Picking a PC Controller

I am about to build a PC and I am looking to buy a current gen controller to use with it. I have heard Xbox One is the simplest choice but as I am planning on buying a PS4 soon it is logical to buy a Dualshock 4. Is using a Dualshock 4 on PC complicated enough that it would make sense to buy a Xbox One controller or should I just buy a Dualshock.

The DS4 is not at all complicated to use with a PC. You just have to have this program running to make it work with most games.

That PS4 controller makes you feel so good.

Use the PS4 controller with the program @corruptedevil linked. Sony said they'll release official support at some time in the future but until then (and possibly even after) that program works great.

Controllers are expensive enough. If you're already getting the PS4 don't go spending $50 on a controller just for your PC when you can use the PS4 one you're already getting. Spend that $50 on something else in the PC or on a game for it.

If you like platformers, it's also not a bad idea to get a retro controller to USB port thing, especially if you have some lying around, or my personal favorite, the MadCatz Fight Pad. Great for Spelunky and such.

I've been using a DS4 on my PC with DS4Windows and a Bluetooth adapter for about six months now and I really can't recommend it enough.

They did add official support, however it's only DirectInput and most games released last generation use XInput which was a new thing made for the Xbox 360 controller.

If you want proof of that try it with Cook Serve Delicious, it will recognize it as a DS4 and give you all the proper prompts.

I've been using wireless 360 controllers for a long time now, got 4 of'em sitting around here, but since the DS4 came out and the ds4tool got good I've been using that pretty much exclusively. I still bust out the 360 ones if I need more than one for whatever reason, but the combination of actually good sticks and triggers with the best d-pad is hard to beat.

@amafi: I'm honestly curious as to why you think the DS4 is better than the 360, especially when you specifically mention triggers, it makes me think my first run DS4 controllers are straight up busted or something.

There's no question that the 360 D-pad sucks but the triggers on my DS4s are just super bad, not as bad as the DS3 but still not good enough.

I can't stand the triggers on DS4.They have no tension and feel super tiny compared to the 360 and Xbone, like weird buttons and not triggers. It makes the DS4 pretty good for general gaming but not good for shooters and its the prime reason I pre-ordered Destiny on Xbone. Or maybe its just my first run controllers? I've heard the initial batch had some problems. How's the tension in the DS4 triggers for everyone else?

I still use 360 controllers with my PC. And if I had the choice I'd use 360 controllers with every game machine, Xbone included. (not a fan of the trigger rumble)

There isn't much tension in the triggers but that's what I love about it, made Destiny play like a dream. I personally think that the DS4 is the best general use controller available and if they can fix the technical problems it has (stick grips coming off and triggers breaking) it will be incredible.

Personal preference is a thing though so if you prefer the 360 controller that's perfectly fine.

I personally prefer using the Xbox 360 controller with the rotating d-pad. It's got the most support right now since it's been around for a while and the d-pad is not junk like that standard non-rotating one.

I would say just use the 360 controller. It's something that works with nearly every game out there and requires no extra fuss. As much as I like the DS4, I don't want to run extra programs and worry about mapping when I plug in a controller to my PC. If the DS4 gets there at some point, which I expect it will eventually, I will definitely use that for all my future PC gaming.

You don't need to map if you use the program I linked previously. It just tells the computer that what you are using is an Xbox 360 controller instead of the DS4 you are actually using and automatically maps every button to it's 360 equivalent.

To be fair, I don't play shooters with controller, because, well, they're shooters, and shooters feel terrible with a controller no matter how good a controller it is.

I do play a LOT of burnout paradise with it though, and I can't say I've missed more tension in the triggers at all. They seem to give me the amount of control and ability to feather I need etc. 360 triggers might be marginally better, but I prefer the sticks, buttons and obviously dpad of the DS4 to such an extent I hardly ever find myself reaching for the 360 controllers.

@corruptedevil said:

I'm aware. As I noted in my original post, I don't like the idea of having to run another program just to make it map properly--I want as little fuss as possible. Also, that program has been extremely buggy for me in recent months, sometimes refusing to work at all or losing my controller yet somehow still working.

Get the 360. It just feels good.

If compatibility is a concern just get a 360 controller. Any game in the past 5-6 years that supports a controller will support that thing. I think the DS4 is a better controller overall, but I haven't tried using it on PC so I can't comment on its reliability there. I also really like the Xbox One controller, but as far as I know you can only use that wired on PC and that's a deal breaker for me.

The big thing for the DS4 is getting the right bluetooth adapter. Do you have bluetooth already? If not it'd be handy if someone knows a good adapter that's affordable but for sure works with the DS4.

The Sony DualShock 4.

@cameron: Is wired really that much of an issue for you? I'm only saying that because I've switched recently from years with a wireless 360 pad to an Xbox One controller for my PC and am loving it. No problems with compatibility either as every game I've thrown at it recognises the controller as a 360 pad.

I use this one. It's for a pretty good price and works perfectly.

Xbone purely for the compatibility of a large number of steam games. It works like a 360 controller on older ones.

@jarmahead: The Asus USB-BT400 is what was always recommended by the original guy who worked on the DS4 XInput wrapper and the one that I use.

I think he should get what's comfortable to him, regardless of whether he has to use XInput Wrapper or the official Xbox driver. I recently borrowed the Xbox 360 controller I gave away to see if I'd like it after all. It's still crap. Big, rough crap.

Also recommending a PS3/4 controller. It has a great d-pad, which is essential for lots of platformers, and a ps3 controller isn't terribly expensive.

The d-pad on the 360 controller is pretty bad. I'm sure an XB1 controller would also be fine, but it's pricier.

I use PS3 controller, never has let me down. For that I use the DS3 Tool program.

I just recently found out all it takes to fix the 360 d-pad is a circle of plastic cut from a coffee lid. Been playing KOF XIII on steam and its basically on par with other acceptable d-pads.

Can someone give me a step by step explanation of how to pair my BT400 with my DS3?

Never mind, it works now.

DS4 is the best controller Ive ever used on pc.

Once you get the touchpad mouse down, there is no going back. Im web surfing with it with little effort, it even lets me scroll using two finger swipes.

I also set up some macros for basic windows hotkeys. Like when I push up on the Dpad and share, it "presses" win+p so I can swap displays. The macro recording software on that DS4windows program is surprisingly good.

I have even taken to playing FPS' on the DS4, no multiplayer, but ran the campaign in Rage with it and loved it. Sticks and triggers are so much better than the DS3 imo.

The 360 controller has worked fine by me so far and have not seen a reason to replace it myself.

From 2005 to 2013 the Microsoft Xbox 360 controller was the best PC gamepad, for general use, on many PC video games.

From 2013 onwards the Sony PlayStation DualShock 4 controller is the best PC gamepad, for general use, on many PC video games.

I really like the dualshock controller, but it always comes down to two things:

1. Do I want to run a tool in order to use the controller, or do I just want to turn the thing on and play?

2. Do I want to have to mentally convert Xbox controller icons into their dualshock counterparts, or find out if the game I'm playing has a mod to replace them?

The answer is usually "I just want to play the video game!", so I pull out my Xbox controller for windows.

I've never understood this. The buttons are in the same place and you don't need to "mentally convert" anything. You hit the A button when it says hit A, there's just an X on the controller where the A should be but that doesn't matter.

And as for the first point, using an Xbox 360 controller requires downloading the official driver. With both that driver and XInputWrapper (PS3/4 controller), you install it once and forget about it.

Well, except when Windows updates and desyncs your Bluetooth. I had that happen two days ago. Hope it's not common.

@ezekiel: @corruptedevil: To my mind, the buttons aren't in the same place, despite the layout being the same. If the game tells me to hit Xbox X and I hit X on a DS4, I'm actually pressing the wrong button. That's because I can't help but think of the layout of my controller when making inputs, I'm not just "pressing the A button when it says A", because I'm too aware there is a different controller in my hands. Just a quirk of mine I suppose. I can't "pretend" I'm using the other controller, I have to remap it in my head. Not an issue for everyone.

I'm also not saying its a constant mentally taxing thing, it's just a small thing that might throw me off in the middle of a fight in a Souls game occasionally, or something like that.

Regarding downloading the driver - I plugged it in once and it did everything for me, plug and play. I was under the belief that in order to use my DS4 I have to run the DS4 tool. I never got it to work without running that little application first. That's one more step in the process.

I say use whatever you prefer, I just prefer my 360 controller.

So we can all say that the X360 (wired or with wireless receiver), the Xbox One controller, and the DS4 controller with the tool/program that its recognized as a 360 controller are viable options.

they're all great options. There are caveats with the xbox one controller and DS4, namely xbo one only working wired for now, and having to run an extra application for the DS4, but both controllers work great.

One good thing about the DS4 that the others don't get you is the ability to not run the DS4windows tool and having it work perfectly as a directinput device. Very handy if you play some older games that don't understand Xinput, like Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy.

@ezekiel:

I disagree it is perfect for man hands (360) but if you have smaller hands then yes the ds4 is better but the triggers are load of junk that break a lot , my EB games gets around 4 returns every two weeks and it is always the same problem on the DS4 controllers. The right R2 button the small metal pin snaps in the trigger so it will stay pushed in . A lot of people don't even know they think it just stops working but its just stuck and has no recoil to push it back out since the metal pin broke. I my self am on my 3rd DS4 and that's the one thing about the 360 controller the dam thing lasts

What's a man hand? The distance from the tip of my index finger to my knuckle is 9.5 cm and the distance from the tip to my wrist is 17.5 cm. I don't think you need small hands for the DS3/4 to fit well. You're supposed to hold it with the ends of your palms. My knuckles are aligned with the Cross and D down buttons.

I don't have a DS4, but my DS3 triggers are pretty resilient. But now that you mention it, my Xbox 360 controller wasn't built well either. It had a dead zone from the beginning. I noticed that in Dark Souls my character would sometimes stop running, and walk.

Xbox one because its better then the 360 controller and you don't have to mess around with dodgy software that isn't supported by 100% of games (I mean to be fair its supported by like 95%, but still the 5% matters kind of) like you do with the DS4 and DS3

Hey all, does anyone know if you can use any type of microphone/headset plugged in directly to the either DS4 or XBO controllers? For example, does the proprietary Microsoft Xbox One headset work when you're using the controller on PC? What other types of mic or headset setups are possible on these when used on PC?

What games does XInputWrapper not work with? It emulates an Xbox 360 controller, so there should be no difference.

Not with the DS4 and I HIGHLY doubt it works with the Xbone controller either. Just get a bluetooth headset if you are sitting that far away from your computer.

@corruptedevil: Hmm bummer, thanks for the reply, though.. I suppose if I want to go that route I might as well go with DS4 so I'm totally wireless.

I use a PS3 controller when I can. I have a corded old-style 360 controller but that d-pad is just the worst for emulated games.

I've run into some issues, like some games need the controller to have the hide ds4 option checked, while some require it to be unchecked, but I've not run into a game I couldn't get it to work with yet.

In fact, because it can be used as a directinput device when you don't run a wrapper it's compatible with quite a few more games than the 360/xbox one controllers. Mainly old games, but it matters to me.

I used to have a shitty logitech dual shock knockoff around to play stuff that doesn't support xinput just to not have to mess about with xpadder or whatever.

Been using the 360 wired controller for over a year, no issues whatsoever and i prefer the ergonomics over the dualshocks. just bought the wireless xbox one controller yesterday, plugged it in using the micro usb charger cable for my blackberry (yes, still a loyal blackberry user!), downloaded the drivers and it has worked with every game I throw it at so far (fifa 14, ray man, sonic). havent tried any FPS since i prefer my MKB for that. The Xbone controller is great, highly recommended. Btw microsoft announced the "wired" version out in Nov, don't bother, just get the wireless one and hook it up with any micro usb cable you have lying around.