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What is the use case for back buttons? Do they just act as extra buttons for existing ones or are they actually unique buttons you can assign separate actions to?
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my first gen razer wolverine has 4 back buttons that are by default assigned to the abxy face buttons. It's nice to be able to move with left stick, look with right stick and still put in abxy inputs like jumping or whatever without taking your thumb off the right stick.
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>>732257894
>Do they just act as extra buttons for existing ones or are they actually unique buttons you can assign separate actions to?
They're programmed as extra copies of existing buttons. But you typically can pick in the controller's software which existing buttons are copied.
>What is the use case?
Not sure.
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>>732257894
Depends on the software that comes with it. Some let's you map button combos to it. Some even let you turn it into a macro. But usually it's just another button for an existing input, so basically useless.
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>>732257894
Ive got one of my back buttons bound to my keyboard's push to talk.
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>>732257894
nigga your controller with a manual. RTFM
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>>732257894
it's for when you want to use face buttons without taking your right thumb off the stick.
that's the one use-case.
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>>732257894
Taunting and charging in DMC
Nothing else really comes to mind
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gamesaar
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>>732257894
I can't stand these or the third trigger buttons that come on every controller. I want simple controllers like ps2/ps3, no extra shit to press.
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>>732257894
>are they actually unique buttons you can assign separate actions to?
Not currently, but if Sony has any sense, they'll make controllers with back buttons that can do extra actions. Console games are held back by the limited number of buttons on controllers.
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>gameSAAAAR
SAAAR LISTEN TO ME SAAR DO NOT REDEEM THE EXTRA BUTTON
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>>732257894
good morning game sir
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>GameSIR
SAAR
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I usually bind dash button to them because in 3rd person games its annoying as fuck to dash by pressing left stick or B
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>>732258047
>But usually it's just another button for an existing input, so basically useless.
Anything that lets me avoid having to do THE CLAW is useful.
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I hate pressing the analog stick buttons so this is better.
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>>732258081
I ordered one but its not here yet, wanted to know what you guys use them for
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>>732257894
Use them to strangle NPCs
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>>732257894
i use them for L3/R3 its much more comfortable than constantly pushing in the sticks
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The average /v/ anon is literally going insane because of 2 back buttons, meanwhile I'm using a gamepad with 6 face buttons, 4 back buttons and 4 shoulder buttons + 2 triggers
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>>732257894
i use them for L3 and R3, better than pressing the analog and risking moving or something
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I have a macro in monhun world and wilds that spams the breat-n-butter SNS combo (not perfect rush) when I hold the back buttons because fuck having to mash that combo non-stop every fight
In wilds its even better because it frees my thumb to control the stick for focus mode.
>inb4 REEEE fuck focus mode
Hate the game, not the player.
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>>732258635
I swear I didn't read this before posting >>732258570
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>>732258635
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>>732258593
Vader 5? I've got myself a Vader 4 and I'm on the fence about upgrading. Not sure if the extra shoulders are enough of a push on their own. Maybe I'll wait around to see what they do with a potential 6th revision.
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>>732257894
>Do they just act as extra buttons for existing ones or are they actually unique buttons you can assign separate actions to?
Only on good Steam controllers that give a shit, not on anything else.
>>732258382
Console games are held back by their insistence on using proprietary controllers and letting retarded devs decide on the final control scheme. First party controllers left Mad Catz behind on their expedition past rock bottom.
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>>732257894
i use flydigi vader 3 and i bind the back buttons to gear shift in racing games so i can pretend its a paddle shifter
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>>732257894
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>>732257894
quick save and quick load in emulators
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>>732257894
macros and non-time critical button presses. you wouldn't use them for attack or jump for example
my only question is why the cancer that is xinput with its fixed button layout replaced the much more versatile directinput
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>>732258935
>Vader 5
Yeah
It's great but if you already have vader 4, I don't think it's worth upgrading
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>>732259963
>my only question is why the cancer that is xinput with its fixed button layout replaced the much more versatile directinput
The original goal of the Xbox was to subvert PCI video card expansions so that PC would effectively be split into spreadsheet Microsoft office machines with no graphical acceleration and Direct X boxes (get it?) that had graphical acceleration and sound cards, because it would be easier to divide and conquer their competition that way. This didn't work out.
The 360 attempted to launch a lot of APIs so that eventually everyone would have to go through Microsoft to be compatible with PC or access the PC audience, but this also didn't work out so we're stuck with a lot of garbage APIs like Xinput.
The Xbone attempted to launch the Microsoft store so that everyone would have to go through Microsoft to buy things, but this also didn't work out.
Series S/X Gamepass didn't work out.

Every step of Xbox was Microsoft trying to be the man in the middle.
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>>732262553
I thought I hated microsoft but it turns out I didn't hate them enough
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>>732257894
They doug
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>>732263923
You should always hate Microsoft, but obviously keep in mind that there are reasons to hate them that aren't rooted in trying to extrapolate random facts into schizophrenically logical endpoints.
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>what's the use case for allowing you access to extra buttons to do different actions in video games
What happened to society? Is it just third world retardation? How can anyone be so stupid to ask such a question in any serious manner? Are they even human?
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>>732264483
What do you use them for?
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>>732257894
in souls games I bind the back button to B so I dont always have to claw grip while trying to run and move the camera and attack.
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>>732264723
Anything I want them to do?
Let's just try to use our brains a little here; you're playing a game with an average gamepad, what do your thumbs do?
They're on the sticks, the left one moves, the right one allows you to move the camera, this is what's being done in 90% of games nowadays since most of them are third or first person POVs, okay so that's your thumbs, now how do you gain access to the other buttons?
Right, you can easily access the shoulder buttons and the triggers, that's good, what about the numpad or the face buttons? You have to let go of your sticks to reach them, so what if you had buttons that allowed you to have access to these buttons while not having to let go of the sticks?

It's not rocket science, and this is just for console retards too, on any PC game I can just add any and all keys to them as I see fit and use them to switch between control schemes and anything in between, again, as I want them to do, I'm completely abusing the shit out of these back buttons in elite (pic rel) because playing with a pad otherwise would mean not ever being able to use lateral movement (and this goes for any other 6dof games), for most other driving games I'll use them for gear shifts, for 3rd person action games like elden ring or the souls likes I'll use them to be able to dodge and sprint without ever having to let go of the right stick so I can easily look around while doing that

Not having extra buttons that would otherwise be easily useable and accessible to those fingers you don't do anything with while playing games is just stupid, this is why MKB is a superior control scheme and preferred by many, simply because of how limiting modern pads are, but with these extra buttons you reach a much better middle ground where I can just lay down in the couch to play my games while also being able to get access to those extra crucial keys
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>>732257894
>use case
more buttons more inputs available. Especially nice in games where you want to be able to do multiple actions simultaneously while still retaining full analogue stick control. For instance, in Elden Ring being able to swap items/spells while still being able to move around with the left stick, and being able to jump and dodge without giving up camera control.
>Do they just act as extra buttons for existing ones or are they actually unique buttons
depends on the controller. I believe the pro controllers for PS5/xbox just duplicate face inputs. But things like the steam controller have them as unique inputs that don't need to duplicate anything.
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>>732257894
>GameSAAR
Deport.
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>>732257894
next media, previous media
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>>732264483
Most games are designed for controllers that don't have them, and most games don't even need all the buttons anyway so extra ones are overkill.

What are you playing, Nioh? Maybe WoW? Idk what game even has that many functions you need quick access for.
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>>732257894
>What is the use case for back buttons?
comfort
if you're playing a game that have buttons that are awkward to be pressed together you can just throw them on the back
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>>732270083
See >>732265736, and yeah, if you're a fan of 2D platformers then sure, you don't need the extra buttons
But even for games with console and PC ports you'll be getting a comfortable but subpar results by using the pad as a pad, rather than emulating a KBM (and getting extra buttons), and you end up with a flick stick setup with just as many buttons as you'd use on a keyboard, mechwarrior 5 is also 'meh' on gamepad but plays great once you get access to those extra buttons (so you don't have to go through multiple submenus just to activate something)

But yes, it completely depends on the types of games you play, but even casual games like skyrim profit from this (no need to go into your magic menu to use quickaccess buttons, you can just set one up and voila (and without even getting mods involved)), you're just getting more options and more control, and the 'most games don't use it by default' is a fair argument, but I don't understand why you wouldn't want such changes to be happening on a larger scale and the big manufacturers to all switch to those extra buttons becoming the norm and then games following suit, idk, this is backwards thinking to me, it's like if we decided that the sega genesis pad was the best thing ever and 'why would you want the joysticks lol you already have a dpad'
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>>732270083
Most games have garbage control schemes that hard-bind actions to action combinations, so being able to sidestep that with a macro can be nice.
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>>732257894
Depends on the controller and platform. On Steam you can assign whatever you want to them, assuming they're actually exposed as separate buttons (like the Deck or Steam controller).
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Which controllers has good d-pads these days? I'm using an Apex 4 and while the d-pad feels nice and clickity, it's way too sensitive and can input wrong directions.
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>>732270481
I'd rather play with the default control scheme and call it shit than doing the game designers work for themselves to have "my own experience", which invalidates my impression of the game since I'm playing something else.
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>>732270835
That's fine and this is your own problem, and I also do that if it's some game I expect to only be playing for a little while and not get too invested in it, for example the elden ring change (being able to dodge and sprint with back button) is useless 90% of the time, it's just a nice to have change and it's purely QoL (and also only took me 30 seconds to setup, it's not like I did anything magical here)

But for any games I plan on playing for hundreds of hours (and that includes a lot of my games of choices, whether multiplayer slop or simulation heavy games) which would otherwise force me to play as KBM, well, I'll spend the 30m-1h to set everything up and it'll be worth it, but to each their own
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>>732258167
I seriously cannot look at a gamesir controller without thinking this
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WHERE IS THE STEAM CONTROLLER 2 REEEEEE
I MUST CONSOOOMMM
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>>732257894
>What is the use case for back buttons?
In DMC normally you hold square for charging your guns, and triangle and circle are for attacks/style. It's pretty hard to charge your gun and hit circle, so having a back button enables you to easily keep charging your gun. In Souls games, running is normally "circle" but you need to look around with the right stick. So you can hold down run and move the camera around.

It's crazy to me that on /v/ I have seen so many threads asking this question. My guess is that /v/ just really doesn't play video games so of course they can't think of use cases for back buttons.
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>>732257894
The fact that you’re even asking these questions is really retarded. Consolefags are so whipped. Thank God for Steam Input customizability.
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>>732270824
DS3 still the best there was, best there is, and the best there ever will be.
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>>732257894
I use the left one for sprinting/dodging in action games. The right one for extra layer: For example right back button + xo△□ = dpad buttons. I use REWASD btw.
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>>732273164
Never felt like it to me, the d-pad was just ok.
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>>732257894
Back buttons aren't main stream yet, so they only act as remapped buttons, but if they were main stream, they could be extra inputs. It would help solve the main issue i have with console games: too many contextual controls and menus. If controllers had dedicated back pedal controls, FPS games could have 8 weapons again without clunky ass weapon wheels.
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>>732258560
>he fell for the gameSIR meme
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>>732258593
>4 shoulder buttons
How have I never considered this? This sounds so convenient. Like, of course you would want to put more bumpers, they’re the most convenient to hit without interfering with the right thumbstick/trackpad. With four back buttons you’d barely even have to do shit to use all your useful inputs while moving/looking in an FPS game.
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>Push to talk
>Play/Pause
>Mute/Unmute
>System Macros
I believe some people also use them for face buttons so they don't have to take their thumb off the joystick but I've never been able to get used to that
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>>732257894
Don't really need back buttons. Nice to have when I finally get the Steam controller, but not essential for my needs.
>>732273164
Recently got one and I am pleasantly surprised. Really like the DS3. Using it on Linux right now, which I only needed to change a few terminal settings for it to detect pressure sensitive buttons. People complained about the triggers, but I am perhaps in the minority for liking them, maybe more than the DS2 triggers. I guess if I sweated profusely my fingers would slip. Keep in mind that my index fingers lay on the triggers rather than the bumpers when I am holding the controller. DS3 is like a cordless DS2, which sounds better than you think it does. I can adjust the cable length if I'm going to be using it wired, which is nice. The controller is compact and comfortable but not tiny. By European standards, I have medium sized hands.
>But muh Xbone 360 controller layout
The only thing better about the Xbone 360 controller is that the batteries can easily be swapped. Besides that, assymetrical sticks will always be a sin, since your hands aren't assymetrical.
>>732276330
Yeah Sony dpads are just okay. It is serviceable, but there are better alternatives. I have an iBuffalo but any anons with Saturn or that small Neogeo controller, please tell me if it's worth upgrading to from the iBuffalo or an SNES/Super Famicom controller to the Sega Saturn controller.
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so i can play one handed while i suck the vape
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>>732277981
beast mode…
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>>732257894
I have them as Dpad left and right by default
But depending on the game I have a macro. Is fun.
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>>732270824
Surprised it's sensitive, wonder if that's QC variance or if Flydigi actually changed their d-pad design between controllers. The only kind of misinput I could get on my Vader 3 Pro was missing a diagonal because I didn't push hard enough.

For membrane d-pads, Gulikit Elves 2 is functionally perfect but has rubber-on-plastic squeaking. TT Pro/Max have similar (but apparently not identical) d-pads in a full size controller. I've heard positive things about Tegenaria Lite from fighting game players, but haven't used it.
Oversensitive mechanical is rare so I don't think you can go wrong with most circular ones (or regular ones with a circle piece attached), but I don't have experience or trustworthy reviews for any of the newer Gamesir or Flydigi designs, and with your Apex 4 experience I'm not sure it'd be consistent anyway.
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>>732257894
>Do they just act as extra buttons for existing ones or are they actually unique buttons you can assign separate actions to?
Ideally they would be the latter, but because most games support only Xinput which puts a strict restriction on the number of buttons a controller is allowed to have, it's usually the former. But they can also be mapped to keyboard keys as long as the game allows both inputs at the same time.
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>whats the use case for back buttons
I dunno, whats the use case for shoulder buttons? Or a second analog stick?
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>>732257894
Saves my hands from having to play fucking claw grip while getting the advantages of quick access to buttons out of my finger's natural resting buttons. I wouldn't mind if console developers started making them unique buttons but honestly we probably have enough buttons as-is except for niche 6-button faces.
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>>732257894
>What is the use case for back buttons
Jerking off. One handed play. You aren't rubbing your controller on your dick, are you?
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>>732257894
>What is the use case
to not have to lift your thumb off the right analog stick. it usually helps if you assign "jump" and "interact" to a back button.
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>>732257894
>Controller Thread
Cool get to ask then: is there a controller that has the dualshock layout (thumbsticks next to each other) but also has additional shoulder buttons and back pedals?
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good morning gamesirs
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>>732283965
Machenike F1
ZD O+ (modular controller, symmetrical faceplate sold separately, only one with paddles instead of buttons on the back)
8Bitdo Pro 3
Gamesir Tarantula Pro
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I have 6 controllers and I don't know why
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>>732270824
>Apex 4
d-pad looks like absolute shit on google images. get an xbox series controller. they improved the d-pad since the xbone.
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>>732264483
Console players who only touch the most mainstream of slop are confused and angered by the notion of extra input options.
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>>732284412
Ahh cmon fuck a guy!
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>>732257894
>OP: "What do you guys use your back buttons for?"
>"what are you fucking retarded? its for extra buttons you mongoloid, fucking casuals man I swear"
Why are y'all so insufferable? Touch grass
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>thumbs going to shit from pressing
>can't find good controller with 4 back paddles and mechanical switches

Ended up buying gamesir cyclone 2, which has great feedback and 2 back buttons.
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>>732270083
So maybe if back buttons WERE standard, games COULD be designed around having more buttons. Trackpads and gyro too so aim assist wouldn't be needed and you could have even more actions.
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>>732285057
reminder that there's a patent on back buttons and you can't have them without paying out the ass
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>>732282348
Everyday I learn to hate Microsoft more and more
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>>732257894
I've recently got a gameSAAAR controller with back buttons, and here's what I've been using the back buttons for:

>Elden Ring
Dashing and looting without taking your right thumb off the stick so you can move the camera at all times (which is a pet peeve of mine if I can't do it, I used to have to rebind a buncha shit to achieve it)

>Genshin
Macro so I can press RB+X with one click
Macro for Mavuika's triple jump so it is not tedious to do and I can also look around while jumping around

>Silksong
Attack button copies to one of the back buttons so I can do the hold attack while jumping

>Wuwa
I assigned one of the back buttons to be the shift modifier key, with that I have a bunch of shit I use with that, like activating RTSS's frame limiter to make the game run smoothly in cities since the game doesnt run well in cities, hiding the hud with a more convenient shortcut than the default, showing my RTSS overlay, etc.
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>>732257894
What they should be used for is modifiers. Think like L1 and R1 in Dragon's Dogma where holding the button changes what other inputs do. This would be great for input and UI design. The problem is patent troll scumbag pieces of shit at Scuf have prevented this from becoming standardized so no one will design games around it. I don't buy Corsair products anymore because they own Scuf.
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>>732257894
i map them depending on the game. usually L3 if that runs, any of the d-pad buttons if they switch weapons, items, etc, reload for rear right button, if there's two for each side, make on grenade.
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>>732257894
I bound those buttons to be stick presses, I hate pressing the stick in as it wears the fuck out of them so quickly when most games require that bullshit for sprinting or melee attacks.
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I dislike back pedals and leave them unbound. I grip the controller hard and constantly press them without meaning to. They also don't have much tactile response since they have very little travel distance, they don't feel good to use.
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>>732258002
>>What is the use case?
>Not sure.
Let's say circle is your sprint button, circle reprogrammed to one of your back buttons allows you to sprint and use your right stick (look) at the same time.
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>>732257894
It depends, in the console version they're just mirror of other buttons so you don't have to move the thumb from the sticks to push them, or do weird motions.
In the og Steam Controller I normally use them as "shift" buttons of sorts, they modify the actions of the other buttons.
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Why do zoomers have such problems understanding extra buttons? I have a little brother with a gaming mouse whose extra buttons he never even uses because he can't think of what actions to bind to them.
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>>732284396
I have an 8Bitdo Pro 3, and regret buying it because of all the problems I have with it.

>has connectivity problems when trying to use it wired, like it's stuck continuously trying to connect unless I flip the switch on the back out of the setting for PC and to the one for Nintendo stuff, which fucks with the default button layout in programs and I'd have to change it in every game
>extra buttons are useless, nothing I've ever tried is actually capable of detecting the buttons being pressed, it's like they made the extra buttons just to be possible duplicates of other buttons rather than new buttons to do new things like emulator fastforward, even the input remapper program I use for my mouse buttons doesn't detect them
>thumbsticks are too small and stubby, can't play games with precision like I used to on the old Logitech controller
>face buttons are loud due to feature that lets you swap them around (this doesn't bother me much due to headphones, but I've heard others complain about it and thought I should mention for others)
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>>732288240
it's just a bitch having to rewire your muscle memory
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>>732288638
Skill issue honestly. I'm pushing 40 and it's no problem for me at all.
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>>732288240
retards can't even spin an apple in their minds and you expect them to understand extra buttons?
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>>732288440
Extra buttons are only visible to the system through dinput. The controller has steam input support for them, so it should work.

I otherwise don't like the brand and think it's more like a $30 controller than the $70 they want for it, but there's little that fits the requested criteria and they all have issues of some sort.
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>>732288857
>Extra buttons are only visible to the system through dinput
And yet I can't get it to connect when set to D either wired or wirelessly.
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>>732289286
Quality controller from a quality company.
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>>732258935
It's garbage, wish I bought 2 vader 4 pros when they were cheap but now I can't even buy one. The v4p tricked me into thinking this company made quality products, their new software, which they force you to use because they didn't include dinput support, crashes every time I try to upgrade the firmware. It is an extreme downgrade from the V4P, don't touch that piece of shit.
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>>732289838
>upgrade
Why do updootniggers do this stupid bullshit to themselves? If it isn't broke, why fix (update) it? Holy fucking shit you niggers are fucking stupid.
>I'm.... I'm.... I'M GONNA UPDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT
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>>732284396
>ZD O+
I don't understand how this controller has d-input but you can't change any of the extra buttons in Steam. They've been aware of this for nearly a year but nothing has changed. Every time you want to change the extra buttons you have go into android and send them your location data. Very disappointing.
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>>732257894
>What is the use case for back buttons?
i bind them to common functions i want to press without moving my fingers away from others on front
that or annoying chord/combo inputs
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>>732290775
>If it isn't broke, why fix (update) it?
It is broken, retard. The firmware update adds SDL support so I don't have to use their shitty program to change the buttons. Only it will never work because Space Station 4 is a pile of shit.
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>>732291005
Well it sounds to me that updooting it made it worse, which is a common L for updootniggers.
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>>732257894
I usually map R3 and L3 on them. I fucking hate pressing down on analogs like a mongoloid.
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>>732257894
>double/triple/quadruple clicks your R trigger when in hair trigger mode after 3 weeks
nothing personnel, sir
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The Switch 2 pro controller has mappable GL and GR back-paddle buttons, and works on a per-game basis.
I found it very useful in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, because you can map GR to B (run), and that lets you run whilst using your thumb to control the camera, perform other actions like weapon swings and jumps, etc.

Point is the back paddle buttons are there to make it easier to press buttons simultaneously, the same advantage that shoulder buttons gave us back in the SNES days.

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