Why Does the PlayStation Controller Have Triangle, Circle, X and Square?

Since video games existed there’s been the need to make your avatar on the screen actually do things.

At first this was done with simple knobs and joysticks and when video games moved from the arcades to the living room this seemed to be the way things were going to stay... But it wasn’t.

And although many controllers share similarities there’s one that stands out for a very specific reason and that’s Sony’s PlayStation controller.

Why do the PlayStation controllers have triangle, circle, X and square?

[raWfodog]

Why not? ;)

[pcz]

its a gimmick. or what you might prefer to call branding.

[SilverDemon]

as a non native speaker, those shapes made gaming more accessible to me as a kid. I never knew what ABY(not x) meant and what should I call them since we dont use those shapes in arabic but the PlayStation shapes are simple and understandable for anyone regardless of the language.

[KwietStorm_BLM]

A gimmick? What cheap feature are they trying to push on us with shapes on the controller buttons?

[rainslacker]

Because symbols are more universal than English letters. They wanted to reach countries other than those that Nintendo and Sega reached, and they felt this would be more accepted in South America, much of Eastern Europe. parts of Asia, and the Indian sub-continent.

[fiveby9]

English letters are not necessarily known by everyone. The console is produced in Japan where their written language is completely different. Symbols, such as those they chose, are language independent.

[bf000777966]

Microsoft: let's put a X button also but on a different place to confuse them.

[Silly Mammo]

And let's put the RB/LB at the top of the controller and the RT/LT at the bottom. Genius!

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

This always confuses me since I jump between my consoles and handhelds alot depending on what I feel like playing, it's just as annoying anytime I try to connect a PS controller to the PC since it uses Xbox buttons.

[YodaCracker]

Even though the PS4 is my primary console this gen, my brain still wants me to hit the square button whenever an “X” prompt appears on screen. All those years with the Xbox 360 controller really drilled into my brain that the X button is on the left.

[Aenea]

And Nintendo has the X in yet another position!

What if Google indeed is going to release a competing game console are they going to add it in the position that hasn't been used for an X yet? :)

[AK91]

Beat me to it lol

[Pyrofire95]

Circle is one line, X two, triangle 3, square 4. I figured this out like 10 years ago.

[Bretty]

That's not actually the reason though. Although it's a nice theory. Never thought of it that way 😁

[DreadGara]

Congrats, you just solved the most and hardest Easter Egg ever made.
Ready Player Two winner.
Seek any looking Gandalf guy so he can share a cookie with you :)

[Nu]

The Gandalf look alike I came across today said he needs $100 and was out of cookies

[techsquisite]

have you been waiting 10 years for the moment to tell everyone you figured it out?
i kid. kudos to you. it may not be the prime reason, but im going with it. much cooler.

[blackblades]

Is it sad that I just found that out just now after decades of gaming on playstation.

[CorndogBurglar]

No. Because so did I lol

And technically we can't even say we "figured it out". Someone had to show us.

[rainslacker]

That's pretty clever really. Although not the reason. I think Sony addressed this back before they launched the PS1.

[mkis007]

Wow, just noticed that myself. I wonder if it is a coincidence.

[GoldeneyeOO7]

Wrong. Watch the video starting @3:15. Enlighten yourself there, Einstein.

[TheEnigma313]

I always thought it was just a quarky Japanese idea. I definitely was a different take on buttons and made PS controller synonymous with gaming.

[rainslacker]

I remember when it first came out I didn't like it because I was so used to AB and XY, and sometimes CZ from Sega and some Nintendo controllers. Now its second nature though.

[TheEnigma313]

I bet Nintendo regrets backstabbing Sony now. Nintendo helped creat this juggernaut And to think MS and Nintendo is shaming Sony into crossplay.

[ILostMyMind]

"To survive together".

[gangsta_red]

Is this the story of why they use shapes on their buttons?

[CorndogBurglar]

For some reason I don't think Nintendo is particularly hurting...

[TheEnigma313]

Not hurting, but i;m sure they wish they had over 50% console advantage instead of sony.

[nicsaysdie]

This article doesn't tell the whole story. There was stabbing on both sides. But I'm glad it ended up with us having the Playstation brand. Think of where we'd be without it.

[2pacalypsenow]

Triangle = point of view
Circle = cancel
X = Enter
Square = A Map/scroll

[TorpeAlex]

Except it was designed in Japan, where circle is the standard button to confirm things and X is cancel. It makes sense if you think about how you close windows in literally all other electronics (click the X).

[2pacalypsenow]

Yep Metal gear solid was like that until the 4th one.

[yeahokwhatever]

Final Fantasy 7's default controls had O as select, as well.

[NecrumOddBoy]

And Kingdom Hearts used classic JP controls

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

Again, I temporary get confused jumped between my imported games and my native copies of games, lol, cultural differences.

[Gardenia]

In some Asian counties Circle means yes and X means no. That's why in some older Japanese games the Circle and X are still set to the confirm and cancel buttons while normally in the west those two buttons are the other way around

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

I can confirm this is still common practice if you import any games from another region.

[NecrumOddBoy]

✖⏹⭕

XBOX 360???

🤔

[AspiringProGenji]

Triangle = Illuminaty

[Jinger]

Hence why it's at the top

[GameBoyColor]

It's O. Not circle! If it was circle then you would have said X is Cross!!!!! Reeee

[yeahokwhatever]

early internal sony documentation has X as "cross"

[2pacalypsenow]

What’s the shape of a an O?

[ILostMyMind]

The shape of an O.

[TheColbertinator]

The shape of water

[ScootaKuH]

I think it's the shape of an O. Could be wrong though

[LostinthePANIC]

The shape of you?

[pellpell]

This is actually really cool

[chiefJohn117]

I always wondered that.

[Chaosdreams]

Lol... I think, back when I first started gaming on Sony consoles, my very young mind thought "Oh hey, they are using basic shapes. Nifty."

[yeahokwhatever]

i thought it was annoying at first. Printing out cheat codes with "triangle" written out instead of "Y" or whatever it would be on a "normal" controller(sega genesis) made codes really long to read. When they finally started printing actual triangles instead of the word, it was great.

[zachyBROosevelt]

Its cross button I believe

[yeahokwhatever]

at first, yes.

[DrumBeat]

To be unique, and set their brand apart from the others. I believe that was the original intent. These buttons have become iconic now, and they're pretty damn cool.

[ILostMyMind]

For people who were born in 2010.

[gunnerboy8]

I always thought it was cause kids learn shapes before they learn the alphabet

[Dizzy11523]

Why does Nintendo make their buttons all backwards n shit? It really ruins the gameplay for me.

[Vanfernal]

The Japanese read right to left. Hence why it's B, A (to them it's A, B).

[rainslacker]

I think they only do that for traditional Kanji script. Everything else is right to left.

[Segata]

Backward? You know they were making consoles long before Xbox and PlayStation. It's PS and Xbox who reversed things not Nintendo. In fact,Sony and Xbox took the Nintendo diamond pattern as standard instead of SEGA's 6 button layout. So the one you call backward is the one who set the standard. Xbox colored buttons originally stem from Super Famicom and SEGA Dreamcast. Dualshock was base don the SNES controller. So sorry but they didn't do it backward. Sony and MS did. Get your facts straight.

[Dizzy11523]

Well, everyone has moved on. They should too. They are backwards but thanks for the obvious stupid history lesson.

[shaun mcwayne]

I always though the shapes represented numbers, circle is one line X is two lines, triangle three lines and square is four lines.

[porkChop]

Why does it even matter? Instead of numbers or letters they went with shapes. So what?

[Skankinruby]

Just assumed they were trying to be unique, didn't think much more of it than that

[Seraphim]

Because A, B, X, Y were taken. Can't have copyright infringement. assuming that's copy written. Ok so probably not... But I believe even MS swaps their X and Y in comparison to Nintendo. Interesting video though.

[KwietStorm_BLM]

Some people say cucumbers taste better pickled

[ScootaKuH]

They're wrong

[SCW1982]

The sacred symbols

[jmtstan]

its for Yes, No, Option, i forgot about triangle

[gamerz]

Would have guessed it was a Japanese company wanting international adoption, but no. It was:
"I gave each symbol a meaning and a color. The triangle refers to viewpoint; I had it represent one’s head or direction and made it green. Square refers to a piece of paper; I had it represent menus or documents and made it pink. The circle and X represent ‘yes’ or ‘no’ decision-making and I made them red and blue respectively."

[Shineon]

I remember in the psone days X was called the action button lol

[ScootaKuH]

The shapes are universally recognised but different languages have different alphabets.

Regardless of language a square is a square, a circle is a circle and so on

Or it could just be to stand out from other brands that use letters

[WickedLester]

Because they are universal symbols.

[YodaCracker]

Gotta be different from Nintendo.

[Saranya]

Because it was video game evolution.

[masterfox]

because is awesome :)

[UnHoly_One]

I have wanted them to drop the stupid symbols and switch to letters since I first bought my PS1.

It's always bugged me.

[Segata]

X is cross/cancel in Japan. So think of Xbox means Cancelbox or Crossbox. Shapes were different than SEGA and Nintendo's use of letters. It's unique and easy to identify.

[Elda]

For originality.

[jagermaster619]

It was probably for kids at the time then it became a Sony staple.