History DamnYouMuscleMemory / VideoGames

* The UsefulNotes/SuperNintendo has the default mapping for the "jump" button to B. All other Nintendo consoles use the A button instead. This may have been intentional as pressing A in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'' will prompt Mario to execute the newly-introduced "Spin Jump" ability instead of his traditional jump, which has several advantages over it. Only problem is that's just one game for a console that released dozens of platformers. (Given the large number of face buttons on the SNES controller, many games mapped "jump" to both A ''and'' B.)
* The UsefulNotes/GameCube uses the Xbox arrangement of left stick up top, right stick down low. Single Z button above R, but no equivalent above L (L and R being analog buttons). Simple enough, though the buttons have a very asymmetric layout with the A button dominating the face and the others flanking it on three of four sides, rather than them being arranged in a diamond shape. Start (labeled "Start/Pause") is in the center, and there is no Select.

* The UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} Classic Controllers both use the [=PlayStation=] arrangement of both sticks down low, since the original Classic Controller is loosely modeled after the Super Nintendo gamepad, but with analog sticks and analog L/R buttons with inward [=zL/zR=] buttons. The Pro revision adds handles, changes the analog stick spacing, and moves [=zL/zR=] below L/R while also ''completely removing the analog functionality from L and R in a regression from the past two gamepads.'' - and + (Select and Start, effectively) and Home are in the center.
* The UsefulNotes/WiiU [=GamePad=] and Pro Controller move the analog sticks ''above'' the D-Pad and face buttons, unlike any other system. On the former, it's not so bad, but the smaller Pro Controller has the buttons so inward at an unusual angle that it's bound to cause more than a few muscle memory problems. - and + were moved below the face buttons with Home being on the bottom for the [=GamePad=], while they are still centered on the Pro Controller.
* The UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch [=Joy-Cons=] and Pro Controller revert back to Xbox convention with the right stick below the face buttons. This was likely done to keep the right [=Joy-Con=]'s analog stick on the left side when used in individual mode while also keeping SL and SR on top, but when both [=Joy-Cons=] are docked directly into the Switch, it makes the right stick a bit difficult to reach compared to the old Wii U [=GamePad=]. It can also make games designed for [=PlayStation=]-style controllers nigh-unplayable; ''[[VideoGame/{{DJMAX}} SUPERBEAT: XONiC]]'' on Switch can often have players reaching in the wrong direction to hit analog stick notes. Most damningly, though, is that the - and + buttons are now toward the top, whereas the Capture and Home buttons are down low. Don't be surprised if you wind up hitting Home when you meant to hit - or +!

* Slapping the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 "Share" button thinking it's the Select button on an older generation [=DualShock=] controller is a common anecdote among longtime [=PlayStation=] users. Much of what would have normally been assigned to the Select button in previous generations has been moved across to the [=DualShock=] 4's clickable touchpad.
* The UsefulNotes/PlayStation5 interface has a few examples compared to its predecessor.
** On the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, quickly tapping the PS button returns you to the console's home screen, while holding it down brings up a quick menu that offers various functions like adjusting the volume of your headset, or putting the console in stand by. UsefulNotes/PlayStation5, for whatever reason, reversed these, with a quick press bringing up the quick menu and holding the button down taking you back to the full home screen.

* Going back a bit, Creator/{{Sega}}'s first western console, the UsefulNotes/SegaMasterSystem, had the pause button not on the control pads like almost every other controller, but ''on the console itself!'' This could lead to you accidentally resetting the game (since the reset and pause buttons were ''right next to each other''). When Sega [[CanonImmigrant brought the Master System back to Japan to replace the precedessor Mark III]], they remedied this by replacing the reset button with a rapid-fire button.
* The original UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}}'s controllers have black and white buttons in addition to the standard ABXY face buttons. Many fighting games with six attack buttons were obviously designed with the original (giant) [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:XboxOriginalController.jpg Duke]] controllers in mind, where the black and white buttons are above the other face buttons. Meanwhile, on the later Controller S, the buttons were moved to below the other face buttons, beside the right thumbstick.

*** Zelda's Lullaby was "left-up-right-left-up-right" on the N64, the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube, and the Wii. For the 3DS version, the song is "X-A-Y-X-A-Y." To put that in terms of the button's positions, the song is now "up-right-left-up-right-left." All the other songs have also changed accordingly.

* The keyboard controls for ''Sorcery'' on the UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum use Q and A to move left and right. Most other Spectrum games use the same keys for vertical movement.

* ''VideoGame/AlexKidd in Miracle World'', the UsefulNotes/SegaMasterSystem's [[DuelingGames answer]] to ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1'', uses Button 1 (on the left) to jump and Button 2 (on the right) to attack, the reverse of the order they're laid out in Nintendo's legendary platformer. This was done on purpose by the ''Miracle World'''s designer, Ossale Kohta, in a misguided attempt to set his game apart from Nintendo's. ''Zillion'', another Master System game he designed, also uses the same button layout. ''Ghost House'' also does this, but not ''VideoGame/WonderBoy1'' ([[ManualMisprint despite what the manual said]]). This was fixed with the Wii Virtual Console release, where on the Wii Remote, 1 is used to punch and 2 is used to jump.

* ''VideoGame/MazeOfGalious'' and ''[[Franchise/{{Castlevania}} Vampire Killer]]'' on the UsefulNotes/{{MSX}} use up to jump (and climb ladders/stairs), which might surprise players used to consoles like the NES; indeed, the NES counterparts of those two games use A to jump.

** ''VideoGame/MegaMan9'' has a different problem (on the UsefulNotes/XBox360); they mapped the subscreen (where you select your weapons) to "Select" instead of "Start" like in, oh, ''every other game''. "Start" instead brings up the options menu, which you are far less likely to use while playing. This is a royal pain because shots disappear if you pause for any reason. So if you hit Start, you have to hit it again, then Select to swap weapons.

* The UsefulNotes/ArcadeGame ''VideoGame/PacLand'' has a wholly anomalous control scheme with no joystick and all movement handled by three buttons. When ported to consoles with two-button controllers, jumping was accordingly mapped to the D-pad. Fortunately, the UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16 version offers standard platformer controls as an alternative.

* The C button of the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis controller is used as jump for just about every Genesis platformer. However, every ''[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Simpsons]]'' game on the system awkwardly uses the B button to jump, and none let you change the button assignments.

* In the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series, A is usually used for jump. However, many DS ''Mario'' games use B to jump and A to attack/throw fireballs, meaning that someone coming from ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'' to, say, ''VideoGame/SuperMario64DS'', or from a past ''Mario'' game, can seriously end up slightly confused playing a DS remake/port/series game. Then there's the page quote at the top, if you ever find yourself playing ''Mario Clash'' on the UsefulNotes/VirtualBoy.

** Old-school gamers may remember when ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'' first came out. In all the NES Mario games, A is jump and B is dash/shoot fireball/etc., but here A became spin-jump, B became normal jump, and Y became dash/shoot fireball/etc. (probably changed because of the way one's hand sits on the SNES controller). Many gamers will reflexively spin-jump everywhere, or accidentally jump because they wanted to start running, causing a lot of deaths because Mario won't jump high enough, or jump into an enemy. Avoiding this trope is the major reason why ''Super Mario All-Stars'' for the SNES lets you switch between two control methods, where you can have A and B be jump and X and Y be dash/pick up, or have A and B for jump and dash, respectively, simulating the old NES style, with X and Y both also used to dash. This was also later used in ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros'' for the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, though X is a secondary jump instead of dash

** Even before the Xbox, the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn had the 3D Control Pad (Multi-Controller in Japan) with analog triggers, which first-party racing games used to great effect alongside the main analog nub. The UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast just continued the trend to the point that Sega fans moving to the Xbox would've been perfectly at home.

* Try and play ''VideoGame/SonicAndSegaAllStarsRacing'' on the PC, UsefulNotes/Xbox360, or UsefulNotes/PlayStation3. It's a faithful ''VideoGame/MarioKart'' clone with a completely different button layout [[note]]right shoulder button to accelerate, left shoulder button to drift, A button to shoot items[[/note]] and no option to change the settings (even when playing with a keyboard on the PC). The UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} version averts this, though: its button layout is identical to ''Mario Kart Wii'''s.

* The UsefulNotes/PlayStation installments of the VideoGame/{{Wipeout}} series seems to change its mind over control layout ''between games''. It's generally accepted that X is accelerate but beyond that the remaining buttons move about ''a lot''. ''Fusion'' was the worse, when it took fire from one of the face buttons (its traditional place) to a shoulder button for some reason.

* Speaking of ''Creator/BioWare'', switching between ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' and ''Franchise/MassEffect'' on the UsefulNotes/Xbox360 is a pain.

* ''VideoGame/EternalSonata'' attempts to do this within itself. For most of the game, using the UsefulNotes/XBox360 controls, B is for [[ActionCommands defense when attacked]], A is for attacking, as well as counterattacking in special defense circumstances, and Y is for Special Attacks. Achieve Party Level 6 and opt to use it, however, and these three buttons are subject to what's known as the Moving Command: every time you use a Special Attack, including at each point in a Harmony Chain, the functions are randomly reassigned. (All other buttons, including X for item use, retain their functions.) Why would you put yourself through Party Level 6? Well, that gives you the ability to chain 6 Special Attacks (usually both attacks for the appropriate light level for each character) together, as opposed to only 3. Players are thereby encouraged to check the onscreen control scheme each time they activate one.

** The US release of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' uses O for confirm and X for cancel, while the other UsefulNotes/PlayStation ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games use the reverse (in Japan, they all work like ''Tactics''). This is more or less endemic; most US games default to X to confirm and O to cancel, and most Japanese games do the reverse.

* ''VideoGame/{{Crysis}}'' also has a very unusual case where the original PC version's gamepad controls and the later UsefulNotes/Xbox360 / UsefulNotes/PS3 port do not match up. Much of this stems from the console versions of the game actually being retooled to play a bit more like ''Crysis 2'' and ''3'' with how the suit modes are toggled -- you default to Strength Mode when not using Armor or Cloak, and Speed Mode is only enabled during sprinting. However, you'll still be putting up with differences such as crouch being on B / Circle instead of LS / L3, the aforementioned LS / L3 now being your sprint button because LB / L1 was repurposed for one of the suit modes, the fact that you can now peek around cover by holding down the aim trigger...

*** In most UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} games, pausing is set to the + button. In this game, that button activates Hypermode, and the 1 button pauses. Expect to enter Hypermode repeatedly when trying to pause if it's been a while since last playing.
*** Impressively, if you're playing ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy'', you can get this ''within the same game''. In the first two ''Prime'' games, 1 brings up the map (which was mapped to Z in the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube originals) and 2 brings up the pause menu, allowing you to look at your current items and alter game settings. ''Corruption'' bundles the map into the pause menu, so 2 does nothing. It's minor, but it can take some getting used to if you play the games consecutively.

** Starting with ''VideoGame/Splatoon2'', the jump button is moved from X to B, with the X button now opening the map instead. This is due to the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch lacking a constantly present second screen ala UsefulNotes/WiiU Gamepad to have the map constantly displayed on, and the Switch's controller layout having the right analog stick below rather than above the buttons. Players who logged a lot of time on the first ''Splatoon'' ended up opening the map a lot when jumping into the sequel.

*** This created a big stir when ''VideoGame/PerfectDark'' [[UpdatedRerelease came out for]] UsefulNotes/XboxLiveArcade. Some raged that you couldn't map the buttons for turning/strafing.

*** Unless you're playing a UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast shooter, owing to the pad's single analog stick. Even so, some modern shooters like ''VideoGame/{{Halo}}'' have the sense to provide a "southpaw"/left-handed scheme where the left stick looks around and the right stick moves.

* Going from ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}} DS'' to any other version (except ''Disgaea PC'', see below). Most of the options are right there on the field, seeing as you're meant to use the stylus on them, and there's absolutely nothing but the field on other versions. The joystick makes controlling on the field extremely difficult, though you are still free to use the D-pad if you wish. Not to mention, there's the fact that the UsefulNotes/PlayStation uses the circle-square-cross-triangle button scheme, while the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS uses the standard A-B-X-Y scheme. Many players ended up pressing the wrong button to do an action (often undo command) or not knowing that some features are present in the game.

* ''Videogame/{{Warcraft}}: Orcs and Humans'' is [[SomeDexterityRequired downright obtuse with its control scheme]] to those used to selecting a unit, and then clicking again on the target (on the map to move, on an enemy to attack, on mines\trees to collect resources): it's necessary to select the action (Walk\Attack\Harvest) through either a button on the screen or a keyboard hotkey and ''then'' click on the target.

* ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'''s UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}} gamepad default is to have sprint on RB. Try using that same button to sprint in ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'' and you'll throw a grenade, because sprint is on LB. Then you go back to ''Saints Row 2'', wonder why you're not sprinting at all when mashing LB, and then realize it's the "grab human shield/throw" button. Same goes for ''VideoGame/{{Crysis}}'' and ''Crysis Warhead'', for anyone that would play them on PC with the gamepad.

*** The worst part? As much of a PortingDisaster as it was on PC, ''Saints Row 2'' at least lets you customize the gamepad controls to help mitigate this effect. ''The Third'' forces you to use the defaults, like a lot of PC ports with UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}} gamepad support these days.

** In 2020, Sony announced that the UsefulNotes/PlayStation5 and all future consoles would switch to the international layout in Japan, much to the consternation of many Japanese gamers (or Nintendo gamers contemplating buying a second console).

* Almost certainly occurs when UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 titles get ported to UsefulNotes/PlayStation4. To explain, most [=PS3=] games opted to use L1 and R1 for Aim and Shoot rather than L2 and R2, as fingers easily slip off their convex shape. When these titles get ported to [=PS4=] (such as ''{{VideoGame/Uncharted}}''), they're almost always swapped down to the now-concave triggers, inducing this trope.
* The two major virtual reality systems for PC gamers on the market - the Platform/HTCVive and the UsefulNotes/OculusRift - both have tracked motion controllers with analog triggers and "grip" buttons on the sides. Not every title uses them the same way.

* The pause button is usually the Start button. Well, some games have pause on the '''Select''' button, like ''[[VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTurtlesInTime Turtles in Time]]'' on the SNES and any UsefulNotes/NeoGeo game in home mode (''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga'' as well).
* The UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn has a light variation. A and C are always "accept/confirm" buttons, while B is always "back". The problem is that games don't always agree on whether A or C should be the confirm button. ''VideoGame/GuardianHeroes'' is one particularly notorious case; A works fine in the menus, as does C, but scrolling through dialogue ONLY reacts to C. And if you use an Action Replay 4M Plus cart, only A accepts, never C. Hitting C on the Start Game screen sends you to the CD player menu instead.

** Q*bert strongly advises players to rotate the joystick so the fire button is at the top, so that the direction you moved the joystick corresponded with the direction the protagonist moves, at least on the UsefulNotes/{{Atari 2600}} version.

** To make this simple to understand, all Nintendo controllers that have a four button layout (sans the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube, but we'll get to that later) read clockwise from top: X A B Y. Meanwhile, the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast and all Xbox controllers are Y B A X. Sony controllers use symbols instead of letters, but still manage to have an X button, which is on the bottom, as opposed to the left on the Xbox or the top on Nintendo layouts. Music/{{Brentalfloss}} even made a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzyTJbubzr4 video ranting about the brief confusion this can cause]] if you play on multiple consoles.

* Besides the points above, the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS is almost a whole game system that's guilty of this trope. Again, the system has the exact button layout as the SNES. However, most Nintendo-published games for the system have elected to make the A button the main/jump button for each game, even though back in the SNES era, B button was your main/jump button and Y was your second most used action button. Nintendo has a bad habit of not giving you any way to remap the controls, either, since ViewersAreMorons. It's most glaring in the above mentioned ''VideoGame/{{Kirby}}'' examples, especially in ''Super Star Ultra'', which is an UpdatedRerelease of an SNES game that use the B/Y controller style and forcing you to use Nintendo's now preferred A/B style. It's also very annoying when you play a Game Boy Advance game on the system, since they have to saddle you with the A/B style since some players might get confused if they had the option to remap the controls to B and Y, so it's partially justified.

** Between UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 games and UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}} games, the button to shoot is typically on the same side, but swapped. On [=PlayStation=] 3, it's normally the shoulder button that shoots. On the Xbox 360, it's normally the trigger button that shoots. There are some [=PlayStation=] 3 games (''VideoGame/FirstEncounterAssaultRecon'', ''VideoGame/BioShock1'', ''VideoGame/SleepingDogs2012'') that use the trigger to shoot though. More than a few strategy guides for multiplatform games have mixed up the functions for the L1/L2 and and R1/R2 buttons.

* Try switching from an RPG on the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, where the confirm button is on the right and the cancel button is on the bottom, to one on the PSP, where confirm is on the bottom and cancel is on the right. Or, better yet, don't.

* The UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}'s Classic Controller. Unlike the [=GameCube=] controller (with the analog stick in the upper left and the D-pad below it and to the right), it has the D-pad in the upper left and the analog stick below it and to the right.

* The Pro Controller for the UsefulNotes/WiiU doesn't fare much better; its thumbsticks are located at the ''top'' of the controller while the D-Pad and buttons are lower. Some players can get used to the layout (as it's designed to mimic the layout on the Gamepad), others cannot.
* UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS:

* In hindsight, the back-of-the-cartridge warning on UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem games that hold save data that informs players that they must hold in the Reset button when powering off the system as well as in-game warnings to do so every time the player saves their game were ''very'' good ideas. Players used to more modern systems (which do not require that extra step) may reflexively just hit the Power button without resetting, and then seconds later have that crushing realization that their progress just got wiped out.

* ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'' includes the option to use ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors'' controls (Y to attack, X to Strong Attack, A for Special attack, and B to dodge) or ''Zelda ''controls (B to attack, X to Strong Attack, Y to Special Attack, and A to dodge), or to simply customize the controls to fit your liking. May the goddesses themselves help you if you ever find yourself in a situation in which you switch between the controls or worse, you play a ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors'' game after playing with the Zelda controls or play a ''[[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Zelda]]'' game after using the Warriors controls.

* The two major virtual reality systems for PC gamers on the market - the UsefulNotes/HTCVive and the UsefulNotes/OculusRift - both have tracked motion controllers with analog triggers and "grip" buttons on the sides. Not every title uses them the same way.

* Anyone who uses a UsefulNotes/CommodoreAmiga for the first time and plugs a joystick or gamepad into port 1 is bound to get frustrated when it doesn't work, because due to port 1 generally being used for a mouse, the Amiga convention for the "player one" joystick port is port 2! The second player, if the game permits it, uses port 1 instead.

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* In ''VideoGame/{{Receiver}}'', the way in which OneBulletClips is averted is by altering the interface to assign keys to each component of the firearm. Someone used to pressing "R" after every fight, therefore, will find themselves accidentally racking the slide and ejecting an unfired bullet every time they do so.

** Taken to the extreme by the [=GameCube=]: not only are all of the buttons in different places compared to ''even other Nintendo controllers'', but they are irregularly sized and placed in an irregular arrangement. Y and X are pushed over as jelly bean-shaped top and right buttons, B is a small round button to the bottom left, and A is a large round button in the middle. To make things worse, if you try and play a Super Nintendo game on the Wii Virtual Console with a [=GameCube=] controller, the buttons are the same for each letter, not button placement. The SNES X becomes the GCN X, which makes certain games near insanity to play. Take ''{{VideoGame/Contra}} 3'' for example, where Y shoots, B jumps, and A uses bombs... yeah, just try jumping and shooting with that big bomb button in the way. Or the ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'' series, where Y rolls and runs, B jumps, and the giant button in between them switches characters and gets off animal buddies. The Wii's Virtual Console has no customization options at all, so you better own a Classic Controller or stick to the rare titles (like ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'') that have their own customization options.

** ''Kirby Super Star'' used the classic SNES control setup of B as the jump button and Y as the attack button, with A to call a Helper and X to open a game-specific menu. ''[[VideoGameRemake Kirby Super Star Ultra]]'' for the DS sticks with control consistency for the series' other GBA and DS installments: A jumps, B attacks, X calls a Helper, and Y also jumps (the game-specific menus are now on the bottom screen). This can easily trip you up when switching between the two. ''Kirby Star Allies'' and ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheForgottenLand'' mitigate this by providing two control schemes, with one being consistent with the newer games and the other being more like ''Super Star''.

** In the original games, the roll button is the same as the run button. In ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns'' the two are separated. If you use the "classic" sideways Wiimote configuration, cue running into enemies and [[BottomlessPit Bottomless Pits]]. Rolling is instead performed by - you guessed it - [[{{Waggle}} shaking]] the Wiimote. ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze'' brings back the old roll mechanic if playing on the Gamepad, which means shaking the Gamepad is not only tiring but does nothing.

** In 2020, Sony announced that the UsefulNotes/PlayStation5 and all future consoles would switch to the international layout in Japan, much to the consternation of many Japanese gamers.

* ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'' includes the option to use ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors'' controls (X to attack, Y to Strong Attack, A for Special attack, and B to dodge) or ''Zelda ''controls (B to attack, X to Strong Attack, Y to Special Attack, and A to dodge), or to simply customize the controls to fit your liking. May the goddesses themselves help you if you ever find yourself in a situation in which you switch between the controls or worse, you play a ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors'' game after playing with the Zelda controls or play a ''[[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Zelda]]'' game after using the Warriors controls.

*** The button combination used to save in ''Link's Awakening'' is used to ''reset the game'' in the Oracle games. A player who starts playing the ''Oracles'' immediately after just finishing a run of ''Link's Awakening'' could end up losing quite a bit of progress...that said, A+B+Start+Select was always the standard "Reset" gesture for Game Boy games (since the GB didn't have an actual reset button); Link's Awakening was the deviant here.

*** Players who’ve come from ''VideoGame/YoshisIsland'', ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosWii'', or even ''VideoGame/SuperMario64DS'' will more than likely attempt a flutter jump while riding Yoshi- only to find themselves losing a life as they fall down whatever pit they were trying to cross because [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness Yoshi didn’t flutter jump yet]]

** A similar "blow yourself up" bit appears when switching between ''Halo 3'' and ''VideoGame/RainbowSix: Vegas 2''. A good example of this was shown in Creator/AchievementHunter's Let's Play of the game, when Creator/GavinFree, in his attempt to cover, reflexively hit the B button and was forced to run in a panic. Between his laughs and Jack's, Gavin sputters out "[[https://youtu.be/sm374yQLe10?t=25m37s B is... B is not cover; B is grenade!]]" He attributed the mixup to recently playing Splinter Cell Blacklist.

** Try playing the ''VideoGame/{{Sonic Advance|Trilogy}}'' titles after playing ''VideoGame/{{Sonic Rush|Series}}'' or ''Sonic Rush Adventure''... and ''not'' continue to attempt trick actions.

* Another "driving on the left/right side of the road" example: Go from driving on the right in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' to a game with left hand traffic such as ''VideoGame/TheGetaway'' or ''VideoGame/SleepingDogs''. Some players have trouble adjusting to the left side of the road and find themselves constantly trying to avoid head on collisions or having to wait for their character to scramble over to the driver's seat because they entered a right-hand drive vehicle from the left. This even happens to players who live in countries that drive on the left in real life since they've gotten so used to driving in ''GTA''.

*** Speaking of handbrakes, in most modern Sandbox games, the button to get into a car is almost always the top button (Y or Triangle), and the triggers control acceleration and braking, but the button to pull the handbrake is always different. Is it the [[VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird bottom button]]? [[VideoGame/JustCause The Left one]]? Or maybe the [[VideoGame/SleepingDogs one on the right]]? It's always different.

** Between UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 games and UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}} games, the button to shoot is typically on the same side, but swapped. On [=PlayStation=] 3, it's normally the shoulder button that shoots. On the Xbox 360, it's normally the trigger button that shoots. There are some [=PlayStation=] 3 games (''VideoGame/FirstEncounterAssaultRecon'', ''VideoGame/BioShock1'', ''VideoGame/SleepingDogs'') that use the trigger to shoot though. More than a few strategy guides for multiplatform games have mixed up the functions for the L1/L2 and and R1/R2 buttons.

* ''VideoGame/SleepingDogs'' in the 360 version uses B to grab an enemy, which is similar to several other games like ''VideoGame/{{Prototype}}'' and ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed''. Unfortunately, while those games let you throw the enemy by hitting B again, for ''Dogs'' it's... RT.

** Also pressing Q will, by default, turn a gadget on if you have one on your weapon, this results in new players trying to switch weapons only to have a laser or flashlight turn on instead.

* ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' [[InvokedTrope invokes]] this; a player who plays the game like any other RPG -- specifically, [[spoiler:killing the monsters they come across]] - will lock themselves out of the GoldenEnding. The game's OptionalBoss even invokes this in-battle by keeping their attacks randomized in contrast to every other monster, as well as being able to change your SOUL's color (and therefore its mobility) ''mid-turn'' just to trip you into another attack.

** "Dizzy Dancing", "Hexagon Heat" and "Tidal Toss" are affected by the overall change of ground-pounding controls from A>Z to A>A[[note]]or 2>2[[/note]]. "Bounce 'n' Trounce" has a similar change. Additionally, in "Dizzy Dancing", when one player catches the note, the game continues, with the player catching the most notes being the winner.

** From Generation IV onward, you have to press a certain button combination at the title screen to delete a save file, instead of just starting and saving a new game. While this was a welcome change for anyone with trolling younger siblings, what qualifies the feature for this trope is the fact that the combination not only changed in Gen 6, but was inconsistent in that generation--it was Up+B+Select in every game in Gens IV and V, but L+Up+X+B in ''X'' and ''Y'', and B+X+Up in ''Omega Ruby'' and ''Alpha Sapphire''. Going from the former to the latter isn't as bad since pressing the former's combination will still bring you to the save deletion screen in the latter, but going from the latter to the former can cause some frustration until you remember you're missing a button.

* Pick a VirtualReality FPS of some sort, and you're bound to run into issues with different movement systems that were developed due to the potential for players to become susceptible to motion sickness with conventional movement, and that's ''if'' they let you move beyond your room space in the first place!

* The two major VirtualReality systems for PC gamers on the market - the UsefulNotes/HTCVive and the UsefulNotes/OculusRift - both have tracked motion controllers with analog triggers and "grip" buttons on the sides. Not every title uses them the same way.

* The default controls in the PC version of ''Creator/TomClancy's VideoGame/GhostRecon'' put [[SprintMeter sprinting]] on the right mouse button. The Shift key, which is usually how you sprint in any other FPS, brings up the command map; the game doesn't so much have aiming (like what most shooters put on right mouse nowadays) as it does zoom levels, activated either by T (for zooming to discrete intervals) or scrolling the mouse wheel (for smoothly zooming in or out).

* Who here wants to bet that, at least once, they'll shut their 3DS down instead of pressing 'start'? Putting the power button where 'start' and 'select' used to be might not have been such a great idea...
** Not even a bet. To make matters worse, it takes you to a screen where you have the option of either shutting it off or putting it into Sleep Mode. Since it then instructs you to do what most people do when they want to enter Sleep mode (for example, ''closing the system'') this is not only redundant, but unlike closing the system, you're booted out of the game with no way to get back but to restart it.
*** How about someone admit that at least once s/he scratched the side of the console only to remember that stylus is behind it?

** What's really annoying at times is where the stylus is. From the DS Lite and on, the stylus is on the right side. With the 3DS, the stylus is near the cartridge slot. And just for fun, the 3DS XL is back on the right side. ''VideoGame/WarioWare Gold'' managed to make an entire microgame out of remembering where the stylus is on various 3DS systems.

** A similar "blow yourself up" bit appears when switching between ''Halo 3'' and ''VideoGame/RainbowSix: Vegas 2''. A good example of this was shown in Creator/AchievementHunter's Let's Play of the game, when Creator/GavinFree, in his attempt to cover, reflexively hit the B button and was forced to run in a panic. Between his laughs and Jack's, Gavin sputters out "[[https://youtu.be/sm374yQLe10?t=25m37s B is... B is not cover; B is grenade!]]"

** In most, if not all, ''VideoGame/StreetFighter'' games, the inputs for Sakura's Hadoken and Shououken are the same as the commands for Hadoken and Shoryuken on most characters, but in the first and second ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'' games, the input for her Hadoken is quarter circle backwards-punch and Shououken is quarter circle forwards-punch... unless you're playing as Sunburned Sakura (accessible through a button combination in ''1'' and a Hyper Combo in ''2''), in which case the inputs are basically the same as in SF.

* ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'' includes the option to use ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors'' controls (X to attack, Y to Strong Attack, A for Special attack, and B to dodge) or ''Zelda ''controls (B to attack, X to Strong Attack, Y to Special Attack, and A to dodge), or to simply customize the controls to fit your liking. May the goddesses themselves help you if you ever find yourself in a situation in which you switch between the controls or worse, you play a ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors'' game after playing with the Zelda controls or play a ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZelda Zelda]]'' game after using the Warriors controls.

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':

*** A particularly frustrating example occurs on the [=PS3=] when going between ''Oblivion'' and ''Skyrim''. ''Oblivion'' uses the R2 key to move items. ''Skyrim'' remaps it to use [[MakeMeWannaShout Shouts]] instead. Coupled with natural lag on the [=PS3=] at higher levels, and the lag brought on from processing the bytes that make up the items flying around the room, an accidental press in ''Skyrim'' can be ''agonizing''.

*** The worst part of all? Not everyone agrees on what "inverted" aim is! Build engine [=FPSs=] (''VideoGame/DukeNukem3D'', ''VideoGame/ShadowWarrior'', ''VideoGame/{{Blood}}'', etc.) consider "push up, aim up, and vice versa" to be inverted!

** The first two ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpires'' could be played with one mouse button (''[[VideoGame/CommandAndConquer C&C]]'' Style), or two (''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}''/''VideoGame/{{Starcraft}}'' style). ''VideoGame/AgeOfMythology'' had only the two-button option.
** Compare trying to make units do something in ''Starcraft/Warcraft'' and ''Age of Empires'' to accidentally deselecting them in ''[=C&C=] Red Alert 2'' -- the left mouse button and right mouse button got switched.

* Also similarly, going from ''Disgaea DS'' to any other version (except ''Disgaea PC'', see below). Most of the options are right there on the field, seeing as you're meant to use the stylus on them, and there's absolutely nothing but the field on other versions. The joystick makes controlling on the field extremely difficult, though you are still free to use the D-pad if you wish. Not to mention, there's the fact that the UsefulNotes/PlayStation uses the circle-square-cross-triangle button scheme, while the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS uses the standard A-B-X-Y scheme. Many players ended up pressing the wrong button to do an action (often undo command) or not knowing that some features are present in the game.
* This trope is zig-zagged in ''Disgaea PC'': people coming in from any of the PS ports will be a bit confused on how things work (luckily controller support is available), while the stylus controls of the Nintendo DS translate well into mouse controls (which is why a lot of mouse-only PC games were ported to the DS).
* In ''VideoGame/FamicomWars / VideoGame/AdvanceWars'', you hit the primary key on an empty square to get the end-turn menu, because the series started on button-limited consoles (NES). ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'', on the other hand, started on the [=PlayStation=], so it has a dedicated menu button. Going from playing ''Advance Wars: Dual Strike'' on the DS to playing ''Disgaea'' on the PSP is nice and confusing. Thankfully, they're both [[TurnBasedStrategy turn-based games]], so you don't get killed because you're hitting the wrong button.

*** Similarly, ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'' games traditionally used the first scheme and Blizzard's (''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Starcraft}}'') used the second... until ''Tiberium Wars'', when EA inexplicably switched to something reminiscent of the Blizzard scheme... with some small differences like the "attack in this zone" command. Thankfully, starting in ''Kane's Wrath'' and ''VideoGame/RedAlert3'', there is an option for ''classic C&C controls''. [[DevelopersForesight Glorious!]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Cuphead}}'': When you play as Ms. Chalice in the expansion ''The Delicious Last Course'', some of her controls are different from Cuphead and Mugman's. Namely, pressing jump while in the air will make her double-jump, whereas it'll make the boys parry. ''Her'' parry is her dash, which you would avoid with the boys since that would involve flinging yourself face-first into a projectile. In a BulletHell game where memorizing enemy patterns is key, playing as Chalice for the first time ''will'' result in some frustrating deaths. However, the game does attempt to mitigate this with the chess bosses, which are specifically designed with Chalice's moveset in mind, to help players get used to her.