I just saw the new Logitech line of controllers earlier this week. These controllers are really interesting due to the physical switch to go between XInput mode and DirectInput mode.
Below is a quick wall-of-text summing up why I think this feature sets the new controllers over all previous PC controllers. Most of the below is probably common knowledge to many people here.
-------------------------------------------------------------
XInput is mainly used on the Xbox 360 controller which is widely considered to be the best controller for PC. Most newer games support XInput, which means that the games are auto-configured to work with the Xbox 360 controller.
The issue with this comes when using the 360 controller in a game made with DirectInput. While the 360 controller has DirectInput drivers, there is no force feedback available. Also, the two triggers are mapped to a single axis. For DirectInput games, this usually results into not being able to use the triggers at all, or being able to program them but not being able to use them both in game at the same time.
There are 3rd party DirectInput drivers for the 360 controller, but switching drivers every time I want to switch from an XInput game to a DirectInput game is a huge hassle. For this reason, I have always kept a Cordless Rumblepad 2 around for DirectInput games. This works somewhat, but I have found multiple XInput games that use a DirectInput controller if one is hooked up, leaving the 360 controller disabled. This results in me having to keep the Cordless Rumbledpad 2 unplugged, and then plugging it in when I want to use it. This is also a huge hassle.
I'll follow up more with some thoughts on the F710 that I just got in later. I wanted to get the conversation going since these new controllers have barely been mentioned so far.
Below is a quick wall-of-text summing up why I think this feature sets the new controllers over all previous PC controllers. Most of the below is probably common knowledge to many people here.
-------------------------------------------------------------
XInput is mainly used on the Xbox 360 controller which is widely considered to be the best controller for PC. Most newer games support XInput, which means that the games are auto-configured to work with the Xbox 360 controller.
The issue with this comes when using the 360 controller in a game made with DirectInput. While the 360 controller has DirectInput drivers, there is no force feedback available. Also, the two triggers are mapped to a single axis. For DirectInput games, this usually results into not being able to use the triggers at all, or being able to program them but not being able to use them both in game at the same time.
There are 3rd party DirectInput drivers for the 360 controller, but switching drivers every time I want to switch from an XInput game to a DirectInput game is a huge hassle. For this reason, I have always kept a Cordless Rumblepad 2 around for DirectInput games. This works somewhat, but I have found multiple XInput games that use a DirectInput controller if one is hooked up, leaving the 360 controller disabled. This results in me having to keep the Cordless Rumbledpad 2 unplugged, and then plugging it in when I want to use it. This is also a huge hassle.
I'll follow up more with some thoughts on the F710 that I just got in later. I wanted to get the conversation going since these new controllers have barely been mentioned so far.