Holy COW... please use a controller for games meant for controllers. WOW.

[Zeze]

Maybe I Need to suck it up, and pay $50 for a real XBox controller?

YES.

I had the wrong impression of using a controller since I used the Google Stadia controller that came with its launch. Well, it's just not a good controller and has terrible support. So I didn't know 80% of the LACK OF rumbling was due to the Stadia controller.

Once I bought the xbox controller, it was great. It fights tightly in my hand and the rumble is STRONG. Also the trigger feedback is very satisfying.

And Xbox = Microsoft = Windows = Butter smooth native plug-n-play support.

It's $39.99 on amazon.

 

[ibex333]

Probably like most of you, I'm a 90's kid and I grew up on PC gaming mostly. Who doesn't love the almighty KB+M setup with amazing precision and tons of keys to map?

Today, lots of console exclusives are now readily available in PC. They used to have awful implementations, but some do it AMAZINGLY (RDR2, Forza 5 Horizon, etc). But unless KB+M offers something entirely new, stick with the controller as the game intended. Holy cow it changed my life after I bought a Xbox controller.

You cannot ignore how amazing the rumble is. It's not a gimmick, it truly adds to immersion and makes KB+M look very plain. I know racing games should be with the real wheel, but keyboard is just absolutely trash. I played Forza 5 Horizon on a controller and it literally changed the game. The trigger buttons rumble and resist against your pushing, this makes it just super fun when you're accelerating or braking.

You also feel the road with the controller rumbling constantly, you can feel the gravel road, rocky road, and water with your hands. With KB+M, you will miss that visceral physical feedback.

Sure you can play FF7 Remake on a PC just fine, but bam add controller again (as it was originally developed for) -> The button mash combos and triggers all feel very intuitive and natural.

It goes same for lots of platform indie games / roguelike games. The controller is a GODSEND.

I'd go far as to say it's an essential peripheral as a PC GAMER.

Since Xbox controller is Microsoft-native, it's just plug-and-play with auto detect in most Window games.

what you fail to understand is that playing with a controller after playing on mouse/kb for over 20-30 years is an awful experience. And it doesn't really get better.. by much...

 

[KMFJD]

I dunno, i really enjoy Diablo 4 with controller, with mouse/KB? not so much

 

[Fenixgoon]

I dunno, i really enjoy Diablo 4 with controller, with mouse/KB? not so much

Interesting. When I pick up D4, I'll have to give it a shot.

 

[KMFJD]

i find it easier to move and attack at the same time, not having to constantly click, plus it's also giving my mouse hand a good break because i've been addicted to it so much, the button layout really works well

 

[Zenoth]

Very situational for me.

I've started on consoles (NES) in December 1991 (Christmas), remained exclusively a console player, played on controllers only until basically the Dreamcast when I finally got myself its Keyboard + Mouse for web browsing (it was the beginning of KB + Mouse for me). From 1999 (Dreamcast) to 2004 my use of the Keyboard + Mouse remained only for browsing the web. In 2004, I actually got my first true 'gaming' PC. When that happened I of course played mostly games meant for Keyboard + Mouse (RTS games and FPS games). Over a short period of time I got used to it to the point of re-wiring my brain on exclusively using Keyboard + Mouse.

I'm skipping stuff, but as of now my use of Controllers is exclusively for the following:

º Fighting Games (currently is in full use with Street Fighter 6 which I genuinely really enjoy)
º Racing Games
º Retro-style Games (Switch SNES / Genesis online collections, Steam retro games, etc)

My current Controllers are pretty simple (but effective):

1) MadCatz SF4 (Ken skin) Controller (mostly using it for Fighting Games, albeit not all of them, only ones that are made with a 6 buttons layout in mind)
2) Official Nintendo Wii U Pro Controller (using it for most of the games I do play with a Controller, it's honestly doing everything I need from a Controller, works amazing in both XInput and DirectInput and is usually detected right away in most games without issues)
3) Official Nintendo Switch Pro (Mario skin) Controller (used it a few times for some Racing games, it's under-used at the moment but I have mostly as a back-up)
4) 8-bit Do SN30Pro SNES-style Controller (using it for the majority of my Retro gaming, Beat 'em Ups, Platformers, etc)

The above serves me well for whenever I do need Controllers. However, I play everything else on Keyboard + Mouse.

Regarding the rumbling or "sensing" features of Controllers... the last time I cared about rumbling features was for Star Fox 64, not sure I even remember the impact of such a feature for any other game that would have supported it.

 

[NTMBK]

I've been using controllers on PC since I was plugging joysticks into the gameport on MSDOS. Who wanted to play X Wing with a keyboard?!

 

[Zeze]

I dunno, i really enjoy Diablo 4 with controller, with mouse/KB? not so much

I'm a life-long Diablo 1, 2, & 3 player with obviously KB+M.

I read from the nerds that Blizz really polished the controller for Diablo 4. It's not even just a 'polish'. It was an active core development direction for console sales and the gameplay was built around it.

So I tried it with a huge skepticism. Well, it actually works beautifully.

Just do it.

 

[igor_kavinski]

Who wanted to play X Wing with a keyboard?!

I did, before I could afford a joystick. It was insanely hectic and finished it with KB/MS.

When I tried it with my first ever joystick (probably some A4tech model, forgot), it was effortless to play and the training missions were so much easier to complete. But the joystick had only like two or three buttons so the KB still played an important role for me.

 

[CP5670]

I play Freespace with a keyboard only, and many of the top online players back in the day did the same. Same with Star Wars Squadrons, Elite Dangerous, and other space games.

 

[Oyeve]

I play Freespace with a keyboard only, and many of the top online players back in the day did the same. Same with Star Wars Squadrons, Elite Dangerous, and other space games.

I did as well. Mainly because there was very limited controller support.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

Shame casual space sims haven't had a "boomer shooter" revival, modern controllers would work great for stuff like Freespace 2 and Wing Commander.

 

[CP5670]

SW Squadrons and House of the Dying Sun work pretty well with a controller, but I use the same keyboard setup from Freespace that I'm used to, even in VR.

 

[acheron]

Used to have a Steam controller, when it broke I grudgingly gave in and bought an Xbox controller to replace it. My reluctance there could have been basically eliminated if Microsoft made it a different shade of plastic, got rid of the "X" logo, and called it a Sidewinder.

As far as what I've really used it for... My kid used the controller for the Lego games. Which was cool since he could use the controller and I could use the keyboard for hotseat.

Definitely used it in Forza Horizon (4 & 5), totally agree there. Um... Brothers? Remember that one?

I started playing Elden Ring a bit and I guess it needed the controller, but never got far in it.

I will never use it for Diablo, (Removed) that noise.




Please keep the language to PEGI-G while in the Tech Section of AnandTech. This includes PC Gaming.

PC Gaming Moderator Aigo

 

[Zeze]

I will never use it for Diablo, (Removed) that noise.

D1, 2, and even 3, yup.

D4 was actually built around controller gameplay. I already wrote so. It works because it was designed for it.