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When developing for XNA Game Studio, you have to map various game actions to various buttons on the game pad controller. Here is a list of what most games do -- if you follow this list, gamers won't be too surprised and will easily pick up your controls:

The standards that are "iron clad" and pretty much have to be followed are:

A/Green

Confirm in menu or dialog. Positive action in game: often jump or fire. Start from title screen.

B/Red

Cancel in menu or dialog. Negative action in game.

Start

Pause and bring up menu in game. Start from title screen. Not usually confirm in menu (because it brings up menu).

Back

Cancel in menu or dialog. Sometimes camera switch in games.

The standards that would surprise gamers the least, but are not "iron clad," are as follows:

Right trigger

Fire in most direct-control games. Gas in most car games.

Right shoulder

Switch weapon, or other action

Left trigger

Alt-fire in most direct-control games. Brake in most car games.

Left shoulder

Switch weapon, or other action

Left stick

Movement. In 3D games front/back movement and left/right strafe. Up/Down in menus.

Right stick

Turn in 3D games (up/down and left/right camera or aim turn)

Dpad

Up/Down in menus, Right/Left selects options in menus. Movement, if not used for game functions like setting options.

Note that you should always be able to select in menus and move in the game using the left stick. You can additionally make the DPad move in the game, if it's not being used for other in-game functions. The DPad should always select in menus.

Here's an illustration of the most common assignments. Note that you will likely find games that do something different, and sometimes it makes sense, and sometimes it's just frustrating -- but if you have no other reason to do something different, following these suggestions will make your game be the least surprising to an Xbox game player.

Click the image to download a high-resolution version as a TGA with alpha. The controller image in the center is covered by the Microsoft Permissive License.

If you don't like mine, you can always try the Penny Arcade control layout instead. Let me know how that works out for you :-)