Code: Select all
WASD versus ESDF Controls, Which is Better?
WASD and ESDF control schemes are causing a bit of controversy in the world of first-person shooters. For those of you unfamiliar, “WASD” is the layout of controls to move up, left, own, and right in a first person shooter. Situated on the end of the keyboard, the idea is that these keys give you fast access to other controls that you might need (combinations, map buttons, etc).
But how accessible is the WASD layout? With your hand sitting on the edge of you keyboard, accessing these keys can begin to feel uncomfortable after some amount of time. As well, it gets difficult to use your little finger to access other related keys, slowing your reaction time. As gamers, the less time it takes for us to get actions out, the better!
The solution comes in a new layout, ESDF. The ESDF control scheme is situated slightly more rightward on the keyboard. If you happen to have your hands on the homerow of the keyboard, you only need to move your left middle finger up to feel how ESDF is mapped out.
Gamers can use the bump on the “f” key to situate their hands, and just like with typing, you have access to the keys surrounding the controls, such as SHIFT and the spacebar. ESDF allows for more manual binding, and you can respond much more quickly in games than you can with WASD.
However, WASD is still the standard for most newly released FPS games. You can change the control settings from within the game’s menu. Considering the advantages of the ESDF keyboard layout, it seems clear that it should be made the new standard.
So i dont agree that its new, but it is better at times. (i use wasd for most games, and esdf for others)