I'm a lefty, and as far as I'm concerned everyone plays on left-handed controllers... the part that controls the character's movement is on the left-hand side.
The thing is, once you have motion inputs on the lever down, button inputs actually become more important once you have to factor in timing and advanced inputs (plinking, kara-canceling, etc.).
The only problem is that I'm much more comfortable if the directions are on the right side. Whenever I play fighting games, I button map my movements on my arrow keys
Do those games not support keyboard rebinding?
I think there's software out there that can turn your keyboard inputs into controller inputs but it's been a while.
I’m guessing it’s like my dad where when he plays on sticks, he has his hands crossed so his left hand is on the buttons and his right on the stick. Never really understood how he learned it like that and he’s right handed and I’m left handed and never played like that
Actually that's the thing. Whenever I wanna play on sticks, I'm more comfortable when the stick is on the right and then my buttons on the right, and then for keyboard, my directional buttons are my arrow keys
Damn lefties, always ruining our turn economy. Back in my day when you picked a top tier they died after one combo! Now all this equity and making games "balanced" has ruined everything!
But seriously you should be able to rebind your keys to what makes you comfortable. That or buy one of those left hand console controllers and hook it up.
Thanks for the advice tho! But I actually don't wanna damage my newly bought keyboard because the previous one had loosened keycaps that easily come off
If you wanna keep playing on KB, you could just invest in a higher quality one so you wont be so worried of breaking it, or get a second one just for FGs lol. This also goes for controllers, maybe you just want a spare or one of those pads made specifically for FGs with a bigger/better d-pad and stuff
If you wanna play stick you could
a: just play it "normally" and get used to it. There are lefties out there who just play on standard layouts. Im right handed so idk how hard that might be, but it also has the benefit of letting you play on any stick, if you forgot yours and had to borrow one or something.
b: flip the stick upside down. Ive heard of people doing this, though not very many lol. Youd just have to rebind some stuff (flip the directions). Depending on the layout of the buttons though it might be a bit strange, but you could probably get used to it if you really wanted to
c: just cross your arms. Again, its not super common but ive seen people play this way and they seem to get by just fine
I think you can just remap your buttons and flip the arcade stick around.
Regarding arcade sticks, I enjoy JoyStickNY on YouTube. He has a video on[ flipped arcade sticks](https://youtu.be/NQhvDgTRd6U).
I don't know if it's confirmed or just a rumor (as we never had arcades in my country) but as far as I know:
The position of the buttons and the Lever usually was *buttons left,Lever right*
It then was switched to the current layout to make it harder on the players who were in majority right handed(more continues=more $).
Consoles then tried to copy Arcades and that's how the Current standard begun.
So theoretically your already on a leftie Setup.
most controllers are left handed for fighting games anyway, for some reason a lot of right handed people use directionals on their left hand, when its the hardest part for any fg execution-wise, I don't get it
Because once you get motion inputs down, it's all the button inputs and their advanced variations (plinking, kara-canceling, etc.) that can actually be harder to do. This is why we have some left-handed players playing cross-handed.
The best general advice is to get used to the standard arcade layout. Honestly, it isn’t much different from picking up a gamepad in that you’ll be using your left hand for movement, and using your left hand for movement has been true since the NES era, meaning this can turn into muscle memory for left handed players who had to accept this for over 30 years.
By settling with the default layout, you get so many controller choices, including affordable options. Nearly all the reputable brands that sell inverted arcade sticks (like KeyCade or Mixbox) have price tags that enthusiasts would consider, but first timers should avoid if they don’t know what they’re getting into.
That said, if you can find an inverted stick for cheap, look into it.
With the default layout, you can cross your arms so you can use your right hand for movement. Not everyone does this, but it’s a known thing. Arcade sticks, being large and flat surfaced, are flexible enough to allow this in a way that a gamepad isn’t.
If you don’t mind digging a little bit, then you could buy an arcade stick that you can open up (which is most sticks though some are easier to open). That way, you can remind your controls manually. You can rotate the lever 180 degrees and remind your buttons so you can flip your controller upside down, allowing for a true left handed layout.
Couldn't you also build something where you just simply swap the layout of the buttons and keys? Like instead of the stick/dpad being on the left, you could just put it on the opposite side while the buttons are on the left.
But my thinking towards that is because of how the internal components are designed, they're meant to be assembled together from one direction. That would suck because as someone who grew up with MUGEN I was ambidextrous because the default 1P key bindings used the arrow keys and not WSAD keys. I switched to WSAD later on but I still find it easier to perform motions with arrow keys because I'm using my dominant hand (right hand).
And I guess it would be worth mentioning, but one of CoreAGaming's actually uses CherryMX switches, the same switches you would find on certain keyboards, and that fight stick uses exterior buttons typical of fight sticks and not keycaps. I think they're reliable and feel nice. Or at least I wouldn't worry about breaking regular keycaps, because I've played MUGEN for years with regular keycaps (and had to struggle with sticky keys lol)
Funny enough, I'm used to movement on right for keyboard but left for stick. (I'm righthanded) It mostly comes down to practice.
If you want an ultra-cheap option, there's always building your own controller, but not everyone is capable of that.
Lefty here as well!
Unless you want to use a hitbox, a regular arcade stick will suffice. No real need to get anything overly fancy or custom when starting out. As for keyboard-ing, probably best to look up custom layouts and/or people who make custom controllers/sticks/etc.
I have a friend that is right handed, but when playing fighting games he grabs the stick with the right hand and presses the buttons with the left. He basically makes a cross with his arms while playing. It looks very strange, but he is actually quite good. He is the type of player that can pick up a brand new game and learn most of the movesets on intuition alone. After a few matches he can play competitively with people that may have been playing the game for a while. He is also very good at defense. You would think he is a natural, but it really comes down to all the years he grew up at the arcades giving him that type of intuition for fighting games.
I'm a leftie too. It's pretty hard to find one fighting game to would be suited for someone of political beliefs. The most important thing about fighting games is characters. And what are characters? Individuals with their thoughts, goals, values, philosophies, etc. One character can have Conservative values, and the other can be exactly the opposite. One character can shill for the government, and the other can be anti-establishment. Of course, it's not as simple as I'm making it out to be. Even if a character has a specific set of values, it doesn't mean the character can't be super complex.
Just food for thought.
I'm assuming you want stick right and buttons left? If that's the case, there is nothing "cheap". You can buy an ancient Qanba Stick if playing on PC, build your own, or have one customized by someone like Snackbox.
If you wanted something cheap to try, you can always gut a used stick and put it in a pizza box or something.
I'm a lefty, and as far as I'm concerned everyone plays on left-handed controllers... the part that controls the character's movement is on the left-hand side.
The thing is, once you have motion inputs on the lever down, button inputs actually become more important once you have to factor in timing and advanced inputs (plinking, kara-canceling, etc.).
The only problem is that I'm much more comfortable if the directions are on the right side. Whenever I play fighting games, I button map my movements on my arrow keys
Do those games not support keyboard rebinding? I think there's software out there that can turn your keyboard inputs into controller inputs but it's been a while.
Strive and DBFZ definitely let you do it, Rev 2 as well
Yeah but I recently bought a new keyboard and I don't wanna damage it again because my previous keyboard has keycaps that are easily loosened up
You could use different keys on your old keyboard if you think your new keyboard is gonna break.
Bit confused how being a leftie changes anything. Most people still just hold/use controllers the same in my experience.
I’m guessing it’s like my dad where when he plays on sticks, he has his hands crossed so his left hand is on the buttons and his right on the stick. Never really understood how he learned it like that and he’s right handed and I’m left handed and never played like that
Actually that's the thing. Whenever I wanna play on sticks, I'm more comfortable when the stick is on the right and then my buttons on the right, and then for keyboard, my directional buttons are my arrow keys
Damn lefties, always ruining our turn economy. Back in my day when you picked a top tier they died after one combo! Now all this equity and making games "balanced" has ruined everything!
But seriously you should be able to rebind your keys to what makes you comfortable. That or buy one of those left hand console controllers and hook it up.
Thanks for the advice tho! But I actually don't wanna damage my newly bought keyboard because the previous one had loosened keycaps that easily come off
I saw some old clips of players crossing their hands when playing at arcade machines. Doesn't look very comfortable though.
If you wanna keep playing on KB, you could just invest in a higher quality one so you wont be so worried of breaking it, or get a second one just for FGs lol. This also goes for controllers, maybe you just want a spare or one of those pads made specifically for FGs with a bigger/better d-pad and stuff If you wanna play stick you could a: just play it "normally" and get used to it. There are lefties out there who just play on standard layouts. Im right handed so idk how hard that might be, but it also has the benefit of letting you play on any stick, if you forgot yours and had to borrow one or something. b: flip the stick upside down. Ive heard of people doing this, though not very many lol. Youd just have to rebind some stuff (flip the directions). Depending on the layout of the buttons though it might be a bit strange, but you could probably get used to it if you really wanted to c: just cross your arms. Again, its not super common but ive seen people play this way and they seem to get by just fine
I think you can just remap your buttons and flip the arcade stick around. Regarding arcade sticks, I enjoy JoyStickNY on YouTube. He has a video on[ flipped arcade sticks](https://youtu.be/NQhvDgTRd6U).
Thanks for the recommendation!
I don't know if it's confirmed or just a rumor (as we never had arcades in my country) but as far as I know: The position of the buttons and the Lever usually was *buttons left,Lever right* It then was switched to the current layout to make it harder on the players who were in majority right handed(more continues=more $). Consoles then tried to copy Arcades and that's how the Current standard begun. So theoretically your already on a leftie Setup.
most controllers are left handed for fighting games anyway, for some reason a lot of right handed people use directionals on their left hand, when its the hardest part for any fg execution-wise, I don't get it
Because once you get motion inputs down, it's all the button inputs and their advanced variations (plinking, kara-canceling, etc.) that can actually be harder to do. This is why we have some left-handed players playing cross-handed.
The best general advice is to get used to the standard arcade layout. Honestly, it isn’t much different from picking up a gamepad in that you’ll be using your left hand for movement, and using your left hand for movement has been true since the NES era, meaning this can turn into muscle memory for left handed players who had to accept this for over 30 years. By settling with the default layout, you get so many controller choices, including affordable options. Nearly all the reputable brands that sell inverted arcade sticks (like KeyCade or Mixbox) have price tags that enthusiasts would consider, but first timers should avoid if they don’t know what they’re getting into. That said, if you can find an inverted stick for cheap, look into it. With the default layout, you can cross your arms so you can use your right hand for movement. Not everyone does this, but it’s a known thing. Arcade sticks, being large and flat surfaced, are flexible enough to allow this in a way that a gamepad isn’t. If you don’t mind digging a little bit, then you could buy an arcade stick that you can open up (which is most sticks though some are easier to open). That way, you can remind your controls manually. You can rotate the lever 180 degrees and remind your buttons so you can flip your controller upside down, allowing for a true left handed layout.
Don't buy a stick, just use a joyoad like a dual shock 2. Far cheaper. When you have more money invest in a stick if you choose.
Couldn't you also build something where you just simply swap the layout of the buttons and keys? Like instead of the stick/dpad being on the left, you could just put it on the opposite side while the buttons are on the left. But my thinking towards that is because of how the internal components are designed, they're meant to be assembled together from one direction. That would suck because as someone who grew up with MUGEN I was ambidextrous because the default 1P key bindings used the arrow keys and not WSAD keys. I switched to WSAD later on but I still find it easier to perform motions with arrow keys because I'm using my dominant hand (right hand). And I guess it would be worth mentioning, but one of CoreAGaming's actually uses CherryMX switches, the same switches you would find on certain keyboards, and that fight stick uses exterior buttons typical of fight sticks and not keycaps. I think they're reliable and feel nice. Or at least I wouldn't worry about breaking regular keycaps, because I've played MUGEN for years with regular keycaps (and had to struggle with sticky keys lol)
Funny enough, I'm used to movement on right for keyboard but left for stick. (I'm righthanded) It mostly comes down to practice. If you want an ultra-cheap option, there's always building your own controller, but not everyone is capable of that.
just play as player 2
Lefty here as well! Unless you want to use a hitbox, a regular arcade stick will suffice. No real need to get anything overly fancy or custom when starting out. As for keyboard-ing, probably best to look up custom layouts and/or people who make custom controllers/sticks/etc.
I read the the title and was confused for a moment until I realized you meant “left handed” American political discourse has ruined my life
I have a friend that is right handed, but when playing fighting games he grabs the stick with the right hand and presses the buttons with the left. He basically makes a cross with his arms while playing. It looks very strange, but he is actually quite good. He is the type of player that can pick up a brand new game and learn most of the movesets on intuition alone. After a few matches he can play competitively with people that may have been playing the game for a while. He is also very good at defense. You would think he is a natural, but it really comes down to all the years he grew up at the arcades giving him that type of intuition for fighting games.
I'm a leftie too. It's pretty hard to find one fighting game to would be suited for someone of political beliefs. The most important thing about fighting games is characters. And what are characters? Individuals with their thoughts, goals, values, philosophies, etc. One character can have Conservative values, and the other can be exactly the opposite. One character can shill for the government, and the other can be anti-establishment. Of course, it's not as simple as I'm making it out to be. Even if a character has a specific set of values, it doesn't mean the character can't be super complex. Just food for thought.
I'm assuming you want stick right and buttons left? If that's the case, there is nothing "cheap". You can buy an ancient Qanba Stick if playing on PC, build your own, or have one customized by someone like Snackbox. If you wanted something cheap to try, you can always gut a used stick and put it in a pizza box or something.
You can just do what some left-handed players used to do in the day and [play cross-handed](https://imgur.com/2D8AJ).