Poll: Mouse & Keyboard vs. Controller

[gundamrx101]

They both accomplish the same for me, I just notice that on PC's playing around with the sesitivity actually accomplishes something. Either than that, they both are easy gaming.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

rts and certain games in specific M+KB, just about anything else i prefer the comfort of a controller

can use both pretty well though, not a big deal if can't use one or the other though.

 

[Vicarious Vangaurd]

I prefer controllers for most everything, especially when operating a vehicle.

 

[Just_A_Glitch]

I chose controller because I'm not a PC gamer. I hate the KB/M setup with a passion.

Though to be fair, I will agree with PC gamers the the Mouse is more precise, but I refuse to believe that a Keyboard is better for a lot of game. RPGs and RTSs, I can see because it allows more hotkey features, but for FPS games, I cannot stand playing with a keyboard. The only PC gaming I do is the occasional Team Fortress 2 (and I wanna get into Left 4 Dead on PC), but it is hard for to get into it when I'm using a keyboard. WASD can kiss my ass, I'll take my joystick any day.

If it works for you, great, more power to you. I envy that in a way. I just can't do it.

Exact opposite bro, I just can't Joystick on FPS games, It's too freaking hard. I think it's amazing how people can play FPS on a Joystick. It's impossible for me.

Even for just moving around? I can understand the aiming differences, but just moving around I can't do the WASD setup.

 

[xFullmetalx]

Mouse and keyboard for RTS's and click and point games. Controller for everything else.

 

[Smooth Operator]

I will say All rather then both, why limit yourself to any one controller.
But for the most part it comes down to M&K for accuracy, controller for the casual stuff, racing wheel/joystick... well I haven't used those in years.

 

[mysecondlife]

I'm at a point where I don't mind which to use.

Of course nothing beats keyboard and mouse at FPS (genre I rarely play nowadays)

But I really need controllers for games like Prince of Persia Sands of Time, for treading on walls, jumping off one wall to another, etc.

I have the trilogy for PC and it can be a pain in the ass with WASD when walking diagonally

 

[nuba km]

So which one do you prefer? If both, what purposes do either of them serve?

Let me just come out and say and first-person shooters belong on the mouse and keyboard. This isn't really disputable. To argue otherwise would be like saying that the Wiimote is the best controller to use for DDR. I'm sure there's someone out there who can do it really, really well. But it's not the best or most intuitive way to do it. There are things that console-style controllers absolutely excel at (can you imagine playing Heavy Rain or Majora's Mask on a mouse and keyboard?), and FPS isn't one of them.

My rule of thumb is as such: More more responsive you need the controls to be, the more you should be leaning towards the mouse and keyboard setup. I'll give you a real-world example of this: FIRST Robotics. In this competition, teams construct robots that they then use to compete in various activities, often similar to sports.. The most popular setup for controlling these robots are the use of multiple joysticks. The second, increasingly popular set of controls is the XBox 360 controller. Why do these controllers work well? Because you're not using your robot to execute finely coordinated activities. You can't rely on these robots to move in finely-tuned millimeter increments. You want them to move in a general direction and perform specific actions with the touch of a button.

In contrast, let's look at RTS and FPS. In either of them, you want to be able to align your mouse right on the pixel. You ain't gettin' there with dual analogs. You've been using your mouse for years to click on tiny buttons on your screen. It works real well because you're not translating motion from your thumb, but your entire arm, which is much more stable. Furthermore, you're not pushing a stick on a pivot where speed is determined by how far you are from the rest position, like the pedal on your car. You're moving your mouse about like it's an actual object on your screen that you're taking and swinging.

That's my theory, anyways. I don't really know much about ergonomics and human kinesthetics, so these are just my observations from playing on many different controllers.

to counter your theory: mirrors edge, you need to precise with this game if you don't want to end up with a face full of pavement. As for FPS games I have played a lot of team fortress two on the computer and a lot of portal on the computer but when it comes to controls I really find the controller to be better, I am not saying this is the case for majority of people I am merely saying there are some people including me who need the fluency of a controller over the precision of a keyboard and mouse.

 

[Just_A_Glitch]

I chose controller because I'm not a PC gamer. I hate the KB/M setup with a passion.

Though to be fair, I will agree with PC gamers the the Mouse is more precise, but I refuse to believe that a Keyboard is better for a lot of game. RPGs and RTSs, I can see because it allows more hotkey features, but for FPS games, I cannot stand playing with a keyboard. The only PC gaming I do is the occasional Team Fortress 2 (and I wanna get into Left 4 Dead on PC), but it is hard for to get into it when I'm using a keyboard. WASD can kiss my ass, I'll take my joystick any day.

If it works for you, great, more power to you. I envy that in a way. I just can't do it.

Exact opposite bro, I just can't Joystick on FPS games, It's too freaking hard. I think it's amazing how people can play FPS on a Joystick. It's impossible for me.

Even for just moving around? I can understand the aiming differences, but just moving around I can't do the WASD setup.

Yeah, I can't stand the right analog stick for the camera. It doesn't feel right, and hard to navigate.

No, I mean the left joystick for walking your character around, not moving the camera.

 

[TiefBlau]

to counter your theory: mirrors edge, you need to precise with this game if you don't want to end up with a face full of pavement. As for FPS games I have played a lot of team fortress two on the computer and a lot of portal on the computer but when it comes to controls I really find the controller to be better, I am not saying this is the case for majority of people I am merely saying there are some people including me who need the fluency of a controller over the precision of a keyboard and mouse.

Mirror's Edge is hardly precise. Save for the occasional shooting bout, you're really only going in general directions, and the fine-tuning is done for you by automatically detecting any surface you're facing and attaching a complex action like climbing or wall-running to it. The real difficulty in the game comes from coordination and timing, both of which are more intensive on the buttons than the actual analog sticks.

That would be why Mirror's Edge is better on the controller.