Playstation thumb?

Post by **Gandalf** » 2004-08-08 02:39am

Basically, you strain your thumb from playing a game. Repeated hitting of the X button usually. I got it horribly this morning, which is why I'm here instead of with my PS2.

Has this ever happened to you?

Darth Garden Gnome · Post by **Darth Garden Gnome** » 2004-08-08 02:46am

Happens with every game system. But the worst of them all was the N64. The joystick had grooves in it, alot like the Game Cube controller, only not padded, just hard plastic. So when you were really into it and pressing hard down on the joystick they would jam into your thumb. Hurt like a bitch hours later. Fortunately the PS never had that problem, and Nintendo fixed it themselves with the Game Cube.

Post by **Dalton** » 2004-08-08 02:55am

I used to rub the palm of my hand raw playing Mario Party on the N64, with those goddamn minigames where you have to spin the analog stick really fast.

Temjin · Post by **Temjin** » 2004-08-08 03:07am

Dalton wrote:I used to rub the palm of my hand raw playing Mario Party on the N64, with those goddamn minigames where you have to spin the analog stick really fast.

If I remember correctly, when the sequel came out, Nintendo was offering special gloves to play the game with. That should just tell you bad it was.

But back to the topic: I just rented Dynasty Warriors 4 this past Friday. After only 20 minutes from playing the game, my thumbs hurt. I have not touched it since.

Death from the Sea · Post by **Death from the Sea** » 2004-08-08 04:45am

think back to the days when the controllers were not shaped quite as user friendly and they were just squares with buttons
those really hurt

Darth Garden Gnome · Post by **Darth Garden Gnome** » 2004-08-08 04:51am

Death from the Sea wrote:think back to the days when the controllers were not shaped quite as user friendly and they were just squares with buttons
those really hurt

Maybe so, but they were as durable as hell. You get seriously pissed playing your PS2 or X Box, you can't fuck with the controller or you'll break it.

The NES controller could withstand anything, which was good because NES games were so fucking hard. You got pissed and hurled that mother at a wall, it would make for you a nice new window, and you could pick the controller up off the ground and keep playing.

Lord of the Farce · Post by **Lord of the Farce** » 2004-08-08 07:52am

Darth Garden Gnome wrote:Maybe so, but they were as durable as hell. You get seriously pissed playing your PS2 or X Box, you can't fuck with the controller or you'll break it.

The NES controller could withstand anything, which was good because NES games were so fucking hard. You got pissed and hurled that mother at a wall, it would make for you a nice new window, and you could pick the controller up off the ground and keep playing.

On that matter, the N64 controllers come pretty damned close. I mean, how many console controllers with thumbsticks do you know of can survive being stomped on (right on the stick too!), with intent to break, by a parent in an irrational rage?

Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi · Post by **Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi** » 2004-08-09 12:15am

Lord of the Farce wrote:
Darth Garden Gnome wrote:Maybe so, but they were as durable as hell. You get seriously pissed playing your PS2 or X Box, you can't fuck with the controller or you'll break it.

The NES controller could withstand anything, which was good because NES games were so fucking hard. You got pissed and hurled that mother at a wall, it would make for you a nice new window, and you could pick the controller up off the ground and keep playing.
On that matter, the N64 controllers come pretty damned close. I mean, how many console controllers with thumbsticks do you know of can survive being stomped on (right on the stick too!), with intent to break, by a parent in an irrational rage?

It seems that the weakest part of these newer controllers are the thumbsticks (or at least the C stick on the GameCube), since they're too delicate and prone to messing up, and it's really a problem when playing games that use one of the thumbsticks to control the camera angle or some other improtant function. The reason it took me so long to beat The Wind Waker was because 9 times out of 10, the C stick was screwy, and if it's not functioning right, you can't do very much in the game.

desertjedi · Post by **desertjedi** » 2004-08-09 01:31am

My borther really messed up his thumbs one summer. He did nothing but play games on the NES since he was too young for a job. Woke up one morning and his thumbs were swollen and in pain. Had to quit playing for a month. After I saw that, I made sure to limit myself to a few hours... that was until Final Fantasy came out. Looking back at that, those were probably one of the worst designed controllers ever.

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2004-08-09 10:14am

i'd get thumb cramps all the time, but especially from fighting games. was half worried i'd developed arthritis when tekken 3 was released.

Macross · Post by **Macross** » 2004-08-09 11:10pm

It used to be called the condition "Nintendo Thumb" back in the 80's and 90s.

There was a news story on the news a few years back where a kid who had developed arthritis or a repetitive stress injury because of playing Nintendo for hours everyday over the summer. If I remember correctly the doctors had to limit the time he could play each day to prevent the condition from worsening. It was big news because it was the first recorded clinical case of "Nintendo Thumb."

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2004-08-10 05:57pm

I don't get it much anymore because the games I play don't have a lot of repetetive button pressing. But damn, that old NES controller would leave an imprint in my hand for hours.

ReinnResauq · Post by **ReinnResauq** » 2004-08-11 04:13pm

The N64 was horrible on the hands. Once, I played it so much my left thumb actually bled.

CrimsonRaine · Post by **CrimsonRaine** » 2004-08-11 06:53pm

Oh, of course. I have the strangest callouses from playing games. The one between your index and thumb (this is made from Nintendo controllers and the teeny SNES ones). And my thumbs are majorly tough now.

Raine