I agree with regard to the original NES d-pad. It was an atrocity against thumbs and it could literally cut you. But the more recent d-pads feel much nicer. I n

I agree with regard to the original NES d-pad. It was an atrocity against thumbs and it could literally cut you. But the more recent d-pads feel much nicer. I never found the circle of the Sega-style d-pad to be much help — I still have always pushed diagonally with the up and right bars, not by pushing the empty space between them. And that was even as a 10-year-old with smallish thumbs. Also, Nintendo's recent d-pads in particular are so small that your thumb would have to be unbelievably small not to be able to cover both directions comfortably.