What is the best controller for PC games?

[Gep_Etto]

For PC games I'd say that the 360 controller served me very well, big for my hands and had a good layout alongside.

Unfortunately it was only for a brief time as it broke down once I lended it to a friend

(although it was 5 years old at that point and he was taking very good care of it).

I'd say that for PC games maybe I'd get the Series X controller as I prefer the layout a bit more compared to PlayStation.

As I'd rather use mouse & keyboard to supplement gyro for FPS games as well.

However when considering emulation then as a general contended between the 2 the DS5 is the winner, it has gyro, touchpad
with a good general layout for both 2-D dpad games and 3D ones as well (even if I prefer it less to Xbox).

How much of an improvement would you say is the DS5 compared to the 4? Is it worth the upgrade if you have a perfectly functional DS4?

 

[diggeloid]

How much of an improvement would you say is the DS5 compared to the 4? Is it worth the upgrade if you have a perfectly functional DS4?

For PC I don't see any benefit in replacing your DS4 with a DS5. It feels different to a DS4, but that's about it. You won't get the fancy trigger features on any PC games. I'd say just wait for your DS4 to die before upgrading.

PS4/5 controllers are nice, but they're flimsy crap designed to break down. I've bought so many Playstation controllers over the years that it has really started to burn me out on Sony products in general.

Xbox controllers are nice because of how well supported they are, but I'm not a fan of the layout. I haven't used them enough to know if they're as flimsy as PS controllers though.

So nowadays I'm using a Logitech F710. It's enormous and looks like some cheap MadCatz-ass plastic monstrosity, but the build quality is great, and the triggers are surprisingly high quality. The only cons are that the D-pad is meh-to-bad, and the large size makes it uncomfortable for Street Fighter. Other than that, it's great, and it will probably outlive my dog.

 

[Psionic Roshambo]

I use Xbox One controllers, they work over BT if you have the right model and just feel really nice for emulation and modern games. Some games work best with mouse and keyboard though, RPG's and Isometric stuff top down stuff. Racing and fighting and that kind of stuff I have to have a controller lol

 

[Gep_Etto]

For PC I don't see any benefit in replacing your DS4 with a DS5. It feels different to a DS4, but that's about it. You won't get the fancy trigger features on any PC games. I'd say just wait for your DS4 to die before upgrading.

PS4/5 controllers are nice, but they're flimsy crap designed to break down. I've bought so many Playstation controllers over the years that it has really started to burn me out on Sony products in general.

Xbox controllers are nice because of how well supported they are, but I'm not a fan of the layout. I haven't used them enough to know if they're as flimsy as PS controllers though.

So nowadays I'm using a Logitech F710. It's enormous and looks like some cheap MadCatz-ass plastic monstrosity, but the build quality is great, and the triggers are surprisingly high quality. The only cons are that the D-pad is meh-to-bad, and the large size makes it uncomfortable for Street Fighter. Other than that, it's great, and it will probably outlive my dog.

Thanks a lot!

 

[Taleweaver]

Best I've got is A PS4 controller. Steam controller is okay but pretty wonky (plus : no analog joyous, and I mostly like platformers). Xbox 360 just isn't my style.

If anyone know how to properly hook up a Wiiu controller to a pc (including sound & video), drop me a line.

 

[Gep_Etto]

If anyone know how to properly hook up a Wiiu controller to a pc (including sound & video), drop me a line.

I've never owned a Wii U myself, but I have heard good things about this solution. Sadly there isn't a Linux version and the Mac version is only available for x86, but if you're on Windows, I think it might do the trick.

 

[bitcrilk]

Xbox Wireless Controller.

 

[Chary]

Elite 2 if the bumpers weren't prone to dying after a few seconds

 

[Guacaholey]

Elite 2 if the bumpers weren't prone to dying after a few seconds

Haven't used that one, but the Xbox One controller I used for PC games had the right trigger break pretty easily. One of only two controllers I've ever had break on me (I'm not including Joycons though for obvious reasons), the other being a really cheap Switch controller from Amazon, which also had a trigger break. But I've got tons of controllers that came with consoles I got within a year of launch that work. I don't know what Xbox Series X/S controllers are like, but the Xbox One one put me off first party Microsoft controllers for a long time.

 

[Gep_Etto]

Haven't used that one, but the Xbox One controller I used for PC games had the right trigger break pretty easily. One of only two controllers I've ever had break on me (I'm not including Joycons though for obvious reasons), the other being a really cheap Switch controller from Amazon, which also had a trigger break. But I've got tons of controllers that came with consoles I got within a year of launch that work. I don't know what Xbox Series X/S controllers are like, but the Xbox One one put me off first party Microsoft controllers for a long time.

I actually prefer the Xbox 360 controller compared to the Xbox One's. I've had XB1 controllers break before but my wired XB360 controller has survived for years with just a little wobbliness on the left analog stick, nothing that can't be fixed by tweaking the dead zone. Haven't tried the new gen controllers though.

 

[Guacaholey]

I actually prefer the Xbox 360 controller compared to the Xbox One's. I've had XB1 controllers break before but my wired XB360 controller has survived for years with just a little wobbliness on the left analog stick, nothing that can't be fixed by tweaking the dead zone. Haven't tried the new gen controllers though.

I still have my wireless Xbox 360 ones, and a wired third party one (no rumble though) that I love, it's built really solidly, though I might try to find a good durable controller with the Xbox layout that has rumble and gyro.

 

[Esdeath]

For me Xbox one controller plus battery packs

 

[retrospect]

Switch Pro: Bad d-pad, no analogue triggers.
Xbox One: Poor d-pad, no gyro.
Xbox 360: Bad d-pad, no gyro, big wireless receiver.
PS5: Poor battery life.
PS4: Poor battery life.
Steam Controller: no, no, no.

I've read the Switch Pro has the most accurate gyro, and of course Xbox 360/One controllers use Xinput which is baked into Windows and supported by pretty much all games that support controllers these days.

I'd give the crown to the PS4 controller. It does everything very well and it looks great.

 

[64bitmodels]

SN30 Pro plus and Series S controller. Former because gyro & 2d games, latter because it's extremely easy to set up and get working and also 3d stuff

 

[64bitmodels]

Playing anything that is not an fps with the mouse and keyboard sucks.

also, they're superior for RTS games, city builders, most simulators, mobas, point and click games, light gun games, certain rhythm games (like Osu, beatmania, Stepmania/notITG/Etterna, Friday Night funkin) and arguably turn based RPGs. In reality controller is only really superior for action adventure, hack and slash, platformer and Racing (in which racing wheels are better than that)

 

[AncientBoi]

Right now, I'm using my cheap Logitek controller.


Otherwise, I'd use @Gep_Etto 's [Banned] face.
So cute. LoL

 

[Elodain]

I use an original model Xbox One controller that came with my console about a month after the XB1 first came out back in 2013. No Bluetooth so I have to use the USB Wireless Dongle (which is fine because I need to have one anyway for my headset which pairs over Xbox Wireless)

Seems like the best option to me as any game with controller support almost always can take an Xbox controller out of the box, whereas with a PS controller it can be a bit fiddly and might need extra programs.

 

[Gep_Etto]

Right now, I'm using my cheap Logitek controller.


Otherwise, I'd use @Gep_Etto 's [Banned] face.
So cute. LoL

Aww, that's so sweet of you! I bathe twice a week, you know. I don't like it and I try to escape from the bathtub but I get a treat after being blow-dried (that sounds dirty) so in the end it's worth it.

 

[Gep_Etto]

Seems like the best option to me as any game with controller support almost always can take an Xbox controller out of the box, whereas with a PS controller it can be a bit fiddly and might need extra programs.

There's a simple reason for that. Microsoft makes the XBox controllers, so the necessary drivers are already built into Windows. Not so with Sony controllers, or Nintendo ones for that matter.

I don't know how the situation is on Macs, but Linux has pretty much the same level of support for xbox and playstation controllers, 3rd-party controllers and USB-powered refrigerators. The basics work ootb, for more advanced features you might need to install a package or two.