The buttons on PlayStation controllers have always been a bit of a mystery. Why those weird colours? Why those wacky shapes? PlayStation designer Teiyu Goto explains.
Goto, who designed not only the PlayStation but the PS2 and PS3 as well, has told Japanese magazine Famitsu that it was all about keeping it simple.
âThat wasâŠpretty tough,â he says. âOther game companies at the time assigned alphabet letters or colors to the buttons. We wanted something simple to remember, which is why we went with icons or symbols, and I came up with the triangle-circle-X-square combination immediately afterward. I gave each symbol a meaning and a color.â
âThe triangle refers to viewpoint; I had it represent oneâs 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 âyesâ or ânoâ decision-making and I made them red and blue respectively. People thought those colors were mixed up, and I had to reinforce to management that thatâs what I wanted.â
Before you ask, in case you didnât know, the circle meaning âyesâ is a Japanese thing (most functions in a Japanese game performed by it), whereas over here, we contradict this by predominantly using the X button, which despite intended to mean ânoâ is in a more logical position for Western gamers (who associate the bottom button as the âmainâ one).
All About the PlayStation 1âs Design [Famitsu, via 1UP]
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