entremet
Member
Shite DPad tho
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The best PC gaming controller according to The Wirecutter is....
- Thread starter entremet
- Start date
secretanchitman
Member
Completely agreed. The dpad is phenomenal and the buttons/triggers are amazing, so it's perfect for PC gaming and emulation.
Xbone Elite Controller and Wii U Pro Controller are great too. Honestly you can't go wrong with any of the modern controllers.
Xbone Elite Controller and Wii U Pro Controller are great too. Honestly you can't go wrong with any of the modern controllers.
BennyBlanco
aka IMurRIVAL69
I could never the ds4 to work over BT on my computer. I vastly prefer the xbone controller these days anyway.
Wonko_C
Member
Add to that its great for playing 2D games that don't support POV, since you can map the dpad to the left stick and viceversa. This makes the PC version of Strider the only version that's playable with the D-pad, as it should be.
ATOMICJORGE
Member
The best PC controller was the Xbox 360 controller now it's the Xbox One controller and if you can't afford it the Elite controller
petethepanda
Member
Love it when games like Batman and Hitman fully support it out of the box.
Lil'DigiOp
Member
Here's the real question.
What's the best controller to okay GoldenEye on PC?
The struggle.
What's the best controller to okay GoldenEye on PC?
The struggle.
Tal Shiar Agent
Banned
It's what I use when I want to play New Vegas or Star Wars Battlefront II.
keltickennedy
Member
Who? Never heard of the site.
Saucycarpdog
Member
They chose the controller with the least amount of support on PC games?
EatChildren
Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
"Effort" is usual a minimal factor in PC hardware and peripheral reviews as that's largely the nature of the platform itself; open, where extra effort to set something up goes a long way.
Though it lacks formal compatibility with majority of games, requires extra set up effort, and is missing official button prompts, I still prefer using my DS4 as my PC gaming pad over everything else. Macros allow me to create functions otherwise nonexistent in a game, and the touch pad instantly transforms into a mouse cursor.
Playing Wild Hunt with a pad that has signs assigned to instant button functions to avoid the circle menu, and effortlessly swapping between analogue character control and menu mouse pointer navigation, is the definitive way to play the game as far as I'm concerned.
Though it lacks formal compatibility with majority of games, requires extra set up effort, and is missing official button prompts, I still prefer using my DS4 as my PC gaming pad over everything else. Macros allow me to create functions otherwise nonexistent in a game, and the touch pad instantly transforms into a mouse cursor.
Playing Wild Hunt with a pad that has signs assigned to instant button functions to avoid the circle menu, and effortlessly swapping between analogue character control and menu mouse pointer navigation, is the definitive way to play the game as far as I'm concerned.
Jack Scofield
Member
Why is it that most PC games have Xbox button prompts? Is that controller just considered the standard?
Yes. Most games have Xinput controls and it was an initiative put forward by Microsoft. Far easier to program for Xinput than dinput (which the DS4 and like 700 other controllers are) so most devs opted for the easy catch all solution.
This soooo much this
codswallop
Member
Most of their complaints about the Steam Controller:
Were the problems I had with it initially. But, after some familiarisation time, the buttons aren't difficult to reach (and I have small hands), it's easy to press the right button and analogue stick, and I have no problems with the buttons or triggers sounding cheap. The touchpad clicks still sound and feel a bit rubbish, however.
I think a large part of the problem is how they were holding it - check the picture in the article. Someone in the Steam Controller thread suggested using the index fingers on the bumpers and middle fingers on the triggers, and once I did that, the problems with the buttons, most of the fatigue, difficulty with bumpers/triggers all disappeared.
But, I appreciate it's a fairly new type of controller so the uptake is not likely to be swift, and it'll probably be discontinued quietly sometime in the future.
Were the problems I had with it initially. But, after some familiarisation time, the buttons aren't difficult to reach (and I have small hands), it's easy to press the right button and analogue stick, and I have no problems with the buttons or triggers sounding cheap. The touchpad clicks still sound and feel a bit rubbish, however.
I think a large part of the problem is how they were holding it - check the picture in the article. Someone in the Steam Controller thread suggested using the index fingers on the bumpers and middle fingers on the triggers, and once I did that, the problems with the buttons, most of the fatigue, difficulty with bumpers/triggers all disappeared.
But, I appreciate it's a fairly new type of controller so the uptake is not likely to be swift, and it'll probably be discontinued quietly sometime in the future.
Mineshaft_Gap
4077th
Battery life extra software and build quality make this a NOPE.
PS4 controller is one of this gens biggest disappointments because it had so much potential.
PS4 controller is one of this gens biggest disappointments because it had so much potential.
BLACK AMERICAN PSYCHO
Junior Member
Nope, ELITE>>>>>>>
JustSomeone
Member
Nope. Steam controller is the best. And then the XBO controller. I feel bad when I have to settle for DS4 when playing on the PS4.
Yea, this review is (subjectively) wrong purely for having to install custom drivers and tinker with something that should work out of the box in 2016. The Xbox one controller 'just works'. It works without having to install drivers with or without the wireless adapter.
Not having analog triggers on the wii u pro controller is a deal breaker.
Primethius
Banned
Yep, it's my favorite.
The touchpad with a bunch of little macros mapped to it has been really useful.
The touchpad with a bunch of little macros mapped to it has been really useful.
KneehighPark
Member
I love the DS4 but for PC it's got some big caveats:
It's decent when playing with a wired cable, but for wireless the Xbox One Controller (Elite or not) or the Steam Controller wins out.
- Low Battery Life
- Very Finnicky Wireless Connections
- Lack of Native Compatibility for Most Games
- Input Lag When Playing Wirelessly
It's decent when playing with a wired cable, but for wireless the Xbox One Controller (Elite or not) or the Steam Controller wins out.
CreepingFear
Member
360 wired. Never had an issue with a game that support controllers.
Ploid 3.0
Member
I finally got a setup where a DS3 and DS4 can work together on my PC. Love using the DS4 when I'm not playing local multiplayer games like Street Fighter5. The 360 prompts are unfortunate but I'm used to them now. I am emulating a 360 controller to get it to work after all, iirc.
I was anticipating the launch of the Steam controller, but I don't really feel like I need it now.
I was anticipating the launch of the Steam controller, but I don't really feel like I need it now.
LightningXCE
Member
Makes sense once you consider button placement, the touch pad, and the design that is made for less stress/comfort after many hours of use.
I see people argue that the Xbox one controller has better grip, which is true, but more grip means more stress and muscle use which cramps your hands after long periods of use. You want minimal hand movement on a controller for comfort.
Edit: and people arguing about battery life.. isn't the only way to play a DS4 controller on PC is via wired connection so does that make a difference for any controller?
I see people argue that the Xbox one controller has better grip, which is true, but more grip means more stress and muscle use which cramps your hands after long periods of use. You want minimal hand movement on a controller for comfort.
Edit: and people arguing about battery life.. isn't the only way to play a DS4 controller on PC is via wired connection so does that make a difference for any controller?
Ploid 3.0
Member
Guilty as charged ._., it was fun though
What's wrong with playing overwatch on pc with a controller though? Going against KB/Mouse users? It felt nice, Blizzard did good with the controls.
DS3 and 4 are pretty easy to get setup. Just need one app for each, and make sure you have the xbox controller driver on windows lower than 10 I think (10 comes with it).
Xbox controller is literally plug and play, yet they nominate the DS4.
What a weird world we live in.
Plug it in and it installs the driver ¯\_(ツ
_/¯
What a weird world we live in.
Plug it in and it installs the driver ¯\_(ツ
_/¯Lys Skygge
Member
The only thing I feel holds back the DS4 from being perfect is the build quality. I wish Sony used higher quality materials.
Xbox controller is literally plug and play, yet they nominate the DS4.
What a weird world we live in.
Plug it in and it installs the driver ¯\_(ツ
The DS4 requires like 3 more minutes of setup one time and provides a bunch of extra features for that.
Yes, working out of the box well is a bonus, but it hardly trumps what you get for a little extra effort one time.
Totally agree--for the Wirecutter's audience.
If I had to recommend a pad because somebody was racking up cheap indies and occasional heavy hitters on their PC (either for a laptop or the living room TV), and the person was about to shell out roughly $50 for a new pad, I'd say at least one DS4 for bluetooth simplicity and mouse emulation on the trackpad first and foremost. Being able to mouse on the couch w/ a controller (and not being stuck with the Steam pad's weak d-pad/buttons) is no small perk.
P2-4 should be Xbox pads, obv. PS4's joysticks are better but still not best.
And if you already have a pad you love, Wirecutter doesn't give a fuck about you; they're one-and-done for a ton of categories, with a few heavy hitters getting frequent updates and others getting annuals. Don't expect them to rewrite this one for 2-3 years.
If I had to recommend a pad because somebody was racking up cheap indies and occasional heavy hitters on their PC (either for a laptop or the living room TV), and the person was about to shell out roughly $50 for a new pad, I'd say at least one DS4 for bluetooth simplicity and mouse emulation on the trackpad first and foremost. Being able to mouse on the couch w/ a controller (and not being stuck with the Steam pad's weak d-pad/buttons) is no small perk.
P2-4 should be Xbox pads, obv. PS4's joysticks are better but still not best.
And if you already have a pad you love, Wirecutter doesn't give a fuck about you; they're one-and-done for a ton of categories, with a few heavy hitters getting frequent updates and others getting annuals. Don't expect them to rewrite this one for 2-3 years.
SapientWolf
Trucker Sexologist
That 'dpad' though. What were they thinking?
Spring Drive
Banned
What's with the clickbait title?
