never and I would never buy a racing game for PC in the first place.

Most definitely.  Of course not for an FPS game in general, but a lot of genres that are controller-friendly I tend to favour a controller.  Also I don't always do it as I mix and match control schemes, as I am flexible like that.

Yes of course I do. If I ever feel like a game would require a weird control scheme or If I just feel like playing it with a controller then I use one. Some recent games I have used a 360 controller on are Just Cause 2, The Saboteur, Metro 2033, Fallout New Vegas, and even GTA 3 with Xpadder.
I also started using a controller on The Witcher 2 about halfway through it ( I just wanted to see how it controlled) I loved it so much that I just stuck with a controller through the whole game.

I bought a 360 controller to play dirt 3

Anything that supports controllers on PC.

Depends on the game. Games like DiRT 3 and Assassin's Creed, I'll use a controller for.

It works great for ports that are obviously made to control well with a gamepad. Darksiders is  my most recent and obvious example. I couldn't imagine playing it with anything else. It's weird when you get the odd game that doesn't map things properly or doesn't work right in general. Assassin's Creed 2 doesn't let me map high profile modes to the left trigger like I think it's supposed to be (at least was in the first game). Instead I have to use the left bumper, which doesn't feel as smooth or natural. 
 
I'd complain that Microsoft made their game controller the defacto over everything else, but their controller is honestly the most solidly built and comfortable one I've ever used. Just wish I still had my old MS sidewinder gamepad for d-pad only games though.

Of course! It'd be stupid to have the capability and never make use of it when appropriate. Such would be the antithesis of PC gaming.

Absolutely.
 
@MrKlorox said:

Of course! It'd be stupid to have the capability and never make use of it when appropriate. Such would be the antithesis of PC gaming.

Of course, since around '94. I tried to play Tie Fighter with this pad's stick attachment first, before getting a joystick.. felt kinda terrible. ;)

@Mr_Skeleton said:

If it is a game that was mainly developed for a console, yes.

Ｔｈｉｓ． I'll even gladly play certain FPS games with a controller if they were developed with the main focus being on consoles. Although it's technically a TPS, I used to dominate the Transformers: WFC multiplayer mode with a controller and never felt like I was at a disadvantage as my style of gameplay lended itself well to that (not sniping from a distance but up close combat usually).

Plus, I like to sit on my bed, far from the screen and it's a lot easier to use than a keyboard and mouse on my lap.

If I was going to use a controller, why in the hell would I bother playing on the computer? Yeah, higher resolution is great, but slightly lower resolution on a 65" monitor instead of a 30" monitor is much better and a massive audio system over a PC setup is a better experience. About 85% of the point of playing a game on the PC is WASD+M.

I use a 360 Afterglow for Halo 2 Vista, and Gears of War, but that's about it. Halo 2 is awful with Kb/M compared to Combat Evolved. Try driving a warthog with a mouse. Seriously, try it.

Sure, whenever it suits the game. A recent example is Darksiders.

Sometimes, mostly on single-player games - because on most games it leaves you at a disadvantage using a controller.

Yes, I have a crappy mouse that makes gaming difficult otherwise.

I prefer Keyboard and mouse for shooters.   Games like Assassin's creed and Super Meat Boy / Braid i need to plugin a controller because they are more comfortable playing that way.

never and I would never buy a racing game for PC in the first place.

Yes. For 3rd person games like Darksiders or Sidescrollers/Top Downs like Geometry Wars or Super Meat Boy. 
 
I'd never touch an FPS with a gamepad though

I'll use whatever feels appropriate to me. For racing, platforming, and shit console ports that usually means a controller.

Only if its a fighting or racing game that's it.But I have no problem driving cars in games with a KBM that are third person games like GTA .I couldn't ever imagine playing a FPS with a gamepad or even a third person shooter I love the precision and accuracy of a mouse and keyboard.

Yep. If the boot fits.

@sirdesmond said:

After purchasing Jamestown on Steam and not having much fun playing it with the keyboard controllers, I went out to Best Buy and picked up a wired 360 controller (the Razer Onza Tournament Edition). Not only is it really a great controller (that I now also use as my primary controller when playing games on my 360), but in many ways, it has revitalized a lot of my PC gaming experience. Things that I never would have bought on PC before like Just Cause 2, Darksiders, etc. are now entirely within my realm of comfort when playing with this controller. It is like having all the ease of us found in a console (and being able to lay back on my couch while I play) mixed with the customizability and cheapness of many PC games.

Obviously there are always bad ports but I have found a lot of games to work instantly and flawlessly with a Windows controller.

Does anyone else use a set up similar to this, playing some types of games (FPS, RTS, etc.) with the mouse and keyboard and others (third-person games, platformers, Shoot 'Em Ups) with a controller? I'm really excited about my PC again (although I've always been a PC gamer to some extent) and I just want to know if I am late to the party on this whole controller-PC combo or not.

The witcher 2 on PC is fucking awesome! And the xbox 360 control pad makes it a significantly better experience than it already is. Get Witcher 2! :-)

@phrosnite said:

@believer258 said:

I think a lot of them own a controller for third person games like Prince of Persia, Tomb Raider, Darksiders, etc. or racing games.

You think wrong. All those games work perfectly with a mouse and keyboard. The controller comes in use when you emulate old console games.

It isn't as black and white as you claim phrosnite, I'm a pc gamer too and I sometimes find that the PC control setup is just not as good as a simpler control pad.

If the game is better suited for a controller than yes I'll use one.
I'm not the type of PC gamer that has so much false pride about being a PC gamer that I'd force myself through a game w/ mouse and keyboard when controller is better suited.
 
The Witcher 2 better w/ mouse and keyboard?
Wrong!
Dirt 3 better w/ mouse and keyboard?
Slap!
Battlefield BC2 better w/ mouse and keyboard?
Hell yes!

@TorMasturba: I just need to get a bit nicer of a computer before I pick up The Witcher 2, but I am planning on it eventually. I've heard great things.

@Franstone said:

The Witcher 2 better w/ mouse and keyboard? Wrong! Dirt 3 better w/ mouse and keyboard? Slap! Battlefield BC2 better w/ mouse and keyboard? Hell yes!

The "Slap!" made me laugh out loud. Also, I finally got BC2 for PC (was playing on PS3 since I had a lot of friends playing on there) and it is so much better with a mouse, but I always thought it would be since I'm a huge BF1942 and BF2143 fan on PC.

I'm surprised to see Trine listed a few times here as better with a controller. I just about never play with KB+M, but drawing those triangles and boxes with a controller made me wish I could use a mouse. 
 
Anyone ever try PC gaming with a wacom tablet just to see? I'm curious.

Depends on the game, really.

@Damian said:

Anyone ever try PC gaming with a wacom tablet just to see? I'm curious.

That is an awesome question. The thought had literally never even crossed my mind before.

I know I certainly haven't. Oddest thing I've used to play PC games with before is the Novint Falcon (which is very cool).

Oddest thing I've used to play PC games with before is the Novint Falcon (which is very cool).

No and I wish there was a guide to connect a controller to tv
that way I could've finished Batman Arkham Asylum

@Franstone: Hehe, mine is in a drawer 5 meters to the left of my desk with all the other old stuff, but I think I lost the attachment. :)

Most games are more comfortable with a controller, the only ones that play better or equally with Keyboard/Mouse are RTS's & FPS's. The only reason you wouldn't use a controller on your PC or even consider it, is if you just plain fucking suck with dual analog or your an ignorant PC only gamer who would rather sacrifice their own comfort just to attempt prove a dumb point that Keyboard/Mouse > All.

Also just so you know: PS3, Xbox360, PC w/gtx570 i7@3.3 12gbddr3 Play GAMES motherfuckers not controllers.

I use em all the time. If the game plays better for me with a controller, then I use it.

Agreed with the sentiment that it actually depends on the game. I for one am glad that I've got a couple of decent Logitech controllers lying around.
 
Who knows when I'll decide to bust out the old GTA Vice City for PC again.

@Evilsbane said:

Most games are more comfortable with a controller, the only ones that play better or equally with Keyboard/Mouse are RTS's & FPS's. The only reason you wouldn't use a controller on your PC or even consider it, is if you just plain fucking suck with dual analog or your an ignorant PC only gamer who would rather sacrifice their own comfort just to attempt prove a dumb point that Keyboard/Mouse > All.

Also just so you know: PS3, Xbox360, PC w/gtx570 i7@3.3 12gbddr3 Play GAMES motherfuckers not controllers.

I use a mouse + keyboard for everything. For some people it's just far more comfortable. I play just as good if not better than most players I meet online

Of course.  It'd be stubborn, silly and childish to refuse to use one of the better features of a PC, that is to say its modularity.  Plug in whatever goddamn controller you enjoy using and bam!  You're off.  Obviously you're not going to play a shooter with it unless you're some sort of sick, self-abusing freak...  But many games just play better with one.

Depends on the game.

I have several MS 360 controllers for Windows and sometimes if you want to lean back in the couch and play a game on the big screen/projector there's nothing like it.

Well, I don't own a controller and never had the need for it.  ( Even for racing games or console ports or even Super Meat Boy. ) 
I think Keyboard and mouse are ideal for any kind of game in any kind of genre. Of course, there are some games that are easier to play with a controller, but it's not like you can't play them decently with K&M. 

Depends on the game. Games like The Witcher 2 and Dungeon Siege 3are designed to be used with a 360 controller. Never in competitive first person gaming.

@WinterSnowblind said:

@phrosnite said:

@WinterSnowblind said:

@phrosnite said:

@believer258 said:

I think a lot of them own a controller for third person games like Prince of Persia, Tomb Raider, Darksiders, etc. or racing games.

You think wrong. All those games work perfectly with a mouse and keyboard. The controller comes in use when you emulate old console games.

Just as FPS games work perfectly with a controller.

Personally, for third person adventure games and the like, it feels much more natural moving around with an analogue stick than it does with WSAD. But opinions, etc.

O_o No, it doesn't. KB+M doesn't work only in fighting games and platformers like Mario. Everything else works perfectly. Customization is power. I always change the controls.

But it still doesn't give you analogue movement, it's like going back and playing Mass Effect with a d-pad. Yeah, it works fine.. just not as fine.

If you prefer it, knock yourself out. But I'll never understand this superiority complex many PC gamers have.

Dual thumbsticks feel like controlling a tank, which would be cool if all games were tank games.  

Nope, Always KB+Mouse. 

Although if a game like Bayonetta came to the PC I would play that with a controller.

@phrosnite said:

@believer258 said:

I think a lot of them own a controller for third person games like Prince of Persia, Tomb Raider, Darksiders, etc. or racing games.

You think wrong. All those games work perfectly with a mouse and keyboard. The controller comes in use when you emulate old console games.

Well i have to disagree...

An analog stick is way better for games that require finer movements, like most third person and racing games. WASD keyboard movement controls just can't switch that fluidly between movement speeds.

The best of both worlds is using a controller with the left hand (for movement) and the mouse with the right hand for accurate aiming at least for third person games.

But in the end it comes down to personal preference and the setup, my PC is also connected to my living room plasma TV and playing with a wireless 360 controller is in many cases just more handy then fidling around with my wireless mouse and keyboard on my couch.

It depends on the game.  For 3rd person action and racing games a controller (Wired Xbox 360) is quite decent.  For FPS, mouse/keyboard > controller any day of the week.  Keyboard and mouse is also superior for RTS.  I think most RPGs play great on a keyboard/mouse control scheme.

For TPS, racing or games like that. Tried a controller for the first time on an FPS game (portal 2 so not so bad) but I didnt enjoy it as much as using a mouse and keyboard.

For me games are either perfect for keyboard and mouse, like FPS games or controllers for such as Assassin's Creed or Batman Arkham Asylum, occasionally I find a game where I like to alternate between the two like GTA IV where I prefer keyboard and mouse until I get into a car and then I prefer a controller.

Absolutely.  Keyboard & mouse for the games that are designed for that combination.  Controller for just about everything else - platformers and 3rd person action game ports from the consoles especially.  I use a wireless xbox360 controller and the USB receiver.