Why do people seem to think Gamepads are better than KB+M?

[DoPo]

[

Well, nobody has managed that. It's been proven time and time again, too (several videos in this thread show it too). And it is actually quite obvious that cannot be the case as a controller does not allow as fine 2D motion input as a mouse - what is what a mouse is deigned for. So yes, actually one could indeed call it objective that a mouse is better for aiming.

Yes! Exactly, you could say that objectively the mouse is better for aiming, but that doesn't make it objectively the better control method unless the only reason you play an FPS is to continually aim shots the quickest and most precise possible, which I'm saying isn't compulsory to still enjoy the game.

Again, speaking for control method, that implies which is better for control. You are attributing the wrong meaning to the word - you can like either, it doesn't need to be tied to the merits of the input, or the form or the the colour or how warm/cold it feels to the touch or whatever. The preference is different than the main function, and the main function is inpu. Therefore deviating this to anything else makes little sense. The "better" control method is not meant to represent "what I prefer".

Here is an example - I like playing Worms - I've played most of the versions of 2D (combat) Worms games. Most recently, the most I've played is the Android version of Worms Armageddon[footnote]actually bizarrely named, as it's actually Reloaded, not at all Armageddon[/footnote]. Now, any other input than the touch screen is better - it's more accurate, it's faster to work with, and the rest don't just occasionally do weird stuff instead of what you tell it to. And yet I like playing the mobile version because it's just so nice to do it in my bed. So there you go - the distinction between better as a method and what I better like.

 

[MrHide-Patten]

Generally the big deciding factor that pushes me towards consoles/controls, is simply the refinement of controls. With a controller I have everything mapped to the shape of my hands with at least 18 buttons at the very most, with a keyboard I have a flat plane which I have to rest my hands in a weird position to use effectively with at least 90 potential buttons.

I was never good at remembering combos or any sort of fighter so trying to remembered what every key does is a mind fuck, but then not every game uses every key, but then I have to rest my hands in such a way that its the pinnacle of discomfort and occasionally I'll end of mashing the wrong key.

That's certainly a skill and a mindset I will never possess, and frankly the controller works more then fine for me to enjoy a game. I recently got a trackball mouse and it is absolute bliss for me to use compared to your standard mouse

 

[C14N]

It depends on the game. For anything involving shooting or top-down strategy there's no competition, Keyboard and Mouse all the way. Racing games are dreadful on keyboard though since you can't apply a gentle touch to turning or accelerating. Any game that involves fighting like DmC or Batman Arkham Asylum is also very awkward with a keyboard.

 

[Fdzzaigl]

Uhmm... I wasn't aware that people actually thought that, quite the opposite in fact.

Controllers are only superior for games that are designed specifically for them and even then game menus are horribly convoluted and messy.

Otherwise it's mouse and keyboard.

Why? Because controllers are a solution to play games from the comfort of your lazy sofa. Mouse and keyboard simply allows for more and detailed input.

 

[RavingSturm]

Depends on the game imho. For shooting games nothing beats the precision of the mouse, for fighting games controller or joystick is the way to go. Having some RSI myself I enjoy using a controller to catch a break.

 

[remnant_phoenix]

Because for some people, like me, they are.

"Why does/do _________ think/thinks that _________ is are better?" Fill in the blanks however you like, the answer is all the same:

Taste and preference.

 

[CheeksMcGraw]

Dear OP,

It's call preference. Deal with it.

-Cheeks

 

[MrBaskerville]

Depends on the game, i wouldn't want to play Devil May Cry or Street Fighter with a keyboard and mouse, it would be a nightmare!

 

[Bluestorm83]

It depends ENTIRELY on the game that's being played. Most of this "debate" stems from people scoffing at the use of a controller for any game. Platformers suck on Keyboard and mouse. FPSes suck on controllers unless made for controllers and only controllers. A PC is the platform of options. And a controller is one of those. I use it for what it suits.

 

[Bombiz]

Dear OP,

It's call preference. #Dealwithit.

-Cheeks

Fixed

OP:
Honestly it depends on the game. Can't see you playing an RTS with a controller. Also I didn't know this was a popular sentiment.

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

You can indeed play some games better with a KB+M but the KB+M was not designed for gaming plain and simple whereas a game controller is. I hate character movement with a KB from just how you have to place your hand to the KB not being analog. Yeah, you can aim better (especially FPSs) with a mouse but you can already aim really good with a controller anyways. I'd like to see a study on TPSs and whether a KB+M is better because moving the camera around with a mouse isn't as good as with dual analog sticks.

 

[LeQuack_Is_Back]

The precision is cool, don't get me wrong. But I found gamepads more comfortable, especially when playing games that require careful combinations of button presses (such as Warframe. F***ing sliding melee attack is murder on my hands).

 

[Baron Teapot]

Gamepads sacrifice a little precision for comfort and ease of use; in a game like 'Dark Souls', there are numerous buttons that can easily be mapped to a gamepad, but the keyboard and mouse controls feel more clunky and tacked-on, like they weren't expecting to create a PC port of the game and just hoped we'd plug in the well-worn Xbox 360 controller and use that. They were right - I started it with keyboard & mouse, but changed after about 45 seconds.

First person shooters require quick reflexes, precision, and rapidly spinning around to look for enemy movement and react accordingly; you can't do that as effectively with a controller, especially because the thumb-stick has to lose some precision and sensitivity. The thumb-stick can only move, at most, a couple of centimetres in either direction, whereas the mouse has several inches of mouse-pad to work with.

They each have their function. Really, it's quite a boon to live in an age where gaming hardware is so varied, and USB devices can easily be plugged in to work quite quickly. I remember a time before the Xbox 360 controller, when proprietary devices (particularly steering wheels) were apt to just not work with Windows 98, or only parts of them would work, ruining the experience as their buttons remained just for show.

Then again, I wasn't as tech. literate back in those days, but hunting around for drivers and solving such issues now seems (almost) a thing of the past, at least if you're not using incredibly exotic or under-supported hardware.

 

[an annoyed writer]

I could ask you why you think Keyboard and mouse are better than massive computer banks with hundreds of buttons, knobs, and switches and get a similar answer to most in this thread from you, OP. Thing is, gamepads have kinda been developed specifically for gaming in the first place, while keyboards and mice still have their roots in programming, office work, and other typing-intensive activities. Both do some things better than the other. KB+M has more buttons to work with, more robust customization, etc, while gameplads have superior omni-directional movement via analog sticks, and oftentimes notably better ergonomics for long-term play(Carpal Tunnel Syndrome takes much longer to set in when using a well-designed gamepad). It all really depends on the type of games and personal preference, however. I tend to prefer controllers due to the fact that I enjoy games with platforming, stealth, and heavy exploration elements in dense 3D environments, which gain a serious benefit with analog stick systems found on most controllers. That's just me though. Now the real question is, why do people seem to think that Kinect is better than brain-jack implementation for character control in games ? ;3

 

[Grape_Nuts]

It all comes down to a lack of familiarity/skill. On the flip side, a controller feels like a malformed brick in the hands of someone who is accustomed to a M+KB.

 

[sXeth]

They both have their strengths, as the OP more or less covered.

The dominance (or rise at least) of the gamepad is also possibly due to the PC moving into the living room/TV space. KB&M doesn't exactly hang out on the standard couch very well in terms of positioning. You've got some more freedom in where and how you want to sit over having the standard desk setup for the flat space for KB&M use.

Something I kind of wonder, having not played them on PC myself, is how KB&M handle stuff that uses both sticks on consoles, like the leaning in Wolfenstein, or driving and shooting in GTA/Saints Row.