best controller to use for games in general?

The title says it... cos i've been playing on xbox live for a year or 2, nd i'm like pro lol... but now switching over to pc gaming, i feel like a total noob.. mostly because i prefer using a controller than a mouse.. so what do you guys suggest? I was thinking about getin an xbox 360 controller for my pc.. or would u suggest something else a joystick maybe? or sum brilliant gaming mouse? Mostly i'll be playing FPSes, RTSes and an MMORPG...
thanks x

 

Well mate, if youre intending to be playing against others online then you'd be at a serious dis advantage playing with a pad against a mouse/keyboard player, especially at FPS games like Q3/UT/CS. Theres some insanely skilled players in the world of PCs. If I was you defo go with a decent mouse - logitech or razer personally. If you dont play against others then crack on with a 360 pad (you can buy a wireless transmitter thingy that will recognise your 360 pad in windows). I know Crysis fully supports the 360 pad. Oh and welcome to PC gaming

 

Depends on the pad, but yeah, the 360 wired controller simply CANT be beat. It has great compatibility long as you use the best drivers, and as a controller, its got the perfect amount of buttons, and its so comfortable, youll feel like you hands are in heaven.

The only problem is the d-pad and the lack of analogue buttons. The d-pad really hurts if you are into emulation and play twitch games. Still, its passable

 

You can use a 360 controller specially made for the pc, but as Gunner said, if you want to play and have any chance of winning, keyboard/mouse is the way to go. Game controllers just aren't as accurate and easy to use. Plus latency is higher with a wireless pad. And i'm pretty sure refresh rate is no where near as a good logitech/razer mouse.

For RTS, MMO's and FPS's, people use keyboard/mouse. There are various Zboard especially made for these games, check them out. ESpecially the fang. I don't like it, but a lot of people do.

 

If you plan on using a console style controller for FPS PC games, plan on getting owned over and over.

I will headshot you and your 5 paddle holding friends while you attempt to turn around.

 

get a good mouse. most fps's on console have auto aim so you might think you can be as accurate as a mouse but you really cant.

 

Just as everyone else has stated, a mouse/keyboard setup will own anyone using a controller for FPS games. I do like using an X-Box 360 controller (which works great with PCs) for driving, flying and some third person games.

 

I bought a playstation 2 clone made buy Logitech for about $20 to play with my emulators. Its not the greatest because its corded but works well and can be had cheap enough.

 

Logitech has a 360 version of a controller with even a built fan in the gamepad. Great controller.

 

For the games you're playing (FPS, RTS, MMORPG), it's better to stick with a mouse and keyboard.

 

Let em learn the hard way for a few weeks

I only need 2k more points in BF2 to the next rank

 

just got Gears of War because someone was posting how great the game is and how his single 8600m gt can push it I guess at max settings anyway I just bought a wired xbox 360 controller because some opinions said the controller was better for this game on pc. Bullshoot! It's harder to aim and the Belkin Nostromo n52te (half keyboard) and mouse combo is way better. So now I feel I just wasted $30 bucks on the 360 controller it was on sale at radio shack. So I wanted to try it on COD4, Oblivion, The Orange Box and Fear, but read that the net that ppl had some compatibility problems with Oblivion and I'm not sure if it works with the others cause I never tried it yet before posting this. Does anyone know if it works with those games, is it just plug and play like with Gears of War or do I have to tweak settings and all. And one last thing Gears of War is a graphically demanding game and I have dual 8600m gts in Sli and on max settings at 1440x900 it struggles had to drop it to medium so I don't know how the guy with single 8600m gt, that sold me the game with his enthusiatic posts, is able to run it without it being choppy.

 

Yes, you will need a mouse to compete multi-player in PC FPSs or RTSs...but even with a good mouse (and don't forget the mousepad), you will still get tortured for a while...

I have a Razer Death Adder which I absolutely love...I initially had a Razer Lachesis (their latest and greatest), but even dialing down the sensitivity settings, it was still way too much for me on a 1920x1200 laptop screen...I'm sure if I played more frequently and actually cared about being competitive that I would graduate into a Lachesis...I looked into the Razer Diamondback but didn't like the hand-fit...I also looked at a Logitech G5 but didn't like the hand-fit...Logitech G9 is worth a look but too expensive for me, an amateur gamer...

If you don't mind cordless mice (I hate 'em...battery always runs out when you need them the most...and I'd rather carry around a cord attached to my mouse vs an endless supply of AAA batteries or a rechargeable that last 2-3 hours), Logitech has the G7 (gaming) or VX Nano (portable...and if you're over 6'0" and have proportionately sized hands, then the VX Nano is out...)...

I play some 'console' games on my laptop (Prince of Persia, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Ultimate Spiderman, X-Men Legends 2, Demonstone) and emulators with a Saitek P2600 (again, I have large hands and this gamepad is perfect for me and it has good keystroke emulation software for playing You Don't Know Jack with friends)...I believe the P2600 just got a replacement that looks more like an XBox 360 controller...but I've owned the Nyko fan-cooled gamepad (gimmicky but a large gamepad) and the old MS Sidewinder gamepad and a couple of older Logitech gamepads...I've liked my Saitek the most...and it rumbles for the two PC games that support rumble...Saitek also has a cordless version but I'm not a big fan of cordless as previously stated...

You can't go wrong with a Razer or Logitech mouse and a Saitek or Logitech game pad...

If you have lots of money and enjoy playing flight or space sims (including MechWarrior type games) which are getting fewer and fewer then I can personally recommend the Logitech joysticks...I would imagine, based on the gamepad, that the Saitek sticks are pretty decent, too, but I've never used one...

 

1. I've had this problem recently, and decided to go with an xbox 360 controller, you can use a wired, or go with a wireless like i did. The original wireless controller will work with windows, just buy the windows wireless xbox connector $20.00.

2. Now this alone isn't the best, but coupled with Pinnacle Game Profiler http://www.pinnaclegameprofiler.com you can use the xbox 360 controller with any game out there, with your own custom settings, or download settings from other users on pinnacles forums. Even use it to navigate windows os, it's really awesome software! Comes with 30 day free trial, $19.95 to buy. But you will be glad to pay after you try it. Works with xp and vista (even 64bit, which i'm running)

Other stuff: Crysis works with xbox 360 controller standard, but the aiming drags so slow compared to mouse, but with this software, your stick will move just as fast as the mouse, even add prone to the controller which Crytek thought we didn't need for some reason

Hope this helps.

 

Ok I lied the control is worth it made Bioshock alot easier and enjoyable like a real console game and you have different format/layout and options with xbox360 connected to it (Steam version) Still enjoyable with Gears of War, Tried with Oblivion, problem was it isn't plug and play so did some googling and found a program called xpadder which lets you map keys to the controller, seems complicated at first but if you google xpadder tutorial and watch the youtube video it's so simple. So yeah starting to seem like a good investment. Get one.

Oh and off topic, one day left just got X com complete pack of Steam for $14! Works with Vista! This is a masterpiece if you've never played it!

 

I will chime in here,

having a belkin half keyboard and logitech g5 for the FPS's

then I use the 360 controller for my racing games. GRID runs SO nice on the controller and its almost like it was meant to be! I love it!

it's all personal preference really. I just find this working best for me

 

i think i've decided on getting a razor deathadder, and one of they're keyboards... thanks guys!

 

Don't overlook gamepads like the Belkin Nostromo.