Rant: Games that don't have an invert x-axis option for camera! 🤬

[usagora]

For the love of God, can someone give me just ONE good reason why some games don't have the option to invert the x-axis for the camera stick? It is completely unnatural for both axes to not be inverted, because that's not how you control a fixed camera IRL. When a camera operator with a camera on a tripod wants to pan right, they pull the tripod stick LEFT and vice versa.

I just don't get it. They almost ALWAYS have the "invert y-axis" option, but sometimes exclude that option for the x-axis. Do the developers just have a brain fart and then refuse to fix it? It's not like it's hard to implement.

Ranting because I just tried to play Ghost Recon Wildlands on my Xbox Series X and discovered that though they have options for all sorts of minutiae, they failed to include the glaringly obvious "invert x-axis" option for the right stick, so the game is unplayable for me. It's infuriating! And you can't invert it at the system level either. Once again, MS only has an option to invert the y-axis. I read that even the Elite controller does not have an option to invert the x-axis.

I just . . . do not . . . get it 🤬

If anyone knows of a workaround, I'm all ears!

EDIT: Just to clarify, "Just get used to playing non-inverted" is not a valid solution 🙄 That's like saying to me, a right-handed person, "Just get used to writing with your left hand," as if that's some simple task. If you can do such things with ease, great for you, but for most people, it is a gargantuan task to try to retrain your brain from decades of muscle memory.

 

[salamanderjuice]

It's not a thing most people like or want these days. It may seem like a gargantuan task but it'll probably only take you a few days of using it everywhere. I've switched between southpaw and back and inverted y a few times. Awkward at first I'll admit.

There might be some 3rd party controller out there that has that functionality although I'm not aware of any. Plenty offer button remapping but not axis AFAIK. You could also try something like reWASD and a an ESP32-S2 adapter to use it's remappings on your Xbox but I'm not sure how that will interact with the changes MS is making about unauthorized controllers.

ESP32-S2 USB adapter· reWASD help guide

help.rewasd.com

EDIT: Maybe try an 8bitdo Ultimate Xbox controller? The Ultimate Switch version I have let's you swap the X-axis for either stick in the app. I don't have an Xbox compatible one though.

 

[usagora]

It's not a thing most people like or want these days. It may seem like a gargantuan task but it'll probably only take you a few days of using it everywhere. I've switched between southpaw and back and inverted y a few times. Awkward at first I'll admit.

Trust me, I've tried for many hours with other games in the past, such as Wind Waker HD on the Wii U. I simply can't do it, and shouldn't have to anyway! It's incredibly frustrating, especially since it's a stupid simple option for any developer to add. There are plenty of options in many modern games that most people will never use, yet the options are still there. Developers are alienating a very large number of gamers by neglecting this obvious option, and MS isn't helping by not providing this as a system-wide option.

Thankfully many games I enjoy, such as all the Assassin's Creed games, have this option (which is ironic since Ubisoft is also the developer of Ghost Recon Wildlands, yet randomly left the option out of that game and have never patched it 🤦🏼‍♂️).

EDIT: Maybe try an 8bitdo Ultimate Xbox controller? The Ultimate Switch version I have let's you swap the X-axis for either stick in the app. I don't have an Xbox compatible one though.

Sounds promising. I'll contact 8bitdo to confirm whether that's an option. Actually, it's fairly cheap on Amazon, so just ordered it and will simply return it if it doesn't work. Sometimes tech support has bad info, so I prefer to see firsthand.

 

[usagora]

EDIT: Maybe try an 8bitdo Ultimate Xbox controller? The Ultimate Switch version I have let's you swap the X-axis for either stick in the app. I don't have an Xbox compatible one though.

Just to follow up, I found this video which confirms the 8BitDo Ultimate Wired Controller for Xbox does indeed have the option to invert either axis on both analogue sticks. Hallelujah! Arrives Monday. So unless there's any nasty surprises, it looks like this is the godsend that I was looking for. I'll confirm once I actually try it. Thanks so much for taking the time to reply!

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

I just . . . do not . . . get it 🤬

If anyone knows of a workaround, I'm all ears!

The workaround is simple: Stop playing on console and get a gaming PC. Steam Input will allow you to invert the axis of your controllers even on games not designed for it, with any controller too not just Xbox controllers.

 

[usagora]

The workaround is simple: Stop playing on console and get a gaming PC. Steam Input will allow you to invert the axis of your controllers even on games not designed for it, with any controller too not just Xbox controllers.

Telling someone to "stop playing on consoles" in a sub-forum about console gaming isn't a solution. Obviously I'm talking about a workaround in the context of console gaming, specifically Xbox. I have no interest in a gaming PC.

In any case, it seems my issue is solved with the 8bitdo controller, as mentioned in my previous post. I'll find out for sure once it arrives (hopefully today) and I can test it.

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

Telling someone to "stop playing on consoles" in a sub-forum about console gaming isn't a solution. Obviously I'm talking about a workaround in the context of console gaming, specifically Xbox. I have no interest in a gaming PC.

In any case, it seems my issue is solved with the 8bitdo controller, as mentioned in my previous post. I'll find out for sure once it arrives (hopefully today) and I can test it.

Well you know the Steam Deck functions like a console

 

[MisterSavage]

I feel you. I never touch the X but always invert the Y. I remember buying a remaster (?) of Beyond Good & Evil and I couldn't play it because I couldn't invert the y. So annoying. We shouldn't be dealing with things like that and tiny text in 2023.

 

[usagora]

I feel you. I never touch the X but always invert the Y. I remember buying a remaster (?) of Beyond Good & Evil and I couldn't play it because I couldn't invert the y. So annoying. We shouldn't be dealing with things like that and tiny text in 2023.

Agreed. There's literally no excuse for not having such dead-simple options. It's like the development teams for these specific games are trolling us or something.

 

[usagora]

Update:
Received the controller and it works great. Only downside is that it's not compatible with macOS, so can't update the firmware at home (only Windows computer I use is at work). But thankfully the configuration software is available as an Xbox app.

👍🏻 👍🏻

 

[salamanderjuice]

Update:
Received the controller and it works great. Only downside is that it's not compatible with macOS, so can't update the firmware at home (only Windows computer I use is at work). But thankfully the configuration software is available as an Xbox app.

👍🏻 👍🏻

Nice! You should be able to use the phone app too. It has Bluetooth to do that despite being wired weirdly.

 

[usagora]

Nice! You should be able to use the phone app too. It has Bluetooth to do that despite being wired weirdly.

Thanks. Just installed on my iPhone and it works like a charm! That would be useful for changing controller button mapping and other settings on the fly without having to leave the game. Pretty cool!