What do you call those “extra” buttons?
- Thread starter Exit Music
- Start date
the poll says the full name, not the abbreviations. I never say the full names.
If I'm referring to all of those buttons collectively, I say "bumpers and triggers." Before that, when triggers weren't a thing yet, I said "shoulder buttons."
If I'm referring to specific buttons, I generally call them by their short name on whatever platform I'm referring to. For example, on Xbox I call them LB, RB, LT, and RT. On PlayStation I call them L1, R1, L2, and R2. On Nintendo I generally say L, R, and left/right trigger, because wtf is a "zee arr." (Yes, I know it's called that because they expanded on N64/GameCube/Wii Remote's Z-trigger; I just think it sounds ridiculous.)
I've never spoken "Left Bumper" or "Right Bumper," and I've never seen anyone else speak those words either. That's at least as ridiculous as saying "zee arr," if not more so. So I didn't vote in the poll lol.
If I'm referring to specific buttons, I generally call them by their short name on whatever platform I'm referring to. For example, on Xbox I call them LB, RB, LT, and RT. On PlayStation I call them L1, R1, L2, and R2. On Nintendo I generally say L, R, and left/right trigger, because wtf is a "zee arr." (Yes, I know it's called that because they expanded on N64/GameCube/Wii Remote's Z-trigger; I just think it sounds ridiculous.)
I've never spoken "Left Bumper" or "Right Bumper," and I've never seen anyone else speak those words either. That's at least as ridiculous as saying "zee arr," if not more so. So I didn't vote in the poll lol.
This. R1 and 2 is just too confusing. Even for me sometimes while I've been playing PlayStation for years. By saying bumper or trigger it's immediately clear which button you mean.
It may be common with English speakers only... Most of the world don't use either of those words, they speak other languages.
Shoulder buttons.
I don't think I've ever once called them by a "bumper" in my life, nor heard anyone else do so.
I don't think I've ever once called them by a "bumper" in my life, nor heard anyone else do so.
Bumpers and triggers. US. It's a common pattern across controllers regardless of exact labels. I gave up learning the "correct" names of controller buttons years ago. They all basically follow the same template. Brand-specific labels introduce unnecessary confusion.
Yup.
"Bumper" wasn't a thing until Xbox 360. You can usually tell that someone is young if they're using that naming convention.
Anyone who refers to the triggers as L2 and R2 and not "left trigger and right trigger" is a narc. I'm sorry.
Bumpers aren't triggers. They are distinct inputs. The term "bumper" is good and distinguishes those inputs from others.
It's a descriptive term that does a better job communicating what to press than "L1/L2" possibly can.
Triggers are trigger-shaped. Triggers ideally allow analog input, so that they are pressure-sensitive. Bumpers occupy space on the top edge of a controller, and are not trigger-shaped. They are purely digital inputs.
Even if that is the case, the term didn't exist until the Xbox 360. Us adults had already been using L1/R1/L2/R2 for over a decade before that console came along. The naming convention was already established.
LB/RB and L1/R1 by their proper names on their respective controllers. Right Trigger/Left Trigger on both controller.
I have also never referred to clicking the sticks as "L3" or "R3". That just never made sense to me.
I have also never referred to clicking the sticks as "L3" or "R3". That just never made sense to me.
It's meant to show that your perception that bumper/trigger is widespread is flawed. It's mostly just kids who grew up with it that think that. L1/R1/L2/R2 existed long before bumpers and triggers, and we "gave up learning the 'correct' names of controller buttons years ago" (as you say) before the 360 came along. Mostly due to Nintendo's ridiculous naming. By the time the 360 dropped and everyone was college-age or older, L1/L2 was already the standard to avoid confusion.
"Us adults" lmao
Bumper and trigger is just easier and more descriptive terminology, that isn't any harder to say. Plus, I'm a pinball wizard, the term bumper comes naturally.
Additionally, I have never been tripped up by ZL/ZR.
I'm interchangeable between the R1/R2/L1/L2 and triggers/bumpers schemes across all platforms, including Nintendo. I have never committed Nintendo's proper shoulder button lexicon to memory.
On Xbox and PlayStation I call them what they're called on that system. LB & RB and L1 & R1. On a Nintendo system however the names zL and zR on the lower buttons have never really stuck, it's just a super awkward naming convention. I tend to think of the Nintendo buttons as L & R and then the "triggers" are left trigger and right trigger (despite neither being triggers).
Sticks are always L3 and R3.
Sticks are always L3 and R3.
I don't give a fuck if I'm playing on Xbox, it's L1-2 and R1-2.
Yeah, for me the shooting button on every football (soccer) game is Square button thanks to Winning Eleven/PES. My brother plays FIFA on Xbox and he knows what I mean when I say "do a Triangle pass" or whatever.
First person shooters are usually why people sometimes say bumper, specifically when this configuration was introduced in Halo:
A lot of other shooters followed suit and started calling it that. Thank goodness it was made because I can't stand having the jump action on a face button.
It's also... literally true. I don't know why you took issue with that wording.
I have never heard someone my age call them bumpers.
You could just say "ok boomer."
It's like how some people born before 1980 call stages/levels/maps "boards." Some conventions just stick.
For one "shoulder buttons".
R1/R2, L1/L2. On Xbox Right Bumper/Right Trigger, Left Bumper Left Trigger.
R1/R2, L1/L2. On Xbox Right Bumper/Right Trigger, Left Bumper Left Trigger.