Keyboard/Mouse vs. Console controller which do you think is faster

[steve wilson]

Faster? KB/M, no arguments there.
Better? depends on the game. Basically games where constant and variable movement is involved, controller is more 'natural': you can push the stick more or less and keep it there with your thumb, but W in a keyboard is either pushed or not pushed, and there is no 'center' in the mouse, so it's not as natural, for example, for flight simulators and what not.

Maybe this is why I cannot fly the planes in BF4 to save my life... I am the worst pilot ever. I can fly the heli's quite well though.

 

[tinmann]

For First person shooters the mouse and keyboard still rules. I only use a gamepad in 3rd person games and only if I can't bind my favorite control scheme to mouse and keyboard.

 

[PrincessFrosty]

If you're asking specifically what is faster then kb/mouse by a country mile, the mouse has a variable acceleration which if you have a good mouse caps out at a very high value. Analogue sticks and track pads have a maximum acceleration which is very low and also a very low total range of acceleration which means fast movements can't be done all that fast, at least not without sacrificing accuracy.

Controllers have some benefits over kb/mouse, speed an accuracy aren't among them though, the highest skilled players in the world playing in most of the genres are on PCs, they're using keyboard and mouse as inputs.

For First person shooters the mouse and keyboard still rules. I only use a gamepad in 3rd person games and only if I can't bind my favorite control scheme to mouse and keyboard.

Also I think I'd add that 3rd person games work ok with controllers but the skill in these games has decreased dramatically since the popularity explosion of modern consoles. Try going back and playing an old school PC 3rd person shooter like the original Max Payne with a controller instead of a mouse, not going to be easy at all. To a certain extent the games mould themselves to the limitation of the controller systems, that's worth considering.

 

[JamesV]

Like others have said, any game where you have to 'aim' something, is going to be far faster with a KB/M. If you are equally skilled with a KB/M and a controller, KB/M will win every time.

For games like Batman, which were designed for a controller, a controller is far superior (duh?), but for any shooter a KB/M is superior.

 

[SlitheryDee]

I enjoy using a controller better. Or I should say, I enjoy the positions I'm able to put my body in while using a controller. It's much better for long gaming sessions because I can recline back while playing. I'm a much more competent gamer with a keyboard and mouse though, and some of the games I like are impossible to play without a mouse. I can't wait to see what the steam controller does for those games.

 

[nageov3t]

keyboard/mouse almost always.

otoh, I find a controller to just be more comfortable for longer periods of time, especially if I'm not playing a game that demands peak response time.

 

[BrightCandle]

Its actually an easy test. Go play Counter strike with a controller and then with a mouse and tell us which worked out better! I know what the answer is going to be, you can't compete with a controller in a KB/mouse world. You can play games with a controller on PC but you can't do it multiplayer where everyone else has a significantly faster controller than you.

The problem is that the controller is what is called a time based input device. Whereas the mouse is absolute position based. What that means is the mouse you put it in a position and the character points the same place every time and does so at the speed you can move. With a time based controller comparatively you hold it for a certain amount of time until it gets to a point, you don't choose the speed it has its own speed.

 

[ArchAngel777]

Dark Souls 1 and 2 has completely changed my mind on keyboard and mouse. Now the Xbox 360 Controller fits like a glove. Still, if I was playing an FPS, I'd definitely still prefer KB/M setup, but I would still be ok with the 360 controller.

Edit ** Oops, forgot I had was looking at my search threads... Oh well, a 3 month old necro isn't terrible...

 

[Fallen Kell]

I enjoy using a controller better. Or I should say, I enjoy the positions I'm able to put my body in while using a controller. It's much better for long gaming sessions because I can recline back while playing. I'm a much more competent gamer with a keyboard and mouse though, and some of the games I like are impossible to play without a mouse. I can't wait to see what the steam controller does for those games.

You just need to recline back, put your feet up and plop your keyboard on your lap and use your mouse on the table next to you...

 

[PrincessFrosty]

Anecdote.

Playing TF2 with a girl I know on steam, she's a bit behind my skill level and I almost always dominate on pubs, but she was doing terrible one night, she said after the round switch while we waited for the gates to open that she ought to switch from the 360 controller back to m/kb and about >50% of the players on the server took the piss instantly...there's just no competition for FPS games it really is night and day.