Why a "Run" button?

[Arkhan]

yeah, its kind of pathetic that most people on FB are too wussy to just call these people out and tell them to go get cornholed by a cactus

[Necromancer]

Why not a Run button?  It's not like 'start' was an industry standard, nor were buttons 'a' and 'b' something automatically expected and better than 'I' and 'II'.

[SignOfZeta]

I think we can put this in the same circular file as “why is the save system so “bad”?” (because it was the first ever, it was 1987).

[NightWolve]

Because PCE was too fast for a walk button.

[spenoza]

Why did Nintendo choose Start for their button. And why does that button pause the game? And why can many NES games be begun with a button other than Start? The problems with Run all begin with Start.

[hoobs88]

Why not a Run button?  It's not like 'start' was an industry standard, nor were buttons 'a' and 'b' something automatically expected and better than 'I' and 'II'.

Why the reverse placement of II/I and B/A buttons? Shouldn't they be in numerical or alphabetical order?

[Black Tiger]

Why not a Run button?  It's not like 'start' was an industry standard, nor were buttons 'a' and 'b' something automatically expected and better than 'I' and 'II'.

Why the reverse placement of II/I and B/A buttons? Shouldn't they be in numerical or alphabetical order?

Japanese read right to left.

[Punch]

Why not a Run button?  It's not like 'start' was an industry standard, nor were buttons 'a' and 'b' something automatically expected and better than 'I' and 'II'.

Why the reverse placement of II/I and B/A buttons? Shouldn't they be in numerical or alphabetical order?

Japanese read right to left.

Oh my God it all makes sense now, how didn't I think of that after all these years?

[Necromancer]

Do they really read stuff from right to left?  Manuals and in game text are always left to right. 

I'm not sure it matters what way they go, as they're just identification labels and not something to be read, but maybe they did it backward with plans of the Ave 3, wanting the extra button nearer the center of the pad for some reason.  Another question is why do buttons IV, V, and VI turn around and go the other way? 

[turboswimbz]

.......  Another question is why do buttons IV, V, and VI turn around and go the other way? 

I always assumed that the buttons were based on the layout of the button in relation to the board.  button 1 was the first button closest and so on.  but that is also arbitrary I guess . . .

IT could also simply be that Nintendo was labeled B then A.  so II then I.  different than Nintendo but the same.  I mean you can swap out the NES pad in a mod.  IT could also simply be that they wanted the action button in most cases to be labeled Earlier than the cancel button?

[HuMan]

Do they really read stuff from right to left?  Manuals and in game text are always left to right. 

Maybe not so much Japanese text, which can often be read vertically, but they do read books and mangas from right to left. Manuals for Turbo Grafx games read left to right because they're meant for Americans.

[turboswimbz]

Do they really read stuff from right to left?  Manuals and in game text are always left to right. 

Maybe not so much Japanese text, which can often be read vertically, but they do read books and mangas from right to left. Manuals for Turbo Grafx games read left to right because they're meant for Americans.

Yes, I have seen many books in Japanese that are right to left or vertical. I doubt those written in Japanese characters on the PC engine games are meant for English readers.    I am pretty sure I have seen more than one PC engine manual written left to right and not vertical or right to left.  I would venture that these are written in the Yokogaki style, is simply because it looks better on screens and was easier to program on early computers and consoles, and then copied over to the manuals where it also might look better/be consistent.  But I don't know enough to really say that confidently.   

I wonder how many game manuals break the left to right style and are more traditional?  Anyone have any ideas?

[Arkhan]

Maybe not so much Japanese text, which can often be read vertically, but they do read books and mangas from right to left. Manuals for Turbo Grafx games read left to right because they're meant for Americans.

Japanese PCE manuals read left to right too.

I don't think the reading orientation is why the buttons are like that.

The Megadrive's ABC go left to right.

[gilbert]

My understanding (i.e. random guess) is that since the outer button is more accessible to your finger, it makes sense to make that button the "main" button and the other button the errr... "other" button. This can be most apparent during decision making, that you "confirm" with the outer button and "cancel" with the inner one. So it seems natural to name the outer (main) button A/I, and the inner button B/II. It would be a bit awkward to press B to confirm and A to cancel right? (I think such games do exist though.)

However, in "western" sense it is also reasonable to have the confirm button on the left and the cancel button on the right (as seen in options of questionnaires, etc.). The problem is, when you press the buttons on a game controller it doesn't feel so well in this way.

[Sparky]

Also nice work on facebook lately Ark. 

People summoned me back to deal with idiots so I'm over here like

I love when you oil up Ark!!! ((Bites lip))


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