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So now that some time has passed....Best PC Controller?

Pejo

Pejo

Gold Member
So the Xbox One controller PC drivers were released, and a tool was created to fool a PC into thinking a DualShock 4 was a 360 controller. There's the new thread just posted today about the new Steam controller design. Other options were released, and there's always the classic wired 360 pad.

There are more valid options right now than there have ever been for using a controller for PC gaming. What's the best overall experience with a controller on PC for now and the foreseeable future?
 
C

commish

Jason Kidd murdered my dog in cold blood!
I use an XB1 controller. It's great but you really can't go wrong with either XB controller.
 
B

benny_a

extra source of jiggaflops
I switch between DS4 and 360. 360 wins because it's the assumed standard controller by games and thus better integrated into the overlay.
 
C

Chance Hale

Member
Xbox One's layout, quality, and general feel is my favorite by a fair degree but the 360 controller is still the only one to consistently work via wireless so that is a big boon. Really hope the One controller's support gets expanded via a dongle or whatever.
 
H

HideyoshiJP

Member
I'm still on the wireless 360 train. It's nice to have things just work, at least if you have an old one lying around. Does DS4 do rumble on PC yet?
 
L

Levyne

Banned
I told myself I would get an X1 controller once drivers were released...but just didn't. I have no large issues with my 360 controller.
 
B

borghe

Loves the Greater Toronto Area
I dislike the controller in general... but the award hands down goes to 360 wired. the epitome of plug and play (to those saying 360 wireless... that's great, but you still need (to pay for) the wireless dongle)

my preference is the Dualshock 4. The DS4Fix software takes like 5 seconds to install and is then either plug and play over USB or minimal effort to pair over BT (really nice where I have internal BT4)

edit - also in regards to wireless 360... my wireless receiver would act REALLY weird when my PC was left on.. like the light would go out on it and then if I wanted to connect my 360 controller (press the Guide button) it wouldn't connect unless/until I unplugged and plugged the dongle back in. If I booted my system fresh every time the dongle was fine.. but it would go into sleep(?) on its own and wouldn't come back out turning the controller on.. weird..
 
A

Adam Blue

Member
I say it's the 360 gamepad with the transforming D-pad. Main reasons:



  • Superior analog sticks; concave structure and size has perfect thumb-suction.
  • The Dpad is the same chrome cross as the One, but on a circular pad that ads just a bit of cushioning similar to the Genesis/Saturn.
This almost gets into general 'best' gamepad territory as practically every controller can work on PC.
 
SerTapTap

SerTapTap

Member
Dual Shock 4 while it works. Needs better drivers still, they're annoying to install and it's been losing connection for me lately, which is a problem I didn't have with my PS3 xinput drivers.

Touchpad is fantastic though, has a real d pad which is the only thing I find unacceptable about the 360, though even if it were the same the touchpad pushes the DS4 over the top.

HideyoshiJP said:
I'm still on the wireless 360 train. It's nice to have things just work, at least if you have an old one lying around. Does DS4 do rumble on PC yet?
Click to expand...

Yes, I actually had to turn it off in Bleed because it was a bit excessive in that game.
 
InfiniteCombo

InfiniteCombo

Banned
Wired 360 controller for life; if it had the DS4's D-pad, it'd actually be the perfect controller, not just for PC, but period. I'd vote for the wireless 360 pad but the battery hump in the back seriously cramps my style.
 
Nabs

Nabs

Member
It all depends on what you need. There is no definitive best. The 360, Xbone, and PS4 controllers are all great choices.

I couldn't wait for the Xbone drivers, so I upgraded to a DS4 earlier in the Summer. It fits what I need best. Good D-Pad, lots of extra buttons for shortcuts (touchpad button serves as push-to-talk), and the ability to emulate the mouse is a huge plus. Btw, DS4Tool is old now, and there are far better options out there. Here's one.
 
Jawmuncher

Jawmuncher

Member
360 still gets the vote in my book.
Wired is easy to hook up and play and the wireless option is still the best for PC.

Though DS4 is a worthy succesor.
 
Pejo

Pejo

Gold Member
Tagyhag said:
Xbox One for me, aside from the bumpers it's an improvement from the 360's in every way.
Click to expand...

Is the D-pad better on the X1 controller? That's my only complaint with my wired 360 pad currently. I play a lot of 2D platformers and fighting games (I know, shouldn't use gamepads) and it's always been serviceable but far from ideal.
 
P

partyphone

Banned
Which PC compatible controller has the best D-pad? Shovel Knight is basically unplayable with my 360 controller and it's making me sad.
 
G

Glass Shark

Banned
For my money, the DualShock 4 is the best controller I've ever used. If you don't mind using the third-party tool, it works in every game I've tried. If you want something that "just works", get a 360 controller.
 
Nabs

Nabs

Member
partyphone said:
Which PC compatible controller has the best D-pad? Shovel Knight is basically unplayable with my 360 controller and it's making me sad.
Click to expand...

If you're asking about 360-like controllers, then the DS4 has the best D-Pad. There are still better D-Pads out there.
 
DJ_Lae

DJ_Lae

Member
It's still the 360 one for me (preferably wireless, with the official dongle). It works with every game with gamepad support and most importantly doesn't require me to install or fiddle with anything to get it functional.

Dpad is mediocre but so few games actually require heavy use of that I don't care.
 
D

Durante

Member
Logitech F710:

f710-gaming-gamepad-images.png


Better d-pad than most alternatives, my preferred stick layout, directinput/xinput switch, much better triggers than any DS.
 
P

phanphare

Banned
Wii U pro controller

it's like the 360 controller except with better ergonomics, dpad, stick placement, and battery life

partyphone said:
Which PC compatible controller has the best D-pad? Shovel Knight is basically unplayable with my 360 controller and it's making me sad.
Click to expand...

the Wii U pro
 
T

The_Hitcher89

Member
Have Sony ever given a reason for not developing an official driver? I'd like to use the DS4, but the kinks in the unofficial drivers just make me prefer to use the 360 controller
 
SerTapTap

SerTapTap

Member
Wii U pro controller still needs a special wireless dongle, right? If it didn't, I'd be willing to try. It's insane that all controllers aren't bluetooth these days. I'm picky about controllers but I dont' have enough USB ports for all this shit. I have a bluetooth dongle, a second BT for DS3/DS4 drivers, a wireless 360 dongle, a USB SNES pad, a USB N64 pad, and if I wanted wii U I'd need yet another.
 
C

chaosblade

Unconfirmed Member
Wii U pro controller without a doubt for me.

The symmetrical analog sticks are great for dual analog games, great dpad, comfortable. Lack of analog triggers isn't a downside for anything I play.


And it works with a bluetooth dongle, but I don't know how the drivers are these days. Flawless with the Mayflash adapter though.
 
T

Tagyhag

Member
Pejo said:
Is the D-pad better on the X1 controller? That's my only complaint with my wired 360 pad currently. I play a lot of 2D platformers and fighting games (I know, shouldn't use gamepads) and it's always been serviceable but far from ideal.
Click to expand...

Definitely, it's not the best D-pad in the world but it's a huge improvement and I have no big problems with it.
 
SerTapTap

SerTapTap

Member
The_Hitcher89 said:
Have Sony ever given a reason for not developing an official driver? I'd like to use the DS4, but the kinks in the unofficial drivers just make me prefer to use the 360 controller
Click to expand...

It has official direct input drivers and is plug and play. I'm not sure why it doesn't use xinput though, which is what you really mean. Are they unable/unwilling to get licensed for xinput? I really wish there weren't the direct/xinput split, it's the worst thing about controllers on PC.
 
E

Eternia

Member
I found the Xbox One controller to be superior to the 360 except for it lacking wireless at the moment. The curvature of the triggers, texture of the sticks, and dpad are some of the more noticeable improvements for me.
 
B

borghe

Loves the Greater Toronto Area
The_Hitcher89 said:
Have Sony ever given a reason for not developing an official driver? I'd like to use the DS4, but the kinks in the unofficial drivers just make me prefer to use the 360 controller
Click to expand...

probably

a) there is zero gain for them in doing so
b) you can't "just use" the controller with Windows. You need either a micro-USB cable (not included) or BT adapter (not included).
c) everything is designed for XInput meaning that even getting it officially running everything is still going to have the 360 button prompts in the game.
d) the mod community is doing pretty much as good of a job as Sony likely would, with zero effort/expense from Sony.

Vigilant Gambit said:
360 pad with wireless dongle is pretty decent, but the dual shock 4 with a Trend Micro bluetooth dongle is even better.
Click to expand...

this is exactly my experience. The official wireless dongle is not without its issues (albeit minor). DS4 over virtually any Bluetooth "just works". I'm running an Azurewave mini-PCIe internal card and have also used a Belkin dongle and the DS4 connected to and ran off of both flawlessly. More reliably than the official 360 dongle (see my post above). 360 dongle requires me to either fresh boot my PC or reseat the dongle almost every time (unless I'm doing say multiple sessions in the same day/boot)
 
T

TheAdmiester

Member
Xbox One controller. The sticks are in the right place (asymmetrical), the grips are perfect, triggers are nice and wide to use, and all of the buttons have nice feedback. The problem of the DPad on the 360 controller and Dualshock controllers is gone, too.

It's the best by such a big longshot it's not even fair on the others.
 
Pejo

Pejo

Gold Member
Durante said:
Logitech F710.
Better d-pad than most alternatives, my preferred stick layout, directinput/xinput switch, Much better triggers than any DS.
Click to expand...

I'm actually glad to hear someone comment on the F710. I have always been a little hesitant to buy Logitech controllers since the old Windows XP days and the generally awful build quality of their devices back then, but the F710 looks really solid. How's the game compatibility and build quality?
 
G

Gestault

Member
With the driver integration and the feel of it for me, the XB1 controller. You don't even need to find a separate wired one or a wireless receiver like you would with the 360 controller. Straight-up plug-n-play with a normal micro-USB cable.
 
DJ_Lae

DJ_Lae

Member
Durante said:
Logitech F710.
Better d-pad than most alternatives, my preferred stick layout, directinput/xinput switch, Much better triggers than any DS.
Click to expand...

I picked up an F510 (which I believe is the same as the 710 just no wireless) to use on the go with my laptop after reading good reviews.

I dunno. The dpad is a sloppy, loose thing, I had issues with it messing up the axis in some games (Saints Row 3 most recently), and the triggers are weirdly placed, really narrow, short throw, and incredibly stiff, making them awkward for racing games or ones that require them to be held down constantly.

Sticks, buttons, and overall shape aren't bad though.
 
Z

zephervack

Member
Only one true answer, every other answer is wrong

Playstation DS4

Someone try to contradict me, you are wrong.

1. Best D pad for emulators
2. Light weight
3. Great battery life.
4. Has a freaking Touchpad so you can control Windows without reaching for the Mouse, (THIS SHOULD BE STANDARD ON ANY PC CONTROLLER. PERIOD).
5. Works wirelessly because this is 2014, (** cough ** Xbox One controller, get out).
6. Press PS button.. control turns on and connected to PC, done..., want to turn it off? press L1, R1 and PS buttons for 2 seconds off, with the 360 controller you have to take out the batteries, yep...

Only draw backs....
1. Only draw back is that its not officially supported, but installing the 3rd party drivers is a breeze.

2. Games will show mappings for Xbox 360 controller, not a huge deal.
 
O

Orayn

Member
The best is whichever you feel like, really. The 360 controller, Xbox One controller, and DualShock 4 can all be used for XInput games with minimal to no hassle, so just get whichever one suits your needs.

Personally, I think the DualShock 4 is a particularly strong general purpose controller due to the nice d-pad, option to use it wired or wirelessly, compatibility with both DirectInput and XInput thanks to the wrapper, and the unofficial software also letting you do neat things like controlling the mouse with the touch pad.
 
D

Durante

Member
Pejo said:
I'm actually glad to hear someone comment on the F710. I have always been a little hesitant to buy Logitech controllers since the old Windows XP days and the generally awful build quality of their devices back then, but the F710 looks really solid. How's the game compatibility and build quality?
Click to expand...
Game compatibility is great. It supports both directinput and xinput natively, so it's probably better than any other controller out of the box (the latter is what all games which support the 360 controller use). Build quality seems good to me, but I haven't done any long-term studies ;)

DJ_Lae said:
I picked up an F510 (which I believe is the same as the 710 just no wireless) to use on the go with my laptop after reading good reviews.
Click to expand...
It is.

DJ_Lae said:
I dunno. The dpad is a sloppy, loose thing, I had issues with it messing up the axis in some games (Saints Row 3 most recently), and the triggers are weirdly placed, really narrow, short throw, and incredibly stiff, making them awkward for racing games or ones that require them to be held down constantly.
Click to expand...
I disagree strongly on the d-pad. I find it very exact, almost (but not quite) as good as the Vita one (which is my current gold standard). The triggers are narrow, and I can see how that could be a problem for racing games where you use them constantly - I don't play those. I find them very suitable for, well, triggering things.
 
Dsyndrome

Dsyndrome

Member
Dualshock 3 with a wrapper. Dualshock 4 won't work with Witcher 2, and I never had an issue with 3's layout enough to use the 360.
 
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