Time to join PC gaming. Need controller.

I saw my sister playing Alan Wake on her little laptop and the graphics look better than I thought they would given the power of that thing. I know my laptop is a lot more powerful so I figure I could probably handle some PC games.


The main problem is I can't deal with keyboard and mouse. I hate it. I haven't completed Amnesia because I can't handle WASD movement. If I wanted to buy a controller for PC games what do I need to buy? I have a 360 so I'm pretty comfortable with that controller.

A Wired Xbox 360 Controller. Simple as that. It isn't off brand. It's basic and any game that supports a controller definitely supports an Xbox 360 Controller.

Wired 360 controller.

I managed to use my ps3 controller to play on pc, though I had to install a program. I'm sure you can do the same with the 360 controller.

I got a cheapo gamespot brand wired 360 controller which works well.

How does it compare to a real 360 controller?

Yeah, I'd say 360 controller as well. They're the most widely supported these days, and given the proprietary dumb things that Microsoft has done with how it functions (the triggers are for example an analog axis instead of two buttons, and the right stick has the x and y axes mixed up, and all the analog axes are poorly centered and need a 20% dead zone in order to not go crazy) many games that were coded for 360 controller support don't behave when you use regular (PS2 style) HID compliant controllers.

It obviously comes down to what you want to do though, new games are made with the 360 controller in mind, but if you plan to play a lot made before 2007 or so (when the 360 controller started getting support on PC, with Halo 2 Vista, Shadowrun and stuff like that) you may get a lot of issues due to the quirks described above. DosBox handles it pretty well, it can be configured to remap all the buttons and sticks on the 360 controllers to various keyboard buttons and mouse/joystick axis, but older Windows games can get really fiddly unless they directly allow you to bind every joystick axis the way you want, and some won't recognize the right stick or triggers.

Wired 360 controller all the way.

Wired 360 pad.... although if all you have are wireless 360 pads you can pick up a wireless dongle.

360 controller, all the way baby.

I bought 2 Razer Onza controllers, tournament edition and normal, and both ran into problems with the analogue stick, making them useless. Tried opening one up to fix it but couldn't get it back together, even though I had done this successfully in the past with sony controllers. If you have a ps3 controller you can get it to work on PC using a USB cable and using a motion-in-joy driver. Otherwise... Wired 360 controller :)

Or you could use a wireless xbox360 controller if you already have one and just get an offbrand wireless receiver off of ebay (less than $20) or something. Works great for me.

Wireless controllers are a hassle and unreliable on the PC. You need this precise controller:

http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Xbox-360-Wired-Controller/dp/B003ZSN600

Just plug it into your PC via USB and you're done.

Learn to use mouse and keyboard by playing something less intensive like Portal

You'll thank me for it long-term, especially if you plan on playing online

I bought a tournament edition too and my analogue crapped out as well. Read that it might have to do with the adjustable tension screwing up the sensors, but really it's more down to shoddy quality control at Razor. I actually did manage to open up and put mine back together - for all the good that did me. Which is none of the good. It was a nice controller for the month or two it actually worked but I can't really recommend it to anyone after that experience.

I have to echo the sentiment in this thread: get a wired official 360 controller. It's the industry standard at this point. Most games will support it by default with no tinkering required at all and the screen prompts will be the right ones. They are also pretty well made and cheap this late in the console cycle.

Don't matter first or third party. As long as you get a 360 controller all will be fine.

Xbox 360 wired controller.

Uh. No. Get a real 360 gamepad from Microsoft and avoid cheap (or expensive) knockoffs. They are not worth it. The official 360 gamepad is as good as it gets.

@branthog: I've used a wireless xbox controller for years and have never had a problem with it. It's always worked great.

I've had nothing but issues with off-brand controllers. I highly suggest a 360 controller made by Microsoft.

Got a third party 360 controller first, it broke within a month after purchase so got a official wired 360 controller after that and ive been pleased with it.

The third party controller was Saitek Cyber v5 Rumble Pad btw, stay the fuck away from that POS.

I used a Mad Catz 360 controller for over 2 years that has been reliable as hell. It still works right now except for the matte skin that's all sticky and gross now. I know the Razer Onza has infamously bad QA, I had a few friends get it and break within weeks. My colleague got a Razer Sabretooth and while I can't say anything about the build it definitely feels amazing in my hands and the buttons click when you press them like you would if you were using a mechanical keyboard. So to me, I believe there are good 3rd party pads out there and I'm willing to pay a little more for a better experience.

Don't get third party as they are all cheap and flimsy. It's a one time investment but unless you're some kind of lunatic that doesn't wear socks in your house and throws the controller at walls or something then it will last you a long time.

I have a mad catz usb 360 controller that has served me well (although the LB is getting a little untrustworthy and really hurting me in Dark Souls). As long as it's wired and 360 it should be fine. Most games don't even require you to change settings anymore.

Wired 360 controller.

Over the years I've tried several other 3rd party controllers for PC both cheap and expensive, they were all inferior, in simple manufacturing quality, compatibility, ergonomics, etc.

Although to truly join PC gaming you should learn to love the keyboard and mouse. For certain types of games it's just a much better input method. :)

May I marry your sister? I have gold and cattle for trading, comrade.

Wired 360 controller.

The Wired 360 controller. You pay a little more, but why compromise? I've had mine for 6 years now and it still works. It's a quality product that will last for years.

If you have a new 360 controller with the transforming d pad, than you're already set! Data goes through the Play and Charge kits on those.

Otherwise like everyone else is saying go pick up a wired controller for cheap or a never wireless with play and charge kit.

360 controller, but at some point you'll have to learn KB/M because some games don't support the controller. Mass Effect 3, for example. Also, you will never do well in a PC multiplayer shooter with a controller.

I don't know she sounds pretty competent, I bet she would be the one paying dowry to your parents, or not....

360 wired controller is the best, it was also 30 bucks for the longest time, so very affordable too.

As others have said, get a wired 360 controller, but make sure it's from Microsoft. Some games don't play nice with non-Microsoft controllers. Most do, but I've had issues with Binary Domain and my PDP Afterglow.

I use the official microsoft wireless adapter found here, and whatever wireless 360 controller I have laying around. I've never had any of the issues (input lag, desyncing) that I've heard others complain about while using the wireless adapter. Either way you can't go wrong using the 360 controller.

That'd be funny if this thread got derailed into an argument over who got to marry his sister.

360 pad is the way to go, but if you can, go wireless. Wires suck! Plus if you hook up to your TV, it'll be that much easier to deal with all of it.

360 controller, wired or wireless.

ONLY if you can get an official Microsoft wireless 360 receiver. There are knockoffs everywhere and they aren't worth the trouble to get them working.

@joeyoe31: I have the same problem. Will any wired controller do, or do I have to get the 360 controller for windows?

I'm in the same boat. The Steam sale got me some PC games I wanted to try out with a controller. I got a 3rd party one at
Target for 25 bucks. Works great.

I also hooked up my laptop to my TV and tried Steam Big Picture. Pretty cool.

A new PC is definitely in the running with PS4 and Xbox for my next gaming experience.

It's pretty close, build quality not quite the same, the dpad still sucks. Buttons, sticks, and triggers feel good.

If you have a PS3 then you don't need to buy anything.

That's what I use.

I just got my friend to try this out (cause if it worked I'd get his old wired). It set up drivers but isn't being recognized by anything.

I assume you mean the DS3?

You need 3rd party software for it right?

What software do you use?

Does it work the same through USB as it does Bluetooth dongle?

As you can probably tell from my message, I have a Dual Shock 3 and know nothing about it. Any pertinent info you felt like spilling would be killer.

A Mad Catz 360 gamepad is around $35-40, right? On Amazon you can get an official Microsoft 360 wired gamepad for $35. I just don't see any reason to go with a third-party gamepad when you can get the nearly-perfect official one for the same price (or $5 less).

@professoress: Well, I mean if you have a PS3, then I'd assume you have either a Sixaxis or a DS3 plus the USB to mini-USB cable.

The software you need is on this site: http://www.motioninjoy.com/

It looks sketchy as fuck but I promise you it's legit. Once you've synced your controller to it, you can have it emulate a 360 controller since all PC games nowadays have built-in 360 controller support.

I used a wired, first-party 360 controller heavily with my PC for about six or seven years before I got a little bit of drift on the left stick. All the rubber was worn off the sticks too. Otherwise it still worked just fine. That's plenty reliable for my needs. Plus, like other people have said, it's pretty much the standard for games that are cross platform between PC and Xbox. It's a good choice. Whether I get an Xbox One or not, I'm really interested to know whether the XOne's controller improves on the 360's.

@starvinggamer: Cool. Wanted to go with the 360 pad but the wired can be tough to find, plus, it's hard for me to spend money on a controller with over half a dozen sitting in my living room.

I recognize that motioninjoy name. Thanks.