Thanks for the tips on this! I didn't even think to search on this question before. It seems like forward towards the screen is the better default to start with and I can always rotate it back later if I want to try out that configuration.
I just played with my plans and it looks like I can rotate these 45 without moving anything else (which is good because I already have all the holes drilled and the CP laminated).
I actually had to add extra insert nuts once already (told you I made some mistakes).
Here are the insert nuts for one of the player 1/2 joysticks
But turns out I did it 90 degrees off (it's right in the plans, I just messed up with laying out the holes)
I was able to just add more insert nuts (I left the old ones in because I thought they were structurally better than a wood filler hole)
However, I now have the laminate on the top and I've really worried about accidentally drilling through it, which is what I did here (before the laminate was on):
Guess I'll be careful :-)