Hi, which controller is the best for a PC gamer who wants to play some racing games and some other games that have bad KB and mouse controls (mainly racing games though). I would like one that works directly out of the box and is cheap. The obvious choice is an Xbox one controller that will work out of the box with PC but they're very expensive.
Best Controller for PC Gamer?
Ostrk on 07/12/2018 - 00:05
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If you can afford the cost and space, buy a cheap Logitech wheel and pedals. A wheel and pedals is to a controller as a controller is to a keyboard.
Cost is too high and besides I don't play racing games that often.
Get the Xbox One controllers, those games support the rumble trigger things if you're into that.
Xbox is the best one. You can get one for free sort of by buying one of those Minecraft editions from Amazon sales, if they come back. Take the controller then sell the rest on gumtree, after holiday season.
Yeah that's what I thought too I heard they work out of the box with windows where all you need to do is plug in the cable and you're ready to play. I just sold my Xbox though haha and I don't want to go through all that trouble that you just suggested just for a controller.
The cheapest genuine controller is $60 from MSY though. I only really want to spend $25 to be honest but I can spend more if need be.
So are third party controllers any good? I looked at this one which is the only deal on ozb but the comments aren't very inviting.
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/411491Haven't used third party. Maybe wait till boxing day. Might not be 25 but maybe close
Hmm I see. So for now unless something comes up I guess I just wait on a good deal for the Xbox One or PS4 controller. Or maybe a third party one from a brand I'm familiar with like logitech or steelseries I guess.
@Ostrk: you just missed $45 +10% cash back from amazon.
Black Friday/Monday sale. Next up is Boxing day sale.
@Nalar: Darn.
I've pretty much decided on either the geniune Xbox One or the geniune PS4 controllers. Whichever one comes first with a deal I'll snatch it up. So far the best I found was $60 for Xbox One controller at MSY which is not a deal in my book.
A mechanical keyboard and a gaming mouse.
I do have both but racing games just aren't as smooth on a kb as they are on a controller for me. With the controller you have a lot more control with not only the main left stick but ESPECIALLY with RT and LT where you can easily control how much you want to accelerate/brake by how slowly/quickly and how deeply you press the buttons. With a mechanical keyboard especially ones with like blue switches you either press the key or you don't.
I hope that makes sense.
I've also have some games I want to play like witcher 2 or dark souls that everyone says are better with controllers.
I don't do racing games, but can't you buy racing wheels / pedals?
Those are quite expensive, though. We're talking >$100.
Very expensive. I don't care enough about racing games. In fact these two are the first racing games I've played in years.
I just think an xbox control will do you good. The wired ones are about $30-$40 so not too expensive and work without installing drivers. Just plug and play!
I have not found one for 30-40 that is geniune.
Take it from someone who spent months looking for a good Xbone controller deal, getting an official, brand new controller for under ~$25 is almost impossible.
The only time I've ever seen one for the price you're looking for is a $19 (+ $10 shipping if you don't have club catch) one from Catch.com and those sold out in 10 minutes.
Besides the anomaly from CotD, a Minecraft one for $49 is the cheapest I've seen. That's probably your best bet, if you don't mind the design.
If pink/green pixels aren't your thing, I got a black one from JB Hi-Fi for $55 (price match).
You can also try your luck on eBay (discount codes help), but I often find that shipping to Australia will inflate the price to the point where it's not worth it, and you need to be wary of the many scammers and fakes.
Just get the Xbone controller. cheap aftermarket controllers suck and are waste of time. Get used off ebay if you want to save some money.
Xbox 360 wired controller would possibly suit you. I'm not sure if the xbone controllers have additional rumble support being on pc. Keep in mind there are different models the main difference being wireless support (new ones have bluetooth and older ones need a special adaptor) and headphone jack.
Thank you for this. I've decided on the One controller so this will come in handy. Although it's a lot harder to tell if the controller is black.
I'm using a wireless Xbox 360 controller for Steam big picture mode, but would love to get a Xbox One controller for it. You'll need the wireless adapter to get it to work with Windows.
I think the 360 controller should be fine for what you're after.
Xbox One controller … You'll need the wireless adapter to get it to work with Windows.
Not if you get an Xbox One S controller (ie. the latest version, which most for sale at the moment will be) and have bluetooth on your computer.
The best controller is a subjective, personal preference. You definitely want a console controller of some kind.
For me personally, I like the PS4 DS4 best because you can use the touchpad as a mouse.
I also use the Switch Pro Controller with an 8bitdo dongle because it's very comfortable and great for Cemu. Not for everyone though, and quite an expensive combo.I'm not a fan of the XBOne controllers (or anything related to that console really), but I used to use a wired Xbox 360 controller which works very well.
As others have said, avoid third party pc controllers. A lot of RnD goes into console controllers and the last 2 generations (DS3, DS4, WiiU Pro, Switch Pro, Xbox 360, Xbox One) are all very well made. The newest generation generally doesn't have screws/holes so it's more comfortable to hold for extended periods of time.
IMO the best controller is the PS4 DS4 controller. I have used this for many hours of GTA5. What you need is:
- PS4 DS4 Wireless Controller +
- USB Bluetooth dongle +
- A little utility called DS4Windows that takes the DS4 inputs and emulates the native windows "Xbox" controller for games. This makes all the analog stuff work properly and the "icons" for buttons in the games more or less line up with the controller properly.The second best is probably the XBOX 360 controller.
I don't mind using a cable at all, so will DS4 work out of the box as long as I install that software?
I'm leaning towards xbox one controller since from what I've seen out of all of them it's the only true 'plug and play' controller for me.Controllers are very objective. I've found the ds4 controllers too small for my liking and the xbone controllers were a bit too angular to start with. Go to jb or another store to try them out.
I've used both ps4 and xbox one controllers in the past as I owned both consoles. I'm probably gonna buy the Xbox One controller because of easy compatability but if the PS4 one goes on sale first I'll get that. I don't mind using a cable to connect.
The two games I really want one for are Forza Horizon 4 and Forza Motorsport 7.