Uploaded June 2017 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
So I always assumed that ESS range was perfectly circular, but it's looking like that may not be the case. I don't know if anyone else has realized this before or documented it, so I'm uploading this video.
So with a perfect left, right, up, or downward joystick angle, ESS position is a range between ±16 and ±27 inclusive. The coordinates for this are (0, 27). So a 0° angle with a ray of 27 is the edge of the ESS range. With a 45° angle and a ray of 27, the rectangular coordinates would be roughly (19, 19). So ESS position should end here if it were a perfect circle. However, ESS position actually ends at (22, 22). This translates to a ray of ~31.11 with a 45° angle. That means that ESS position extends out further on diagonals than it does on perfect left, right, up, or downward angles. You can watch the coordinates on the virtual pad to see the differences. Polar coordinates are a little buggy on bizhawk (hence why it shows 26 for a ray of 27), so I did verify the math myself.
I apologize if my explanation is kind of strangely worded or hard to follow. Writing detailed explanations is super hard.
So I always assumed that ESS range was perfectly circular, but it's looking like that may not be the case. I don't know if anyone else has realized this before or documented it, so I'm uploading this video.
So with a perfect left, right, up, or downward joystick angle, ESS position is a range between ±16 and ±27 inclusive. The coordinates for this are (0, 27). So a 0° angle with a ray of 27 is the edge of the ESS range. With a 45° angle and a ray of 27, the rectangular coordinates would be roughly (19, 19). So ESS position should end here if it were a perfect circle. However, ESS position actually ends at (22, 22). This translates to a ray of ~31.11 with a 45° angle. That means that ESS position extends out further on diagonals than it does on perfect left, right, up, or downward angles. You can watch the coordinates on the virtual pad to see the differences. Polar coordinates are a little buggy on bizhawk (hence why it shows 26 for a ray of 27), so I did verify the math myself.
I apologize if my explanation is kind of strangely worded or hard to follow. Writing detailed explanations is super hard.
