The PlayStation’s X Button Isn’t What You Think It Is

What do you call the X on the PlayStation’s iconic controller? That’s the question that’s torn apart fans across social media for days now, with the two main camps being: X as in the letter, and… cross. Yes, cross. If that last one sounds wild to you, you’re certainly not alone. And yet, somehow, there’s a major push for it; an official PlayStation account has even come out in favor of it. Worst of all? It kind of has a point.

It’s important to note here that this all began with a viral tweet decrying the description of the X button as a cross. The official PlayStation UK account decided to weigh in, however, and totally upset the cart by officially endorsing Triangle, Circle, Cross, and Square as the names for the main buttons on the right side of every basic PlayStation controller. While this might, at first, seem like stirring the pot, a second, meme-heavy tweet clarified the position in a way that makes absolute sense.

After all, if they are all shapes, and people generally seem to agree on Triangle, Circle, and Square, then why in the world would the fourth button take its name from the letter and not the shape? Even so, that hasn’t stopped folks from mostly staying in the corner of “X as in the letter” — and that includes a poll from the regular PlayStation Twitter account which, as of writing, skews 81% in favor of “X” rather than “Cross” with “+ rotated 45°” actually polling higher than the second option.

What do you think? Is it an “X” or is it a “Cross” button? Or is it something else entirely? Let us know in the comments, or hit me up directly on Twitter at @rollinbishop to talk all things gaming!

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