  Below is a list of the controls scheme for Cole's many powers and abiliies in InFamous.
Standard
The control scheme without holding any buttons
|
Command |
Action | Description |
| Left stick | Move around | Move Cole through the world. Pressure effects speed. |
| Right stick | Move camera | Adjust the position of the camera to get a better view of the current suroundings. |
| X-button | Jump | Jump upwards. If Cole touches any ledges, he will grab them automatically. Press X again to jump from that ledge. If Cole hits a wall, the player can press X another time to run up the wall for a short distance. |
| Square-button | Melee attack / Thunder Drop | Beat up nearby enemies/citizens/objects. Tapping square will result in a combo, ending with a deadly summersault-kick. Press and hold Square in mid-air to charge Cole's Thunder Drop, a powerfull atack which sends out a large shockwave upon impact. |
| Triangle-button | Interact | Use special actions, like pressing buttons, grabbing disks. On various occasions, players need to hold down Triangle to peek at certain photographs, or zoom in at special events. |
| O-button | Evasive Roll/ Take cover/ Let go | Press O while running to avoid enemy fire. When standing still, press O to get behind any available cover and press again to get out. When hanging on ledges, press O to let go of it. |
| L1-Button | Aim | Zooms the camera above Cole's shoulder and brings up the targeting reticle, allowing Cole to unleash an array of deadly, electrical attacks. |
| L2-Button | Electric Drain | Sap electicity from nearby sources to fill up your energyreserve and heal any possible injuries. |
| R1-button | Target downed enemy/wounded citizen/Static Thrusters | Highlights a stunned enemy or injured citizen nearby an brings up new 3 powers: Heal, Restrain and Bio Leech. It should be noted that Cole is not able (or smart enough not) to heal downed enemies. Also, holding R1 in mid-air enables the Static Thrusters, a special technique that allows you to hover throught the city |
| R2-button | Polarity Wall | Cole creates a small, electrical force field, which he can hold as a real life shield and use to deflect enemy fire. |
| L3-Button | Radar Pulse | Lets out an electromagnetic sonar, highligting nearby energy sources, enemies, blast shards, etc. on the mini-map and gamescreen. Can also be used in certain missions to enable Cole's Psychic Vision |
| D-pad Up | Precision | Zooms in the camera and slows time, allowing Cole to make a easy headshot or hitting hard to reach spots, at high energy costs. |
| D-pad Down | Lightning Storm | Calls forth a massive lighting beam from the sky, which the player can control with the SIXAXIS, at the cost of large amounts of energy. |
| D-pad Left | Karmic Overload | When the Karma-Meter reaches the maximum, players can press Left on the D-pad, giving them unlimited energy for a short time. Afterwards, the Karma-Meter drops slightly, preventing constant use. |
| Start-button | Pause | Pauses the game and brings up the pause menu. |
| Select-button | Map | Brings up a map from Empire City, giving the player an overview of the world and the available mission (goals). |
Aiming mode (Hold L1)
| Command | Action | Description |
| R1-Button | Lightning Bolt | Cole's standard attack. Launches a short electric bolt at no energy costs. Keep tapping for repeated bursts. |
| R2-Button | Arc Lightning / Overload Burst | Use a special attack, depending on your Karma. Hold R2 to either fire a constant beam of electricity (Arc Lightning, evil karma), or charge a strong bolt that jumps of electricity conducting objects and enemies (Overload Burst, good karma). |
| X-button | Fires a shockwave at enemies, comparable to shotgun blasts. | |
| Square-button | Shock Grenade | Throws an esplosive ball of energy that bounces of walls and is able to attach itself to enemies. A great move for clearing large groups of enemies at once. |
| Triangle-button | Megawatt Hammer | Fires a electric missle, in cases a Shock Grenade really has to be delivered on time. |
| O-button | Evasive Roll/ Take cover | Dodge enemy fire or duck behind available cover. Press O again to pop out. |
| L3-button | Radar Pulse | Cole can still use his "sonar" while aiming. Because enemies will flash red for a moment, the Radar Pulse can be a life saver in battle. |
| R3-button | Change arm | Alternate between Cole's right and left arm, moving the camera along. |
| D-pad Up | Precision | See above. It is advised to first aim with L1 before using precision, as every second using it drains energy. |
Injured targets
Hold R1 to target a downed enemie/civilian and use your powers to either help them or make matters even worse.
| Command | Action | Description |
| Square-button (tap repeatingly) | Bio Leech | Suck out the lifeforce of your victim, healing Cole of all injuries and filling up all of your Battery Cores, but killing the victim in the process. This skill results in Bad Karma, but can be used in a Good Karma game, if used sparingly. |
| O-Button | Arc Restraint | Chain your target to the floor with electro-magnetic energy. Commonly used in a Good playtrough, as restraining enemis instead of killing them results in Good Karma. Evil players can shoot their vitims to cancel out the Good Karma and get an execution bonus. |
| Triangle-Button | Pulse Heal | Heal injured civilians, giving the player some experience and Good Karma. Cole obviously refuses to heal enemies. Unlike others, Pulse Heal has no use in an Evil Playthrough, although players might have some fun by healing civilians laying on a roof, right before kicking them og the ledge. |