Some media outlets and YouTubers got their hands on the PS5 in Japan this weekend. Many fans seem to be enjoying new features like haptic feedback and adaptive triggers on the DualSense controller, but there is one change that not everyone is thrilled about: The use of the X and O buttons on the controller has been swapped. This has left some people frustrated with Sony and caused them to ask why the change was made.
In Japan, the X symbol (which is pronounced as “cross,” not the letter X) is known as the “batsu” symbol, meaning “wrong.” The Japanese use the O symbol for right answers in mediums like game shows, which might be familiar to those who have stayed on beat in titles like Elite Beat Agents.
But in the west, the X button on controllers typically means yes, or forward. This is possibly connected to the expression “X marks the spot,” which leaves the O button to mean no or back. However, those who played older Japanese games such as Metal Gear Solid, which may be getting an exclusive remake on PS5, including Twitter user Matt Dawson remember having to press O to advance.
Now Sony has made the decision to take the western standard, as Japanese players who were able to preview the PS5 noticed that X meant yes in its menus, while O meant back. This came as a shock to many, and could be a major shakeup to those in Japan who grew up playing that way, as Twitter user Connor Bennett points out.
Many are wondering why Sony chose to make this change after multiple decades. Japanese website AV Watch received confirmation from Sony Interactive Entertainment that the change was made to, “Avoid changing the buttons used between the system and the game in an environment where games from multiple countries are played.” Some have asked why, if Sony was to set a standard, it wouldn’t make the Japan-style controls the standard. Twitter user Basileus suggested this is because of the modern makeup of PlayStation’s consumer base.
But what may add to players’ frustration is that Sony is not mandating all developers for games follow the change, as someone pointed out a screen in which O is the button for confirming in the Japanese version of looter-shooter Godfall, which will cost $70 on PS5.
Still, some are glad Sony is making the change toward a more unified future where all systems and games use X as yes, and O as no. While not everyone agrees with Sony’s descision, there are some things Japanese fans who previewed the console seem to agree upon, like how quiet the fan on the next-gen PS5 is. Hopefully, the controller change is something Japanese fans can get used to as the world moves towards a unified button language.
The PS5 releases on November 12, 2o2o.
Source: AV Watch, via Google Translate
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