Why do PC Gamers Oppose Using a Controller?

[Addertellstales]

You can just aim so much more easily with a mouse, IMO. When I switched from PC to console it took me SO long not to suck.

 

[Strelok]

I play the vast majority of FPS with a controller these days as they're made with them in mind. Borderlands, Metro, Mirror's Edge, Bioshock, Duke Nukem Forever, the list goes on... most are borderline broken, some even outright like Metro with a mouse and keyboard due to weird sensitivity issues and odd XY ratios. I use a HDTV too so there's that also.

Sure, I'm much better with a mouse and keyboard and wouldn't play a hardcore multiplayer title without one but for the rest of the time a controller is the better option for multiple reasons. To be brutally honest I'm put off if a game doesn't support a controller and will think hard over if it's worth it

LOL what? aim assist is not "designed for controllers" it's compensating for their short comings, that is the only thing they need to keep in mind when setting the controls for a cross platform game. If you are having trouble any decent developer will allow you to turn off mouse smoothing. Don't know why they support ball mice anymore anyway, but whatever. FPS designed for controllers, lol I would almost think that you were trolling.

 

[TrevHead]

Imo a game is best played with the controller it was originally designed for and I love using every type of controller I can get my hands on as long as it's not gimmicky or shoehorned into a game.

It's great that the PC can use every control type, but it amounts to nothing when everybody uses M&K since devs will create games built for the control type most ppl use. And while M&K continues to be so popular on PC, I'll continue to buy consoles for traditional console games even if they are "outdated" and PC can do everything.

I personally would like to see a few good games where the M&K is unsupported just to force ppl out of their comfort zones and to dismiss the idea that every PC game should accommodate m&k.

Anyone who thinks a controller is better for FPS by the way... aim assist. Enough said.

Not better but depending on the shooter it's more fun. Back when I was a PC only gamer I played alot of console FPS ports with m&k that bored me to tears since the faster aiming messed up the pacing.

 

[GoaThief]

I play the vast majority of FPS with a controller these days as they're made with them in mind. Borderlands, Metro, Mirror's Edge, Bioshock, Duke Nukem Forever, the list goes on... most are borderline broken, some even outright like Metro with a mouse and keyboard due to weird sensitivity issues and odd XY ratios. I use a HDTV too so there's that also.

Sure, I'm much better with a mouse and keyboard and wouldn't play a hardcore multiplayer title without one but for the rest of the time a controller is the better option for multiple reasons. To be brutally honest I'm put off if a game doesn't support a controller and will think hard over if it's worth it

LOL what? aim assist is not "designed for controllers" it's compensating for their short comings, that is the only thing they need to keep in mind when setting the controls for a cross platform game. If you are having trouble any decent developer will allow you to turn off mouse smoothing. Don't know why they support ball mice anymore anyway, but whatever. FPS designed for controllers, lol I would almost think that you were trolling.

Right, because if you design a multi platform game you're going to base it around a k/m input method? Err, no. Also, if you believe game design and implementation into a build is exactly the same for each input method, and is as simple as flicking a switch you really need to get educated.

Try this in my little example of Metro 2033; move the mouse along the X axis a few times. Stop and move it up and down the Y. Now move it diagonally, notice anything odd? You should. This is because the game was designed around a controller input and m/k an after thought which was never implemented correctly. Compare that to something like Quake Live and having direct input selected, do the same there. The difference is huge.

I don't believe I mentioned any kind of auto aim or assist anywhere, would you like to point it out please? Ditto mouse smoothing.

Interesting aside you're probably not aware of either, there are quite a few console shooters that don't have any kind of aim assist. Shocker, I know. :O /roll eyes

 

[BathorysGraveland2]

Well for me, it's because controllers just do not feel comfortable, at all. First of all, I hate analog sticks, or thumb sticks, whatever they're called. Compared to a mouse, they are completely uncomfortable and awkward for me. Secondly, the lack of options in key setups annoy me. I feel very limited with a controller. With a keyboard, I can mix and mash the keys to any combination of comfortable setups. That's the brunt of why I prefer M+K to a controller: comfort and lack of restriction.

 

[Kyrdra]

Imo a game is best played with the controller it was originally designed for and I love using every type of controller I can get my hands on as long as it's not gimmicky or shoehorned into a game.

It's great that the PC can use every control type, but it amounts to nothing when everybody uses M&K since devs will create games built for the control type most ppl use. And while M&K continues to be so popular on PC, I'll continue to buy consoles for traditional console games even if they are "outdated" and PC can do everything.

I personally would like to see a few good games where the M&K is unsupported just to force ppl out of their comfort zones and to dismiss the idea that every PC game should accommodate m&k.

Anyone who thinks a controller is better for FPS by the way... aim assist. Enough said.

Not better but depending on the shooter it's more fun. Back when I was a PC only gamer I played alot of console FPS ports with m&k that bored me to tears since the faster aiming messed up the pacing.

You mean like Dark Souls?
M&k is the standard for pc because every pc has at least that. If you fuck up the m&k input just to force people out of their comfort zone you are giving the finger to everyone who doesn't own a controller.
It is like saying: This game was developed for m&k and that is why you on your PS3 has to use m&k because get out of your comfort zone.

 

[duwenbasden]

I tend to use it in action games as WASD feels slippery when used (GTA/SR/TRaider/DSouls). However, as soon as action starts I am switching back to the K+M because I aim better and faster with the mouse (I pretty much headshot everyone in GTA/SR). Also, the controller for racing games.

I also use K+M when there are more controls mapped than buttons (Fallout 3/NV, Skyrim)

For others games though it is K+M (Starcraft 2, KSP, DAO/2)

In short, if it is primarily controlling movement and actions with less precision, I use the controller since it has analog controls; however, for more precise things like shooting I switch back to the K+M.

 

[Strelok]

Right, because if you design a multi platform game you're going to base it around a k/m input method? Err, no. Also, if you believe game design and implementation into a build is exactly the same for each input method, and is as simple as flicking a switch you really need to get educated.

Try this in my little example of Metro 2033; move the mouse along the X axis a few times. Stop and move it up and down the Y. Now move it diagonally, notice anything odd? You should. This is because the game was designed around a controller input and m/k an after thought which was never implemented correctly. Compare that to something like Quake Live and having direct input selected, do the same there. The difference is huge.

I don't believe I mentioned any kind of auto aim or assist anywhere, would you like to point it out please? Ditto mouse smoothing.

Interesting aside you're probably not aware of either, there are quite a few console shooters that don't have any kind of aim assist. Shocker, I know. :O /roll eyes

I'm sorry, I was under the impression you knew what you are talking about. What you are describing in Metro 2033 is mouse smoothing or mouse interpolation. Used by developers that support a wide range of hardware some of which may be older input devices (ball mice) such as say the Ukraine where most of 4A games developers are from. It's in your own mind you are creating this fantasy that what you are seeing is pure support for controllers, which is laughable. Especially from the likes of 4A you know the former GSC employees. I guess you are right though, you didn't mention mouse smoothing, but only because you didn't know what it was, or how to turn it off apparently.

Also nice assumptions but I am a multi-platform gamer, I don't think I have ever encountered a console FPS that didn't have auto aim or aim assist on by default, and most often with no option to even turn it off or lower the intensity of the aim assist. So how about some examples from your massive list?

 

[Tsun Tzu]

I use controllers on the PC...for flight sims.

For everything else that I'd feel more comfortable playing with a controller (Assassin's Creed comes to mind) there's a console.

 

[Taurus Vis]

There are certain games that require a gamepad, Dark Souls for example. The game was just designed perfectly for controllers, and playing with a k/m feels awkward and clunky. But for the most part shooters on PC are vastly superior when played with k/m. I prefer gamepads, since I was a console gamer first, and I still play 90% of my games on consoles.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

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Anyone who thinks a controller is better for FPS by the way... aim assist. Enough said.

I play the vast majority of FPS with a controller these days as they're made with them in mind. Borderlands, Metro, Mirror's Edge, Bioshock, Duke Nukem Forever, the list goes on... most are borderline broken, some even outright like Metro with a mouse and keyboard due to weird sensitivity issues and odd XY ratios. I use a HDTV too so there's that also.

Sure, I'm much better with a mouse and keyboard and wouldn't play a hardcore multiplayer title without one but for the rest of the time a controller is the better option for multiple reasons. To be brutally honest I'm put off if a game doesn't support a controller and will think hard over if it's worth it

With sensitivity and x/y ratios games should typically have settings so you can customise them. I get what you mean though. Also in regards to Mirror's Edge, I prefer a controller for that game. It's based more on movement than aiming and the actual shooting isn't the main aspect of the game.

I sometimes will use a controller for FPS too (e.g. playing local split screen games). I don't think it's unplayable, just not as good and not an optimum scheme for aiming. For movement it's great.

Just as well for you controller support is kind of a standard these days.

"Should" being the operative word! Haha, if only those options were available but the vast majority do not, we're lucky to have ansio options in some games so I don't hold much hope for things to change.

I actually find advanced movement from a first person perspective easier with a m/k, love me some defrag, jump maps and first person platforming:


Nearly all that stuff would be impossible with a controller, except for the double jumps but they'd be very linear and without bunny hop.

holy shit, dat FOV, hugeeee. normally i can't stand fps platforming but that isn't as dreadful as some games i've played. still that person is pretty good. also i agree with your first post about a lot of things adding up in that equation


OT: personally i believe most "twitch" shooters and just MMO's and RTS's in general are better with KB + M on computer, you're probably going to get your shit rocked if you use a controller online vs other KB + M users, and those genres/games are pretty fucking huge on the PC, therefore, unneeded superiority issues.

I have a wired 360 controller that works great for some games that i prefer a controller for, and i don't see the problem with using whatever is most comfortable for you.

 

[RicoADF]

As a PC gamer I think it's stupid that people are so apposed to a simple peripheral. I suspect it's more the "us vs them" attitude against consoles and the controller is seen as apart of that. I've found that some games work better with a controller than a M&K, eg: Racing/driving games, arcade flying games (joystick is also good for these) and platformers/puzzle games. While RTS, FPS etc work better with the good old M&K. It's about using the right tool for the job.

 

[A_Parked_Car]

I just prefer mouse-and-keyboard controls for my favourite genres. A controller is worthless for playing RTS games (my mainstay) and I will take mouse-aiming over an analog stick for shooters any day. It is just a preference thing, I don't have some kind of grudge against controllers. I find that driving or flying is almost always more awkward with a mouse-and-keyboard setup, I just happen to not play games that require those two things very often.

 

[Silverbeard]

Periodically I see people taking about using a controller to play PC games. Sometimes I see people who prefer to use a controller but more often, I see people complaining about the fact that they need a controller to play in correctly. I never really understood why so many PC gamers have a problem with playing their games using a controller. I remember back in the early to mid 90s, when owning a joystick was practically a requirement for PC gaming. Owning a usb controller seems to be the modern day equivalent of a joystick, in the sense that so many games (mostly ports) require once for the best gaming experience. So why do you feel/think there's more opposition from PC gamers to using a controller, than there was to using a joystick?

I was not aware that PC gamers were opposed to using a controller.
For my part, a controller represents one extra expense that I really could do without. I need a monitor, tower, speakers, keyboard and mouse to have the ability to play any PC games at all- in addition to all the other ancillary computer functions, naturally. That requires a great deal of money; a controller is an extra few coins that I do not see the need to let loose.
On another note, I generally prefer RTS titles and if there is one genre of gaming for which a controller would absolutely not be ideal, it is the RTS genre.

 

[Sectan]

I guess this would be a good measure of it. Imagine plugging your controller in and using it to browse this site. How awkward it would feel at first trying to click the buttons and links. After a while you'd get kinda used to it, but it wouldn't be as quick as just mousing around and clicking.

For some it's a superiority thing and for other's it's just a feeling of constriction with the controls. Plus if you're going to release a game for a system make sure the controls work with it regardless of it being console or PC.

 

[icemasteryeti]

Because it's an extra peripheral that you wouldn't need to buy if the control scheme was ported better. If you have a PS3 or 360 you can just use the controllers from them but many PC gamers don't own either.

There's also the fact that some people just prefer a keyboard and mouse and find controllers hard to use.

Think about how pissed off most console users would be if a game ported from PC was borderline unplayable on a controller and you needed a keyboard and mouse to play it properly.

 

[lunavixen]

The thing is with me is that most of the controllers for PC are Xbox controllers (actual and styled on), and I hate Xbox controllers, they are not comfortable and the left analog stick is in the wrong place for me to use it. That and growing up with a m/k layout, it's what i'm used to.

 

[ClockworkUniverse]

I'm pretty good with Keyboard/Mouse, and I don't want to buy a controller for my PC.

Of course, I'm one of those crazy people who was okay with Dark Souls' PC controls, so take what I have to say on this matter with a grain of salt ;P

(I won't deny that it was terribly-handled; I just found that it was sufficiently functional for me)

 

[ThePuzzldPirate]

It's like XOne game came out and when you booted it up, it ask you to play with a Wii Remote even though you have a fantastic controller that came with the hardware in your hand.

That is what it feels like every time a developer ports a PC game but doesn't do proper KB+M. Yes it is nice to have the option to play with a controller but it is a PC so put some effort into its main input device please. XD

 

[Signa]

More often than not, a gamepad is going to be equal or worse than a kb/m. Hell, even 3D platformers can be done with a kb/m in most cases because the mouselook grants something similar to analogue movement. It just takes a little getting used to, and when you're a PC gamer, you already have gotten used to it. I think the biggest reason for this conversation is because too many games these days are FPS games, and so asking for a controller is basically saying you want to play FPS games on a system that isn't limited by controllers. It's an expression of refusing to learn your advantages, even if that's not what it's really about in a case-by-case scenario.

Now, combo brawling systems like Batman, fighting games, or racing will require a pad, or a certain about of extra programing to not suck on a keyboard. No one talks about playing those on the PC though.