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Opinions on Controllers for PC

G

G_K

n00b
Joined
Mar 31, 2006
Messages
58
Hi folks,

I have generally been an avid mouse/keyboard gamer for a long time but I notice more and more games seem far more suited to play with a controller as they are console ports and while this hasn't really bothered me too much I found that I couldn't get into Skyrim partially because of that.

Yet I find that after grabbing Borderlands 2 GOTY edition during the last Stream sale I find myself wondering if I couldn't be playing that better using a controller. So that said I wondered what recommendations folks had for using on on a PC.

When it comes to consoles the last one I actually owned was an Atari 7800 though I spent plenty of time with the SNES and few of it's contempories. My gaming switched to the PC exclusively after that so I don't have any strong opinions as to the PS style vs the Xbox types.

I understand this is like asking what gaming mouse is best and there is no one size fits all answer but I've been looking at the Logitech F310 and the Xbox 360 Wired controllers and had hoped for some general feedback as far as running one under Windows 7 Professional x64.
 
Xbox 360 or Xbox One controller. Personal preference between the two is up to you.

The 360 is THE standard when it comes to gamepads for the PC. Most PC games are programmed with the 360 controller in mind that support gamepads.
 
While I prefer PS3 controllers, a wired 360 controller > all other options, unless you can find a good deal on wireless + receiver.
 
Xbox 1 contoller works great with Windows. I'm waiting for MS to release a wireless transceiver for it though.
 
The PS3/PS4 controllers in Windows sound better than they really are. They work okay wired, but wireless, they both drop commands if you input a lot at once. I did a fair amount of testing with Street Fighter 4's training mode and commands definitely get lost here and there.
 
Get one of these, or the wired USB version. Damn near every game that comes out on PC anymore is set up to work with an Xbox controller.
 
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cortexodus said:
Get one of these, or the wired USB version. Damn near every game that comes out on PC anymore is set up to work with an Xbox controller.
Click to expand...

The Xbox One controller (wired only for now) works exactly the same way with any game that supports the 360 controller.
 
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I have been extremely happy with Logitech f310. It has xbox and windows compatibility modes. It is always recognized flawlessly and when I need a controller it is perfect, though i am still predominantly a keyboard/mouse gamer.

(I have the wireless version of the same controller for the living room, that works flawlessly too.)
 
schoenda said:
I have been extremely happy with Logitech f310. It has xbox and windows compatibility modes. It is always recognized flawlessly and when I need a controller it is perfect, though i am still predominantly a keyboard/mouse gamer.

(I have the wireless version of the same controller for the living room, that works flawlessly too.)
Click to expand...

Seconded this recommendation. The problem with console controllers (both XBox and PS<x>) is that they don't have the full range of compatibility the (3/7)10 has.

I've got a F710 currently, like the form factor and love the little switch on top to switch between directinput and xinput modes. (aka: old style or looks like a 360 controller modes)
 
+1 to 360 controllers + wireless usb reciever. I may or may-not switch over to xbone controllers if all my 360 ones happen to die at the same time.
 
No reason not to have an xbox controller really. It's not like you're forced to use it when you don't want to (except Skyrim always seems to switch to it if it's plugged in).
 
The one catch with the Xbox 360 controller is that the d-pad full-on sucks. Pressing to the right, the d-pad actually runs into the internals of the controller, and it's freakishly imprecise. You're actually better off using the analog stick like a joystick, which isn't always ideal.
If you're stuck in that situation, one option is a Playstation 1 or 2 controller and a USB adapter.
 
Agree with all of the above. The XBox360 pad is definitely the standard. The XB1 pad will be nice once it has a transceiver. My gaming HTPC is too far to use a cable especially having kids. (otherwise I don't mind wired) Those Logitechs mentioned above are tip top also. I have a couple of them for another system. They work flawlessly, and as mentioned they can switch between XInput and DirectInput. Can't go wrong with any of these.

As to the question of playing a game like Borderlands 2 "better" with one. I would say no. You won't play better with it. However, you will be able to play comfortably at whatever distance you're comfortable sitting. The ability to sit down and relax while playing a game on occasion is worth the cost of the controller alone. Add that you can play emulators with it, aside from modern PC games, and it really becomes valuable. I play a lot of games at my main PC, but sometimes (like especially with Skyrim or the like,) I just want to sit back, relax, have a beer or a scotch, and play leisurely.

Also, you might consider buying a pair of them. Never know when someone might want to join you in an emulated classic, a Street Fighter match or the like.

One last thing. I agree with Domingo. The D-Pad sucks on the 360 pad. I use the analog sticks even in old emulators over the D-Pad. The XB1 and Logitech D-Pads are great though. So if that's important to you, get one of these instead.
 
FnordMan said:
I've got a F710 currently, like the form factor and love the little switch on top to switch between directinput and xinput modes. (aka: old style or looks like a 360 controller modes)
Click to expand...
That's what I use too. Great compatibility/programmability for the price. The D-Pad is a bit "clicky". Not sure how it fares to the XBOX controller... never used any of that MS gear, maybe I'm missing out?
 
Youn said:
That's what I use too. Great compatibility/programmability for the price. The D-Pad is a bit "clicky". Not sure how it fares to the XBOX controller... never used any of that MS gear, maybe I'm missing out?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say that you're missing out. MS has simply set a standard for PC gaming controllers, which no one has challenged (Sony, I'm looking at you). They support the controllers fully by providing drivers for Windows. They're even committed to making a new transceiver for the X1 controller, which is telling how much they really make from PC gamers.
 
Godmachine said:
Xbox 360 or Xbox One controller. Personal preference between the two is up to you.

The 360 is THE standard when it comes to gamepads for the PC. Most PC games are programmed with the 360 controller in mind that support gamepads.
Click to expand...

Yep...hate to say it but, there's no reason to get anything other than a X360/XOne gamepad for PC. I used to like Logitch's offerings but I have a friend who has one and he says it has trouble with the X360 emulation.
 
MavericK96 said:
Yep...hate to say it but, there's no reason to get anything other than a X360/XOne gamepad for PC. I used to like Logitch's offerings but I have a friend who has one and he says it has trouble with the X360 emulation.
Click to expand...

I don't doubt your friend, but I will say that I ONLY use mine in X360 XInput mode on the PC, and haven't had a single issue over a pretty wide cross-section of games and emulators. I'd actually wonder if the same issue might pop up with a real 360 pad in his case. I've also used them in DInput mode on a Mac, and that worked quite well too.
 
As stated before the xbox 360 or One is the best controller for the PC. The great thing is many PC games UI will change to reflect. So the icons won't be from a keyboard or mouse but the controller.
 
qbanb8582 said:
As stated before the xbox 360 or One is the best controller for the PC. The great thing is many PC games UI will change to reflect. So the icons won't be from a keyboard or mouse but the controller.
Click to expand...

It also masks the fact that some games are sloppy ports. :D And as funny as it seems, I mean that in a good way. There aren't many games like that that I'll actually play, but I have had a few that actually only still had the 360 style icons, and playing with the pad made it... at least context appropriate.
 
J3RK said:
I don't doubt your friend, but I will say that I ONLY use mine in X360 XInput mode on the PC, and haven't had a single issue over a pretty wide cross-section of games and emulators. I'd actually wonder if the same issue might pop up with a real 360 pad in his case. I've also used them in DInput mode on a Mac, and that worked quite well too.
Click to expand...

That's been my experience with the Logitech F710. I like that the form factor is closer to a Playstation-style controller, and I like that I saved $10 vs buying the Xbox360 controller :D
 
Xinmosni said:
While I prefer PS3 controllers, a wired 360 controller > all other options, unless you can find a good deal on wireless + receiver.
Click to expand...

I definitely like the wired 360 controller. No worries on battery packs as well which is nice.
 
J3RK said:
I don't doubt your friend, but I will say that I ONLY use mine in X360 XInput mode on the PC, and haven't had a single issue over a pretty wide cross-section of games and emulators. I'd actually wonder if the same issue might pop up with a real 360 pad in his case. I've also used them in DInput mode on a Mac, and that worked quite well too.
Click to expand...

Yeah I don't know honestly, maybe he's just an idiot. :p Though he is fairly tech-savvy so maybe there's something else going on in the background.
 
Xinmosni said:
While I prefer PS3 controllers, a wired 360 controller > all other options, unless you can find a good deal on wireless + receiver.
Click to expand...

This. Much prefer the Playstation layout, but the Xbox controller is essentially the standard. I got a $30 wired 360 controller last year.
 
I remember that they made an updated 360 pad that was supposed to have a better D-Pad. However, if I remember correctly, it was only a limited run or something stupid like that. Why you'd manufacture an improved product, and then limit it while you keep selling the inferior original is beyond me. That said, I haven't bought 360 pads since the originals were released, so maybe all of them are the improved ones now. (for some reason I don't think that's the case though)
 
IMO, the problem with the 360's d-pad comes down to the original pads being bad...and the placement generally being uncomfortable. The newer ones with the pop-up d-pad are definitely better constructed, but they're still awkward to use.
If you're using something that needs a d-pad, I'd look to an older PS controller + USB or you can just use the analog stick as a joystick, too. I've gotten pretty good doing that and I'm at least passable at SF4 playing only using the analog stick.
IMO, the 360 (and Xbox One, too) d-pads are really only useful for basic functions like weapon swapping, menus, aux functions, etc. and not doing anything that uses a lot of precision...unless you have really long fingers and the newer pop-up pad model.
 
Domingo said:
The PS3/PS4 controllers in Windows sound better than they really are. They work okay wired, but wireless, they both drop commands if you input a lot at once. I did a fair amount of testing with Street Fighter 4's training mode and commands definitely get lost here and there.
Click to expand...

Not sure what you did with your setup, but I have never had this happen and I've been using DS4 on my PC since PS4 launch. I only play wireless. 300+ hours of Dark Souls, not a single hick up. SF4 and Mortal Kombat 9, never a miss.
I use DS4tool 1.2.1 RC3 with an old ass Trendnet Bluetooth adapter they don't even acknowledge exists anymore.
 
LeviathanZERO said:
Not sure what you did with your setup, but I have never had this happen and I've been using DS4 on my PC since PS4 launch. I only play wireless. 300+ hours of Dark Souls, not a single hick up. SF4 and Mortal Kombat 9, never a miss.
I use DS4tool 1.2.1 RC3 with an old ass Trendnet Bluetooth adapter they don't even acknowledge exists anymore.
Click to expand...

It's probably down to Bluetooth performance. I've seen a fairly random pattern across multiple BT adapters, controllers, Wiimotes, drivers/stacks, etc. One controller may work flawlessly on one adapter for a long time. Then all of a sudden, it won't anymore. Dropped commands, trouble pairing, etc. Swap in a different controller or different adapter, and it may resolve the issue, or continue the same problem. I've seen a bit of this over the last several years. Most of the time, I have zero issues like yourself. However, seemingly at random I'll see some of the issues he mentioned. (and not necessarily with PSx controllers. I've seen it with Apple mice, Wiimotes, and others. This is only with Bluetooth as I've never seen this once with other types of wireless interfaces in my house.

I have to assume it's some random RF things or possibly a driver/stack update or something that I didn't realize installed. (big maybe on that last one...) More likely a close-by neighbor or random RF or something.

I seriously doubt it's the PS3/4 pad itself in any case. It's more likely some other factor. I agree also that it doesn't necessarily come down to the type/age/perceived brand quality of the BT adapter either. I've had brand new EDR types do this, and I've had old BT version 1 types do it. (and have had either type work just fine for extended periods)

I'm sure there are plenty of cases where it works fine forever. And plenty where it barely works at all. I'm somewhere in between leaning toward working well most of the time. Just the cases where it's failed for no particular reason leads me to believe the either Bluetooth isn't highly robust, or I just have a lot of random air-traffic in my area. That said, I never have a single issue with Wiimotes on an actual Wii/WiiU in my house. :D Must just be well paired chipsets, solid software behind it etc.
 
I use the Asus BT211 USB dongle (they're ~$15.00) with my PS4 controller and also have hundreds of hours playing, not a problem at all.

I also use an Xbox controller for games that use Xbox visual cues, just so my little head doesn't get confused.
 
My gf's PS4 controller plugged to my USB worked better that I expected when I was using it for driving in Watch Dogs. Small DL off the net and no problems at all.

Haven't tried it on anything else however.

Plus those things are like 60$ damn dollars by themselves!
 
I recently started using a ps3 controller for basically any game but a competitive fps or mmo. Right now been playing tomb raider on pc on the 60 inch downstairs on the couch in the living room instead of my surround setup. It's just like a console but better I even got sweetfx popping LOL!

Funny part is tomorrow I'm going to buy a xbox 360 controller mainly based off drivers and game compatibility. This is great for me because I like 360 controllers more plus I already know the buttons (never owned xboxs)
 
LeviathanZERO said:
Not sure what you did with your setup, but I have never had this happen and I've been using DS4 on my PC since PS4 launch. I only play wireless. 300+ hours of Dark Souls, not a single hick up. SF4 and Mortal Kombat 9, never a miss.
I use DS4tool 1.2.1 RC3 with an old ass Trendnet Bluetooth adapter they don't even acknowledge exists anymore.
Click to expand...

I have 2 broadcom adapters and an ASUS one and they all drop d-pad inputs on a regular basis. The easiest way to see it is in training mode for SF4 and then trying to do a spinning piledriver 9360 grab) with Zangief, T. Hawk, Hakan, etc.
I'm no pro player, but I can hit those moves 95% of the time out of the blue. For some reason I was just never hitting them on the PC, so I started looking at the input data. To do those you have to touch 6 different directions and hit a button all in about 1/4 second. When looking at the input data, it just didn't seem to register all of those inputs consistently. Sometimes it would miss one of the directions, sometimes the button press, sometimes both. It's even worse with a super/ultra move that requires a 720. Even jumping around and giving the controller extra rotations I'm only able to hit those maybe 20% of the time...while it's a borderline 100% move when you normally jump.
 
Spewn said:
That's been my experience with the Logitech F710. I like that the form factor is closer to a Playstation-style controller, and I like that I saved $10 vs buying the Xbox360 controller :D
Click to expand...

Same here, plus I thought i'd mention something I forgot: It works on Android in xinput mode with a usb otg adapter for the little dongle. "Android" in this case being a Nexus 7. (2nd gen, 2013 model) The game needs to support it obviously but i've got a couple that do.
 
Like most people have said, Xbox controller is the way to go. Most console ports default to Xbox 360 controls.

As for which to choose... depends on wired or wireless. If you have to have wireless, for now that limits you to the 360 controller with the wireless adapter. If you're not opposed to a wired controller, the X1 controller works well and IMO is better.
 
Viper87227 said:
Like most people have said, Xbox controller is the way to go. Most console ports default to Xbox 360 controls.

As for which to choose... depends on wired or wireless. If you have to have wireless, for now that limits you to the 360 controller with the wireless adapter. If you're not opposed to a wired controller, the X1 controller works well and IMO is better.
Click to expand...

Does the Xbox One wireless controller not work correctly with a PC?
 
I personally use a PS4 DS4 controller on my PC. It works great with DSTool that emulates the XB360 controller in all games that support it. I use v1.3 RC3 of DSTool and it works flawless for me in every game I tried it with over bluetooth. Every game thinks I have a XB360 plugged in. And with DSTool, I can enable/disable the touch pad at will and use that as a mouse input if I want :).
 
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