write lefty but there are some things that feel more natural righty like I play gold right hande and before I went blind in one eye betted right handed (left eye went blind so it became hard to pick up the pitch till it was on top of me). But I throw a football lefty. In baseball I can throw and catch with either hand. Using scissors I use my left hand. Weird.

I am left handed on the computer as well.

[Oobgarm]

I'm predominately right-handed for everything. I've worked on batting and throwing lefty, which I can achieve with a moderate bit of success. When it comes to dexterity for writing and other such activities, though, my left hand is basically useless.

Gaming-wise, I take whatever is given to me and utilize it in the way it was intended. VCS joysticks are operated with the right hand, button in the upper left, d-pads with the left, face buttons with the right, etc. etc.

The only time I've ever had to play cross-handed was at Joe's store. The multiple-arcade machine there is not laid out for playing traditional Galaga, so I had to cross my wrists to avoid feeling uncomfortable with the controls. I even set a personal best playing that way.

I don't know, I always figured that players would adapt to what was given to them. I mean, if the controllers were laid out backwards from their genesis, with the d-pad on the right and face buttons on the left, that's the way I would have learned to use them.

[anagrama]

Heh, who'da thought you'd see Pantechnicon posting in a thread addressed to "fellow lefties"? :)

[Lady Jaye]

I'm predominately left-handed (but use scissors and mouse with the right hand, and bat right-handed). It's never been an issue for videogames (including computer games), except for the Atari 2600's original controller, which I can't use for long without cramps in the right wrist because of the button's position.

Personally, I always felt that the controller layout used ever since the NES has been more lefty-friendly since the left hand controls the more precise controls (the movement) while the right is used for buttons.

[Speedy_NES]

I write left and do a few other things left-handed as well, but I always play sports right-handed. I suppose it's just what you got used to. The funny thing is that I have an identical twin, who is completely right-handed. I only recently discovered that I broke my right arm as a baby, though (I was always told that I broke my left arm, but I learned otherwise when I went through some baby pictures), so that explains it I guess. I also have my mouse on the right side, but have absolutely no problem using a left-handed mouse (my dad always had his mouse on the left even though he is right-handed).

[alec]

I'm left handed. I write with my left hand. I can use a mouse with either hand. I play baseball, tennis and basketball left handed, but golf right handed.

Personally I prefer right handed controlls for most video games because controlling the joystick with my left hand gives me more accuracy. I also feel that my left thumb controlls better than my right thumb in games with two analogue sticks. On the Wii I sometimes switch off. Sometimes when playing Zelda in order to make a tricky shot with the arrows I will switch the controller from my right to left hand, then swap it back to continue the game.

[j_factor]

I'm left-handed, and I do almost everything left-handed. I use a mouse with my left hand, I play DS touch screen games left-handed, and I hold a wiimote/nunchuk combination in the opposite hands of right-handed people, which is great for most things but really sucks for Zelda (Link himself is supposed to be left-handed, but they don't even give a left-handed option? How come Elebits has a left-handed option but Nintendo's own games can't? LAME.) Just about the only thing I do right-handed is play guitar, and only because left-handed guitars give you less choice and are more expensive; that's a decision I made when I first got/learned guitar. And I don't even play guitar much.

Anywho, call me crazy, but I don't necessarily see the traditional, directions on the left, buttons on the right, setup as being right-handed. In 99.9% of games you use both quite a bit, and the other .1% are games that are only directions (like console ports of Pac-Man). In the vast, vast majority of games where one is used significantly more than the other, it's the directions that are used more.

[rbudrick]

I write left and do a few other things left-handed as well, but I always play sports right-handed. I suppose it's just what you got used to. The funny thing is that I have an identical twin, who is completely right-handed. I only recently discovered that I broke my right arm as a baby, though (I was always told that I broke my left arm, but I learned otherwise when I went through some baby pictures), so that explains it I guess. I also have my mouse on the right side, but have absolutely no problem using a left-handed mouse (my dad always had his mouse on the left even though he is right-handed).

Sometimes I've be doing something with my right hand and I'll have to write something down and unconsciously find myself using my left to write.

My mom always got mad at me when I was younger because I'm right-handed, but used the silverware the opposite way, and I always hit her elbow when I cut meat or something.

Speaking of abusing meat, I can jerk off with either hand, so maybe I really am ambidextrous.

Do left-handed people have trouble taking girls' bras off with one hand?

-Rob

[wasg13]

I think lefties also have a better advantage in video games. I mean i have to use both my left normally and my right for things like mouses, but in games i think it helps out that both hands are use to doing a lot of things, Like i play call of duty 2 a lot and a lot of people seen to have trouble keeping up with me because i can move the guy a lot quicker then anyone else but thats just me