{"id":135441,"date":"2025-12-27T11:45:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-27T11:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/#article-195734"},"modified":"2025-12-27T11:45:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-27T11:45:00","slug":"this-just-didnt-fit-into-my-gaming-lifestyle-hideki-kamiya-isnt-happy-about-switch-2s-lack-of-a-d-pad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2025\/12\/27\/this-just-didnt-fit-into-my-gaming-lifestyle-hideki-kamiya-isnt-happy-about-switch-2s-lack-of-a-d-pad\/","title":{"rendered":"“This Just Didn’t Fit Into My Gaming Lifestyle” – Hideki Kamiya Isn’t Happy About Switch 2’s Lack Of A D-Pad"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Hideki<\/a>
<\/span> Image: Damien McFerran \/ Nintendo Life<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nintendo may have originated the concept of the cross D-Pad, but the company has practically abandoned this control method on both the Switch and Switch 2 (although thankfully not on the Switch Lite and Pro Controller), leaving some old-school players feeling a little left out.<\/p>\n

One of those people is legendary game designer Hideki Kamiya, who has been speaking to 4Gamer<\/a> about his gaming impressions of 2025 (thanks, Stealth<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Kamiya spoke about picking up a Switch 2 this year before discussing the fact that it lacks a traditional D-Pad:<\/p>\n

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“For some reason, in this age of diversity, the manufacturer itself has stubbornly refused to offer the option of a “Joy-Con with a D-pad” since the Switch 1. This just didn’t fit into my gaming lifestyle, where I usually play while lying down, so I have no choice but to use the Joy-Con when playing games.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The man behind Devil May Cry<\/a>, Wonderful 101<\/a> and Bayonetta<\/a> reveals that he actually reverted back to the original Switch as a result, because he could use peripherals which add a proper D-Pad (like Hori’s special Joy-Con<\/a>, we assume):<\/p>\n

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“Somehow I was able to get by. I was able to continue my daily routine of “one Tetris 99 a day,” but even so, as someone who continues to post shady things on social media every day in the shadows at the very edge of the games industry, I decided that I should gradually make the Switch 2 my regular hardware, and as I was writing this, I purchased a new Cyber \u200b\u200bGadget “mini grip with D-pad,” which I use with the Switch 1, and after some sanding and modifying it so that it could be attached to the Switch 2, where the button layout is slightly different, I was able to make my own “D-pad Joy-Con 2,” which finally allowed me to play titles from “Arcade Archives 2.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Were you hoping to see some more variety in the Joy-Con 2 options by now? Or do you prefer using the analogue stick? Let us know with a comment.<\/p>\n

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