Best PC gaming controller in 2020?

I think Microsoft is quietly trying to sunset the 360 pads on the down low. While the Xbox One pads have slightly better analog sticks and d-pads (at least IMO), the 360 controllers are otherwise better in nearly every way. They're definitely way more durable at the very least.

However in looking through the Steam help forums, it seems like the people that have issues with games not correctly detecting their pads are mostly on 360 controllers. Especially wirelessly. In other cases the wired pad will show up as a generic pad so that the prompts and buttons aren't always right. Ditto with the PS4 pads, although that's more understandable. That stuff basically never happens with the XB1 pads.
 
Xbox360 controller is quite good, I use one when I need a controller and not yet hit any compatibility issues. Had a Logitech for a long time and towards the end started having comparability issues. I can't speak for the ones which can switch between input types, maybe they have better comparability.

Anyways I always try to use wired ones. Wireless items are better now than they were, however unless there is a real reason for a wireless the batteries or charging, and drivers and poor connection have always been turn offs.

I am also interested in steam controller.. I was reading the review here https://www.reviewsed.com/steam-controller-review/ Does Steam has innovated the standard controllers by replacing the thumbsticks with innovative gamepads?
 
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DSmithz said:
Xbox360 controller is quite good, I use one when I need a controller and not yet hit any compatibility issues. Had a Logitech for a long time and towards the end started having comparability issues. I can't speak for the ones which can switch between input types, maybe they have better comparability.

Anyways I always try to use wired ones. Wireless items are better now than they were, however unless there is a real reason for a wireless the batteries or charging, and drivers and poor connection have always been turn offs.
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The switchable Logitech F710s are pretty good in XInput mode, but yes, I also started noticing some mapping issues with the older ones that my kids were using. I just swapped all of their controllers out with XBOne pads where needed. Zero issues there, and Steam automatically loads profiles for a lot of games transparently I've noticed, and I've never seen an issue.

Side Note: If anyone is interested, here are the 8BitDo ones I use (though I use the wired ones for my MiSTer setup) - https://www.8bitdo.com/sn30-pro-g-classic-or-sn30-pro-sn/

Also, here are those Retro-Bit + Sega ones I use as well. They're quite good if you preferred Sega pads way back when to SNES pads - http://retro-bit.com/sega-collaboration

One last item, and this is leaning toward the obscure :D these things work great for really old stuff - http://www.2600-daptor.com I use these to adapt old Bally Astrocade pistol-grip controllers.
 
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I have a Steam Controller (and Steam Link for TV) but only really used it for Witcher 3. It is great in games that support it well/Steam big picture but I don't like the faffing around trying to make it work in non-Steam stuff. I ended up getting an Xbox One controller to play Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order and NFS Heat this past holiday season. Worth it on a black friday sale IMO, it just works well in those games that support it natively. I use KB/M for shooters of course.
 
J3RK said:
The switchable Logitech F710s are pretty good in XInput mode, but yes, I also started noticing some mapping issues with the older ones that my kids were using. I just swapped all of their controllers out with XBOne pads where needed. Zero issues there, and Steam automatically loads profiles for a lot of games transparently I've noticed, and I've never seen an issue.

Side Note: If anyone is interested, here are the 8BitDo ones I use (though I use the wired ones for my MiSTer setup) - https://www.8bitdo.com/sn30-pro-g-classic-or-sn30-pro-sn/

Also, here are those Retro-Bit + Sega ones I use as well. They're quite good if you preferred Sega pads way back when to SNES pads - http://retro-bit.com/sega-collaboration

One last item, and this is leaning toward the obscure :D these things work great for really old stuff - http://www.2600-daptor.com I use these to adapt old Bally Astrocade pistol-grip controllers.
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FYI I have 4 of those 8bitdo's in wireless (one of each color combo) and two wired along with two of their SEGA ones. They're all really solid but they can get wonky when using multiple of them wirelessly, firmware issues have fixed this largely but be aware. Also both their SN30 pro+ and their SEGA style ones are due to come out in wired format.
 
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Keljian said:
No I think they meant analog buttons in a sense that they respond differently to different amounts of force (eg have a range of 0-255 or 0-1024) more force means a higher value. Unless I am missing something about that keyboard.
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The WASD area + a few surrounding keys on the keyboard are all “aim pad” keys. Basically, they are all able to act as analog inputs.
 
According to this, PS4 bluetooth has lowest input lag among popular choices. Is it true?

 
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Krenum said:
The Xbox Elite controller is pretty awesome, I like that you can add "Paddle shifter" buttons to the bottom, its very comfortable. But $120 is a very steep price for a controller.


My vote goes to 8Bitdo
https://www.8bitdo.com/sn30-pro-plus/
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No experience with the Elite Controller, but I think the price is fair. Maybe a bit steep for the Pro, but not too far off. Mose gaming mice are made of inferior materials than the Xbox controllers. Most brands (Zowie, Logitech, Razer) are cheap and flimsy feeling. They work good enough, but go back to an older generation controller and compare it to the 360/One controller. Night and day difference in build quality. The PS2 controller feels super cheap compared to it.

Even my $135 X52 Pro HOTAS plastic is melting now... different topic altogether, but some company needs to come out with a better more modern HOTAS in the same price range with better build quality.
 
Keljian said:
It will depend. The bluetooth stack has overhead, the question is how much of the stack the drivers can circumvent. Also different bluetooth receivers use different drivers/stack elements
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makes sense. Are we anywhere near old school serial connections/interupts in terms of latency? I must be really sensitive to lag as I still have the old crt-based consoles and nothing seems to feel as responsive (but I haven't tried nearly all options)
 
So something like logitech f710 should be better than all the ones listed in the video above? Is there a good comparison list showing more controllers? Do people just not care that much about it?
 
I use my Xbox One S controller for everything. The Dpad is pretty impressive for basic emulation, and for Steam game it's always been excellent.

I have to use it wired because there's ten feet between me and my PC, and a metal coffee table.
 
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Youn said:
makes sense. Are we anywhere near old school serial connections/interupts in terms of latency? I must be really sensitive to lag as I still have the old crt-based consoles and nothing seems to feel as responsive (but I haven't tried nearly all options)
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All bluetooth controllers have lag, even the dedicated wireless dongle for an XBOX One controller has lag. However it's much better than it used to be. Serious console gamers for genres where that is the prefered competitive platform (see stuff like fighting games) use wired connections for that reason among others.

Though really just about any controller you want to use either comes with a way to plug it in directly (see xbox, 8bitdo), or doesn't offer wireless to start with.
 
That's what I always thought too. So I guess that video is kinda bogus
 
The Logitech F710s are great, but they can have range issues if your house is like mine with signals bouncing all over the place. (kids, multiple wireless networks, etc.) If you're close to the receiver, they're great. Further away, you start getting dropped inputs, and a bit of latency.

I also would say the XBOne pads are great overall. Probably better with the receiver, but I use a pair of Bluetooth and they feel good.

For lowest latency (like if you're using FPGA hardware for retro games) I still fully recommend wired.
 
Youn said:
That's what I always thought too. So I guess that video is kinda bogus
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Part of the problem is when using anything there's driver and other overhead, and then there are often other programs you run through, these aren't all created equal. So there are a lot of factors being thrown in here. As far as the raw connection goes wired > wireless > blue tooth.
 
SOAREVERSOR said:
Part of the problem is when using anything there's driver and other overhead, and then there are often other programs you run through, these aren't all created equal. So there are a lot of factors being thrown in here. As far as the raw connection goes wired > wireless > blue tooth.
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What wireless controllers use a protocol other than bluetooth? What protocol are they using for wireless?
 
Of course there are protocols other than bluetooth.
Logitech F710 uses "wifi" as do many others like xbox with wifi adapters. That basically means it's the manufactures own protocol. There are also things like rf, ir, zigbee, probably others too but they aren't as commonly used or almost never used now for gamepads due to the popularity of bt and custom "wifi" solutions. Correct me if I'm wrong guys....
 
But isn't the question kinda like asking "aren't bluray and hddvd the same thing?" Yes of course bluetooth and the standard of WiFi both use rf, as both disc formats use compact discs and lasers, but that's nearly where similarities end. They aren't interchangable technologies. Not all wireless controllers are bluetooth. I'm sure you can come up with a better analogy though btw...
 
I've never had any latency or drop out issues with the Xbox One controllers over bluetooth. The main issue I've had with them is that when the batteries get low games will just suddenly drop to like 10fps until the batteries are replaced.
 
Bluetooth is not the same as wifi and plenty of devices ship with bluetooth comptability, a wireless dongle, and wired capability. Logitech famously has devices where you can use bluetooth for power saving mode and then switch to a faster wireless mode, which is not uncommon with mice and keyboards. Not all their wireless solutions are the same. When dealing with logitech they generally have their super fast gaming one > wireless > bluetooth.
 
Youn said:
But isn't the question kinda like asking "aren't bluray and hddvd the same thing?" Yes of course bluetooth and the standard of WiFi both use rf, as both disc formats use compact discs and lasers, but that's nearly where similarities end. They aren't interchangable technologies. Not all wireless controllers are bluetooth. I'm sure you can come up with a better analogy though btw...
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There are actually quite a few things that can be different based on implementation. Transmission type is one. This is from my USB stack days at MS, but I'm sure the same applies over any medium. There are transmission types suited for different types of transfers. Isochronus as one example emphasizes that the data rate remain constant even if it drops a packet here or there (good for media streaming). There is bulk transfer, that requires 100% data integrity at the fastest speed it can transfer, but will drop the rate if it means not losing data. There are other types as well. Control, and others.

I'm guessing, and someone can correct me if I'm wrong, (or I could just go read the damned datasheets :D ) that game controllers are isochronous or some type of hybrid transfer, so that they maintain a good sync at low latency, but if something like interfering signals, or out of range distances occur, it will start dropping packets that don't make it across in time.

This is just guesswork based on my experience with other types of data streams. I really have never read up on non network wifi standards or other point to point wireless protocols.
 
Keljian said:
Turns out the Xbone wireless controller actually uses the 5ghz band rather than the 2.4ghz band, and is basically wifi

devkid/4b3bd50760504d1b93ea684cfd3ed895
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That may be why I'm having decent luck with Bluetooth for my XBOne pads. We don't use a lot of Bluetooth in the house. We have one speaker that's used occasionally, but generally that's it. I use wired connections, (fiber and copper) for most things in the house, and then wifi (5GHz) for miscellaneous items like phones, etc. We have a 2.4GHz network as well, but it's not utilized much except the occasional DS or autoconfigured device that wanders in. (or in summer when things need to reach the deck) That makes the Bluetooth ranges pretty open for the most part inside the house. The pads work great provided they're not too far out of range. I use BT4 EDR+ or some such extended range nonsense, and it does pretty well.

The funny thing is that the range (despite the "extended" label) hits right to the center of the couch. So if I'm sitting up, I get low latency (subjective but good) and no dropped inputs. If I get lazy and slouch backward, I start seeing dropped inputs. :D The range is that well defined in my case, and it's very consistent.

Luckily for me I'm kind of an "Input Device Monger" and have just about every sort of game pad, arcade stick, wired, wireless, dongle, Bluetooth, etc. etc. and have eventually settled on what works for my house. :D
 
J3RK said:
That may be why I'm having decent luck with Bluetooth for my XBOne pads. We don't use a lot of Bluetooth in the house. We have one speaker that's used occasionally, but generally that's it. I use wired connections, (fiber and copper) for most things in the house, and then wifi (5GHz) for miscellaneous items like phones, etc. We have a 2.4GHz network as well, but it's not utilized much except the occasional DS or autoconfigured device that wanders in. (or in summer when things need to reach the deck) That makes the Bluetooth ranges pretty open for the most part inside the house. The pads work great provided they're not too far out of range. I use BT4 EDR+ or some such extended range nonsense, and it does pretty well.

The funny thing is that the range (despite the "extended" label) hits right to the center of the couch. So if I'm sitting up, I get low latency (subjective but good) and no dropped inputs. If I get lazy and slouch backward, I start seeing dropped inputs. :D The range is that well defined in my case, and it's very consistent.

Luckily for me I'm kind of an "Input Device Monger" and have just about every sort of game pad, arcade stick, wired, wireless, dongle, Bluetooth, etc. etc. and have eventually settled on what works for my house. :D
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I have multiple 360 controllers, 10 various 8bitdo, multiple fight pads, multiple arcade sticks, all sorts of mechanical keyboards and mice as well. I go with what works for the game. TBF had I known 8bitdo was coming out with straight wired controllers I'd have less as I wouldn't have bought as many blue tooth but oh well. And that's all just for the PC.
 
SOAREVERSOR said:
I have multiple 360 controllers, 10 various 8bitdo, multiple fight pads, multiple arcade sticks, all sorts of mechanical keyboards and mice as well. I go with what works for the game. TBF had I known 8bitdo was coming out with straight wired controllers I'd have less as I wouldn't have bought as many blue tooth but oh well. And that's all just for the PC.
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Their wired pads plus the Retro-Bit Sega pads provide all of my FPGA console controls.

I think we have a similar controller... fixation? I love the right tool for the job, but yes, I think I’ve settled on a decent subset of what I own now.
 
J3RK said:
Their wired pads plus the Retro-Bit Sega pads provide all of my FPGA console controls.

I think we have a similar controller... fixation? I love the right tool for the job, but yes, I think I’ve settled on a decent subset of what I own now.
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Sounds like it! I have American style (ewww) joysticks with American (eww) parts that are dedicated for MK (easy mode fighting game really) and Killer Instinct. I have Japanese parts with layouts for Street Fighter based off the Sega, CPS, Neo Geo and Taito arcade layouts. Japanese parts in the Namco layouts. Some games are four players so I went out and 4 xbox one pads it was, 4 8bitdo SN/SF Pro, 4 8bitdo Sega. Then of course they rolled out the wired SN Pro so off to buy more... then there was the SN Pro + and it repeats. Of course many of those arcade sticks are DINPUT and others XINPUT so oh well! The fight pads were largely for other people but I kept them about.

I enjoy all of it, but there are some I use more than others. IE I'm always going to pick a Taito layout stick because I realize I just like it better, but I do use the others off and on.
 
SOAREVERSOR said:
Sounds like it! I have American style (ewww) joysticks with American (eww) parts that are dedicated for MK (easy mode fighting game really) and Killer Instinct. I have Japanese parts with layouts for Street Fighter based off the Sega, CPS, Neo Geo and Taito arcade layouts. Japanese parts in the Namco layouts. Some games are four players so I went out and 4 xbox one pads it was, 4 8bitdo SN/SF Pro, 4 8bitdo Sega. Then of course they rolled out the wired SN Pro so off to buy more... then there was the SN Pro + and it repeats. Of course many of those arcade sticks are DINPUT and others XINPUT so oh well! The fight pads were largely for other people but I kept them about.

I enjoy all of it, but there are some I use more than others. IE I'm always going to pick a Taito layout stick because I realize I just like it better, but I do use the others off and on.
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I haven't built a stick setup for a while. I'm currently just using an X-Arcade Dual Tank+Ball setup for that sort of thing. It was inexpensive and feels good (off the shelf) :D When I built sticks, I usually did a custom layout where the first four buttons (first two of each row) were in a perfect rhombus shape, then the rest curved out from there more naturally. This way, two players could play things like Smash TV/Robotron/Total Carnage or other twin-stick games using the first four buttons as the second stick. Worked pretty well, and still felt good for fighters. I usually go for the SF-style competition stick, though lately I've wanted to build a 4-way ball type setup for playing things like Ghouls n Ghosts.
 
I'll never understand the popularity of arcade sticks in the fighting game community. I spent a ton of money on one many years ago to see what the fuss was all about and it held me back big time in Street Fighter IV. You have to make such huge motions compared to using a d-pad and it's so much harder for me to be accurate. Even something as simple as a qcf or shoryuken motion was hard for me to pull off. I wish there was a "stick" that has buttons in place of a stick. I'm competent with a gamepad but nothing beats using the arrow keys and asdzxc for me in a fighting game
 
GhostCow said:
I'll never understand the popularity of arcade sticks in the fighting game community. I spent a ton of money on one many years ago to see what the fuss was all about and it held me back big time in Street Fighter IV. You have to make such huge motions compared to using a d-pad and it's so much harder for me to be accurate. Even something as simple as a qcf or shoryuken motion was hard for me to pull off. I wish there was a "stick" that has buttons in place of a stick. I'm competent with a gamepad but nothing beats using the arrow keys and asdzxc for me in a fighting game
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I can use a pad or arcade stick. Maybe it's because I first played this type of game on the stick, but that's what feels most natural to me. There was a short time in the DOS game era when the first SF2 and MK ports came over to the PC where I used keys for a bit, but while I got to be decent with them, I never liked it. I actually do prefer some fighting games on a game pad, like DOA for example. Something about its particular control scheme seems to suit the pad more. For Capcom and SNK type fighting though I definitely want a stick.

People actually do make all-button arcade controllers for things like Smash Brothers. I've never tried one, but I could see why that would appeal in some instances. It would be quite trivial to build one if you wanted to try it. A good USB interface board costs around $20, the buttons around $3-5 (depending on the style) a hole-saw and some MDF or decent ply. (though I've just laid out my first stick setup for milled, anodized aluminum :D ) I'd recommend some convex .94" buttons (Suzo/Happ sells them) for doing the direction buttons as they're smaller than the 1.1" buttons. You can get them tighter together this way, which would be more comfortable IMO.
 
GhostCow said:
I'll never understand the popularity of arcade sticks in the fighting game community. I spent a ton of money on one many years ago to see what the fuss was all about and it held me back big time in Street Fighter IV. You have to make such huge motions compared to using a d-pad and it's so much harder for me to be accurate. Even something as simple as a qcf or shoryuken motion was hard for me to pull off. I wish there was a "stick" that has buttons in place of a stick. I'm competent with a gamepad but nothing beats using the arrow keys and asdzxc for me in a fighting game
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The stick is superior for a lot of things but the skill curve is much more brutal.

There are "all button" sticks, it's called a hitbox. https://www.hitboxarcade.com/
 
J3RK said:
I can use a pad or arcade stick. Maybe it's because I first played this type of game on the stick, but that's what feels most natural to me. There was a short time in the DOS game era when the first SF2 and MK ports came over to the PC where I used keys for a bit, but while I got to be decent with them, I never liked it. I actually do prefer some fighting games on a game pad, like DOA for example. Something about its particular control scheme seems to suit the pad more. For Capcom and SNK type fighting though I definitely want a stick.

People actually do make all-button arcade controllers for things like Smash Brothers. I've never tried one, but I could see why that would appeal in some instances. It would be quite trivial to build one if you wanted to try it. A good USB interface board costs around $20, the buttons around $3-5 (depending on the style) a hole-saw and some MDF or decent ply. (though I've just laid out my first stick setup for milled, anodized aluminum :D ) I'd recommend some convex .94" buttons (Suzo/Happ sells them) for doing the direction buttons as they're smaller than the 1.1" buttons. You can get them tighter together this way, which would be more comfortable IMO.
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I've seen some cool custom stuff and I've thought about it but my soldering skills haven't been used since high school and the costs of tools, materials, and screwups would probably make it not worth it to me. I did see a base that was all buttons once but they have the movement buttons placed in a strange way. I think they were all in a row instead of being like the arrow keys on a keyboard

SOAREVERSOR said:
The stick is superior for a lot of things but the skill curve is much more brutal.

There are "all button" sticks, it's called a hitbox. https://www.hitboxarcade.com/
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Your post popped up as I was typing out this reply. Looks like that's the one I saw before with the weird button placement. That thing is so close to what I want but not quite there. Also it's not left handed. I'd want the button placement reversed and arrow key like placement for the movement buttons
 
GhostCow said:
I've seen some cool custom stuff and I've thought about it but my soldering skills haven't been used since high school and the costs of tools, materials, and screwups would probably make it not worth it to me. I did see a base that was all buttons once but they have the movement buttons placed in a strange way. I think they were all in a row instead of being like the arrow keys on a keyboard



Your post popped up as I was typing out this reply. Looks like that's the one I saw before with the weird button placement. That thing is so close to what I want but not quite there. Also it's not left handed. I'd want the button placement reversed and arrow key like placement for the movement buttons
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There are several custom groups that make hitboxes, some are left handed (there are left handed arcade sticks as well) and others will make your stick if you send them a CAD file for the top.
 
I could write a huge comparative review on this, but for the sake of (relative) brevity I'll say it depends on your uses.

For a general "gamepad" type controller the easiest thing for most will be an XboxOne Wireless Controller (3rd generation or later; the ones with Bluetooth), likely plus a Wireless Adapter For Windows 10 dongle (the smaller thumbdrive like 2nd gen dongle). These are sold as a package on Amazon and the like and are nice to avoid having to mess around with Bluetooth or connect wired all the time. Alternately, if you definition of "best" is not afraid of any threat to your wallet, then without a doubt the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 is the way to go . Tons of extras, features, build quality and other bonuses if you can stomach the price - its likely the best Xbox style controller around. XBOne controllers are supported natively in Windows 10 and, provided the proper driver package is installed, have a parity level of features and compatibility on Linux too!

If you don't care for an "Xbox" style controller there are other options as well. Many look towards Playstation controllers if they like the "symmetrical joystick" layout favored thereof, with the DualShock 4 being the latest iteration. However, some prefer the old Logitech F710 which is essentially a 3rd party controller detected as an X360, but with a layout in Playstation style. Dual Shock 4 are a bit more trouble since unlike XBOne there's no easy driver support on most OSes. Users will either need to deal with patchwork application support (ie Steam can handle DS4 controllers natively), or install an (preferably open source) driver package like DS4Windows (the Ryochan7 branch which is still updated) . Playing wired or wireless via Bluetooth is possible. Depending on your application or driver package, some may either natively support DS4 or cause it to appear as if a Xbox controller was connected Its worth noting that most cross-platform titles use Xbox style in-game prompts by default, though some games may give the option to offer Playstation style ones instead. Motion and touchpad features of the DS4 can work, but may require custom bindings or other fiddling around. There is no equivalent to the first party official "Elite" series from Xbox, but Sony has given their blessing to 3rd parties to offer alternate high end controllers. Most notably these are the Astro C40 TR (which is notable for being able to move button clusters and sticks around) and the SCUF Vantage 2 (which is the closest analog to the Elite S2, adding paddles, buttons and adjustments. However, its worth noting that the Vantage 2 has the Xbox-style asymmetrical thumbstick layout!). These options again offer additional benefits at a considerable cost, but may be worthwhile depending on your use cases.

The Nintendo Switch Pro Controller is often suggested as an alternative for both Xbox and Playstation style controllers for use on PC. Though its a little more expensive than both XBOne and PS4 controllers, if you have one all ready or just prefer how it works it can be a fine gamepad on PC. . With an asymmetric layout much like the XBOne, the Switch Pro can be used wired or via blueooth and has a few other features such as motion controls, IR, and NFC reading, but also lacks a few others such as the quality of the dpad or the strange lack of analog sensing in the triggers. Unfortunately, much like the Dual Shock 4 it is not natively supported on PC with XInput so you'll either need to launch your games through Steam (which can configure and handle most of what you need) or to use an open source driver package like WiinUPro to handle it. Much like the DS4, most games don't support in-game icons for anything aside from an Xbox-style, so you'll need to adapt, mod, or in the rare (but growing) case of games that give an option, toggle. For Switch and Playstation controllers alike, Steam really is making it a lot easier to use them on PC which is nice to see, on Windows and Linux alike. The Switch Pro costs a little more than the other options and may have a few tradeoffs, but depending on personal preference it may be a great alternative for general PC gaming.

I should also take a moment here to speak of 3rd party controllers that may be of interest. There's a whole host of absolute crap to the point that I'd say most generic 3rd party stuff isn't worthwhile, but the handful of exceptions make impossible to completely discount. On the high end there are custom controllers like the aforementioned SCUF Vantage 2 , but even in the mid grade there are a couple of decent options out there. The aforementioned Logitech F710 is a bit long in the tooth but still viable, but the company known as 8BitDo makes a whole assortment of gamepads and peripherals. Some are based on/targeted toward retro gaming, but others only keep a retro aesthetic while offering modern features, such as the SN30 Pro+. Most of their products however are modestly priced offerings for PC gaming, but tend to be more specific in their gametype suitability vs the big name gamepads.

Lastly, I should take the time to specifically mention the Steam Controller. It is unique in construction, design, and functionality compared to all of the others listed here ; a feature that can be a benefit or issue depending on user preference. Lacking a right thumbstick, it instead replaces the standard Dpad and right stick with haptic high sensitivity touchpads, laid out symmetrically on the upper part of the controller. The left stick and button clusters are more conventional, yet placed lower and inward. Bumpers and triggers are joined by 2, well designed rear paddles offering the kind of feature that normally requires Elite tier custom gamepads. Powered by AA batteries, it can be used wired and wirelessly via Bluetooth, plus well as an included BT wireless receiver dongle which can either be plugged directly into a USB port on into a little extending "dock" for better positioning; a nice touch. It also has a number of additional features such as gyroscopic motion controls. The Steam Controller requires a bit of adjustment time due to its difference from standard gamepads, but the sensitivity and features of the HD haptic pads make it typically easy to replicate most games "right stick" functionality ; what I and reportedly others found more troublesome was the positioning of the button cluster proved a larger issue vs existing muscle memory. Matching the Steam Controller is the amazingly in-depth customization and configuration features Valve has built into Steam itself , catering both to those who want to simply use it as an XInput-layout replacement and to those who want to do more in depth things like binding keyboard+mouse functions to it, enabling couch play of titles that otherwise wouldn't be suited to controller use; originally a target feature for SteamOS and the Steam Controller. Between the hardware and software (supported and built into the Steam client itself, as well as independent packages that are open source and similarly cross platform! As mentioned above, this software is also compatible with other controllers at least to a point.), the Steam Controller has an amazingly wide use case potential, made easier by the ability to browse per-game configurations that Steam, the game's devs, or other players have created/shared, in addition to defaults and personal user-created builds; its hard to overstate the extensive feature set of the software.

Ultimately, like all things it will come down to personal preference, but I feel that the Steam Controller is a worthwhile peripheral for every PC user, especially when available on sale at deep discount. However, if all you wish it to do is act like a conventional Xbox-style gamepad to be used with games designed with said conventional pad in mind, the difference in button location (if you're used to Xbox/Playstation/Nintendo controller layouts) and potentially lack of a right stick may not be to your preference. Then again, for some its even better! Due to its layout I think it stands in a different enough category that PC users should likely own it as well as another more conventional controller, that they might compare, contrast, and select the best controller for each use case. Last year the Steam Controller went on deep discount and it is rumored its successor will appear this year. With luck this will mean an iteration on the design, upgrading and changing a few things - I personally would like to see the haptic touchpads moved to the lower, inside locations (where Playstation style sticks would be, in reference) allowing the left stick and button cluster to be more in line with conventional controllers while still maintaining the use of both touchpads. Other upgrades such as additional paddle buttons on the back, USB-C, and a host of other features would be nice to see as well. I personally would purchase a Steam Controller Elite type model, with considerable enhancements for that matter.

That about covers it for standard gamepads, but as other posts in the thread have discussed, controller types for specified genres are also noteworthy. From flight/space sims using joysticks or HOTAS/HOSAS to retro/arcade or fighting games using arcade sticks, there's a whole world of specific peripherals out there for your game type of choice! Without going into it deeply, if money isn't an object, I suggest looking into Virpil (preferable) or VKB for space / flight sim style joysticks, and to look up Jasens Customs for top tier arcade/fighting stick chassis/barebone kits + either Arcade Shock or Focus Attack for buying components for your build like levers and buttons.
 
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I had never heard of the F710 before. Sounded like the perfect gamepad because I prefer the playstation layout and the F710 uses replaceable batteries instead of a battery pack and has longer battery life. After some googling it sounds like it sucks really bad if you use it as a wireless gamepad though. What a disappointment.
 
GhostCow said:
I had never heard of the F710 before. Sounded like the perfect gamepad because I prefer the playstation layout and the F710 uses replaceable batteries instead of a battery pack and has longer battery life. After some googling it sounds like it sucks really bad if you use it as a wireless gamepad though. What a disappointment.
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I'm not sure what you mean by using it as a wireless gamepad, that's the only option for it. If you mean how good the wireless connection is I've never had any issues with it but if the 2.4 Ghz spectrum is crowded where you live then any using that are likely to have some issues, at my house 5 Ghz is much more crowded but YMMV.

I have found for any wireless input device it's best to use an extension cable to get the wireless receiver positioned away from the pc if possible.
 
Didn't know that. I just assumed it could be wired as well. I saw a lot of people on reddit complaining about flaky wireless with it and the same people saying they didn't have that issue with other gamepads. I agree that it's best to keep your bluetooth receiver away from your PC. I just an extension cord and wrap it around one of the pillars at the top of my desk.

Edit: I also saw some people saying the deadzones are pretty bad compared to the 360 and ds4. Can anyone confirm? I might get this gamepad if my ds4 ever breaks
 
GhostCow said:
Didn't know that. I just assumed it could be wired as well. I saw a lot of people on reddit complaining about flaky wireless with it and the same people saying they didn't have that issue with other gamepads. I agree that it's best to keep your bluetooth receiver away from your PC. I just an extension cord and wrap it around one of the pillars at the top of my desk.

Edit: I also saw some people saying the deadzones are pretty bad compared to the 360 and ds4. Can anyone confirm? I might get this gamepad if my ds4 ever breaks
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The deadzone is set by the driver which in xinput mode is the 360 controller driver, games will override this sometimes and it can be adjusted using software(using the same software will show that the tiniest movement will register if set to). Maybe the stick shape is slightly different but there's no inherent hardware limitation, I will say pressing on the analog sticks to click is better with the 360 controller but thankfully most games don't use that much.

I can't compare it to the PS4 controller because personally I've avoided anything that didn't fully support xinput just since that's what games are designed for theses days even if it is the inferior format to dinput and possibly whatever sony is using too. The hacks to use PS controllers on PC seem better than the old hacks to use dinput pads for xinput games but I'm curious whether it's a seamless experience, any thought on that?
 
Ebernanut said:
I can't compare it to the PS4 controller because personally I've avoided anything that didn't fully support xinput just since that's what games are designed for theses days even if it is the inferior format to dinput and possibly whatever sony is using too. The hacks to use PS controllers on PC seem better than the old hacks to use dinput pads for xinput games but I'm curious whether it's a seamless experience, any thought on that?
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The Ryochan7 build of DS4Windows works perfect for me. I've never had a single issue with it. It has plenty of nice options too. I like to turn off the touchpad and light to save battery and use the left/right click functions on it as extra buttons for share and options since I don't like the size or placement of those buttons. After years of using it though I eventually got used to that and usually use the actual buttons instead. Even in games that have native d-input/DS4 support I still use DS4Windows to keep the light off. It's also nice to be able to mouse over the program to see the battery percentage
 
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