For the first time, PS5 controller's Cross and Circle buttons will now work in Asia as they do everywhere else
With the PS5, Sony is ending a decades-old tradition.
Thanks to the recent wave of PS5 hands-on impressions from Japanese press, we got to learn a few details about Sony's next-gen console the company didn't previously confirm.
Key information such as how quiet the PS5 sounds, how the new DualSense controller feels, and a general idea of how the console's SSD speeds up loading times. One other curious detail you won't find in official blog posts concerns the Cross and Circle buttons on the controller.
Since the PlayStation's introduction in the 90s, the Circle button has been assigned to confirm in Japan and Asian territories, whereas the Cross button had the return/cancel function. This stood in stark contrast to their use everywhere else, where Cross has always been confirm and Circle is assigned to return/cancel.
With the PS5, however, Sony is looking to standardise the control scheme, which means swapping the functions of the two buttons in Asia. With the release of the PS5, players in Japan and many other countries in the region will have to re-learn what buttons do.
Av Watch picked up on this during the site's hands-on time with PS5, noting that the change will now apply to all games, including Japanese-developed titles. Going forward, Cross will always be confirm and Circle will be return.
See which retailers worldwide will have new stock with our PS5 pre-order guide. The console launches beginning November 12.