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[Pakhawaj]

For a couple of days now I've been researching into PC controllers, the last one I bought was about 16 years ago and I don't really know what I'm doing. I want two controllers, one solely for 2D platformers (which I will probably use the most) and the other... Also for 2D platformers, but preferably with an analogue stick in case something 3D catches my eye.

I would have thought looking for controllers would be fairly easy, but it seems to me that everyone is using an X-Box 360 controller, which apparently has a bad d-pad and is no good for me. The other popular one is the Sega Saturn controller, but I'd worry how responsive this would be considering I would have to use an adapter. Lastly, I came across Logitech's Gamepads, which generally have good reviews, but at this point I would like to hear about other people's experiences.

What are your favourite game controllers for PCs? How is the responsiveness and comfort? How long did they last?

[miauw62]

I love Dualshocks. I basically grew up using them. But I'm currently just using an xbox 360 controller because dualshocks aren't plug & play for Win7. Works good enough for me, altough I don't use it al ot.

[Thexor]

You're right about the XBox 360's DPad - it's terrible, period. On the other hand, pretty much everything besides the D-Pad is useful. And it's plug-and-play on PC, with most major game releases supporting it right out of the box. The analog sticks are well-done, and might work well on a platformer.

I also have a Logitech wireless controller (F710). The D-Pad is a little better, IMO, but it's still not amazing. It's got a Dualshock-esque analog placement, which I frankly find uncomfortable and awkward. (I don't have a WiiU and have never touched their controller, but I think I'd prefer their layout with the analogs near the top.) My F710 also has very stiff triggers, and I have a tough time using the analog buttons... though I've never found a controller where the analog buttons were really convenient, so that might not be an issue with the F710 in particular.

Honestly, if you're looking for a 2D platform controller... consider waiting for the Steam Controller. It looks weird as heck, but the Meat Boy dev used it and gave it a moderate approval. If you're interested in controllers for 2D platformers, hearing directly from the mouth of Meat Boy's main developer is probably the best feedback you'll get - he has a lot to say with regards to the Steam Controller versus the XBox 360 controller.

[Bouchart]

I have a Logitech USB controller, the one you have in the link.  It's worked for several years without incident.  The only problem I ever had with it was configuring some drivers or something; it's been a while.

[Silent_Thunder]

Running a Dualshock with any sort of emulator is good enough for me. I use an old build of ds3 tool, which lets me set it so the PC thinks it's a 360 controller, and it works perfectly. The only problem is mentally mapping the Xbox (ABXY) buttons to Ps3's (X Sqaure Trangle Circle)

[Leonon]

I'm not sure how well this will apply to anyone else but I found using the XBox 360 controller's left half with my left hand while using my keyboard's number pad with my right hand to work very well. The 360 controller has far too few buttons on the right half for my liking.

The 360's left and right triggers are set up like opposite directions on a single joystick axis so they can't be used at the same time.

Unless you need joystick input or just really want a controller I'd suggest using a standard keyboard and WASD+Number Pad for controls

[lordcooper]

I love Dualshocks. I basically grew up using them. But I'm currently just using an xbox 360 controller because dualshocks aren't plug & play for Win7. Works good enough for me, altough I don't use it al ot.

DS3 tool will have you using a dual shock pad in minutes.

[Pakhawaj]

You're right about the XBox 360's DPad - it's terrible, period. On the other hand, pretty much everything besides the D-Pad is useful. And it's plug-and-play on PC, with most major game releases supporting it right out of the box. The analog sticks are well-done, and might work well on a platformer.

I don't know how appealing being able to "plug and play" really is, is it so difficult to configure a controller to play with a game? If it is, I might consider the 360 pad, but I still find the poor reviews of it's d-pad quite off-putting.

I also have a Logitech wireless controller (F710). The D-Pad is a little better, IMO, but it's still not amazing. It's got a Dualshock-esque analog placement, which I frankly find uncomfortable and awkward. (I don't have a WiiU and have never touched their controller, but I think I'd prefer their layout with the analogs near the top.) My F710 also has very stiff triggers, and I have a tough time using the analog buttons... though I've never found a controller where the analog buttons were really convenient, so that might not be an issue with the F710 in particular.

I didn't consider the Wii U controller, it looks pretty nice... It's a shame about your Logitech, since I was leaning towards that for analogue control.

Honestly, if you're looking for a 2D platform controller... consider waiting for the Steam Controller. It looks weird as heck, but the Meat Boy dev used it and gave it a moderate approval. If you're interested in controllers for 2D platformers, hearing directly from the mouth of Meat Boy's main developer is probably the best feedback you'll get - he has a lot to say with regards to the Steam Controller versus the XBox 360 controller.

This looks very cool. And very expensive. Any idea when it comes out? I would have to read more reviews before considering it.

I have a Logitech USB controller, the one you have in the link.  It's worked for several years without incident.  The only problem I ever had with it was configuring some drivers or something; it's been a while.

That doesn't sound so bad. Thanks for the response!

I'm not sure how well this will apply to anyone else but I found using the XBox 360 controller's left half with my left hand while using my keyboard's number pad with my right hand to work very well. The 360 controller has far too few buttons on the right half for my liking.

The 360's left and right triggers are set up like opposite directions on a single joystick axis so they can't be used at the same time.

Unless you need joystick input or just really want a controller I'd suggest using a standard keyboard and WASD+Number Pad for controls

That sounds like a very interesting set up! The reason I want to buy some controllers though is so that I can play with people in the living room and I think using a keyboard in that situation would be cumbersome.

[Thexor]

The usefulness of Plug-and-Play depends entirely on how comfortable you are screwing around with drivers or third-party software. If you don't mind fiddling with (or buying) a third-party system, then don't worry too much about it. On the other hand, it's nice that, for instance, I can hit one button on my 360 controller, and instantly all the prompts in (for example) Batman: Arkham City switch from keyboard controls to XBox buttons. 

The Steam Controller is still pretty far from release - the only date Valve's given is "next year", and this is Valve we're talking about. If you want a controller now, the Steam Controller isn't too useful.

Ultimately, try out a few controllers. Do you have any friends with PS3s or 360s? There's no point dropping $60 on a controller that you've never held. 

[Pakhawaj]

The usefulness of Plug-and-Play depends entirely on how comfortable you are screwing around with drivers or third-party software. If you don't mind fiddling with (or buying) a third-party system, then don't worry too much about it. On the other hand, it's nice that, for instance, I can hit one button on my 360 controller, and instantly all the prompts in (for example) Batman: Arkham City switch from keyboard controls to XBox buttons. 

I don't imagine myself minding fiddling around with software. In my imagination it's just the case of opening an .exe or a text file and setting certain keys to buttons on the controller. Is it a lot more complicated than this?

The Steam Controller is still pretty far from release - the only date Valve's given is "next year", and this is Valve we're talking about. If you want a controller now, the Steam Controller isn't too useful.

Ah, thanks for the info. I don't think I'll be waiting for that one then.

Ultimately, try out a few controllers. Do you have any friends with PS3s or 360s? There's no point dropping $60 on a controller that you've never held. 

This is my problem! I know people with X-Box 360s and Wiis (and I would quite like to have more than 2 buttons!), but that's about it. I really don't want to regret my decision, so I hope I can be informed by other people's experiences.

[BigD145]

Saitek. They have modular dpad/analog stick controls.

[Pakhawaj]

I've been looking at the Wii U controller, and it looks pretty nice. Does anyone have experience with the amount of lag one gets using wireless controllers? Would it be negligible or not?

[Thexor]

I didn't notice any lag with my wireless F710 controller versus a wired 360 controller. The first article I found on the subject suggests a 4-8 ms additional input lag from the wireless transmission, though I don't see any sources for that. A more interesting article, with actual test explanations and results, suggests that the average console game has input lag of at least 67 ms and often variance of up to 133 ms, so 4-8 ms is almost entirely irrelevant.

[Neyvn]

Started looking around myself. Looking online I discovered that getting a Bluetooth Dongle would allow me to use my Wii Classic Controller. So been using that...

[Sensei]

I have a Logitech F710 and I've been pretty disappointed with the signal strength. Anything in between the controller and the receiver (such as my knees, a desk, the computer itself) results in horrible lag, as does being more than three feet from the receiver. A lot of people even say they tape their receiver (it comes with a little USB extension cord) to the controller to make it a wired controller. I actually really like the buttons though.

I've seen some other people saying their F710's were also abominable in terms of signal strength, and some people say it's no problem, but it seems like most people who returned their controllers for another one didn't get any improvement. I feel like compared to a console controller, it's amazing how poor the reception is. You may have also seen some people complaining of dead zone- I have not had that problem and I think that it's just misattributed signal lag.