I think the problem is the word "common" in the OP.
I actually tried to succinctly summarise this for my own benefit when i started my cab prototype a few months ago, and i think it might help clarify the issues for any other newbs.
1. there is no correct answer.
You may as well ask "what is the best colour", there are practical, aesthetic and personal styles involved.
Here's how I initially ran through the problem.
(fig 1) 4 clones in a row takes up about 2m of space - no way I am building a panel that big
Now we stick a nice big screen in (Fig 2)
and have a look from above (Fig 3)
This feels wrong to me, the difference between A and B, so I rotate player 3 to face the screen (Fig 4)
Now A and B are in the same direction.
But let's take a closer look at player 3's perspective (Fig 5)
We now have a discrepancy between A/B and C, the actual direction of travel as seen on the screen...
I do think I would always naturally face the screen, as per Fig 4, so I started thinking about games I might play in the arcades.
MK type games, I feel is all about muscle memory, special moves etc, I move my hands in relation to my body.
Simpsons type games, I play more in relation to the screen, ie point the joystick towards where I want to go from my perspective.
Then there are those games (which I have never played) which involve 2 joysticks, which have to be in the same plane.
Fig 3 seems to be good, as my movements in relation to my body are in the correct orientation, AND they are in the same plane as the screen, which solves the problem of A/B vs C in Fig 5.
But I just don't see myself standing facing away from the screen, and the space is really restricted.
So there just is no answer... it really depends, do you have 3 mates that want to play? do you like to face the screen, do you relate controls to your body, or to the perspective of the screen to you? and if you are the builder, you are probably not going to be player 3/4 anyway!
I reckon that building something which is perfect for 90% of your gametime, and forget about the other 10% being sub-optimal is best. This depends on what you play, how you play it, and with whom.
I did this, and built a 2 player with the controls slightly angled (only 5 deg), just so we don't bump shoulders (something I have never seen, but it's a bit like an ergonomic keyboard, player 2 is right handed can be a bit awkward when it's straight), and this works for ME.
No wars, just everyone living their lives how they want ;-)
I hope that helps any newbs think abut the types of critieria / issues involved. It seems the arguments tend to stem from one method becoming "de-facto" and those who don't like it saying that is the wrong approach. Which is true. Until they argue that their approach should be the de-facto... and then it's wargames.
A possible answer to "common" is:
1. 4 players straight, all controls face north
2. 4 players in a curve, all controls face north
3. 4 players in a curve, all controls face screen
I built a prototype from cheap ply to make sure I get it right. Problem is we've not stopped playing since, so the build has come to a stop!