PC Gaming Controller

[TLH]

Just wondering if anybody can tell me about controllers for PC gaming. Are most PC controllers compatible with PC games? What should I try to look for or avoid in a controller?

Any other tips or advice is welcome.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

The xbox360 controller for the pc supports plug and play for many new games.
Certain games are specifically built for the mouse and keyboard e.g. Mass Effect 2/Bioshock 2 and wont work. Titles such as Grand Theft Auto 4, Street Fighter IV e.t.c. work great with it. If you plan on getting a controller for a pc outside of the mouse and keyboard the xbox360 controller is probably a good investiment I think.


http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/gaming/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=091

 

[TLH]

Oh, okay. It's wireless from what I'm reading. Does it run on batteries or does it recharge via USB cable?

 

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

There's a wired version also.
Not sure.

 

[Havok83]

The 360 controller is the offcial Games for Windows controller and many other developers develop their games to support it. Id go for that

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Yep, the 360 controller's probably your best bet simply because of the standardization. Other controllers work well, especially Logitech ones, but there's always a chance that they won't be supported, and then you're stuck trying to find patches or figure out how to remap keys to controller buttons, which is a hassle. Developers now tend to make support for the 360 controller a standard feature in PC ports, though, so you're much likelier to have that controller work pretty much all the time on recent games.

 

[Addendum]

It doesn't even have to be the "360 controller for Windows". The controllers from the 360 section of the store work fine. Plus they may be cheaper. And the drivers are automatically downloaded if your computer is hooked to the net when you first plug in the controller.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I use an actual 360-controller-for-360 on my PC, but I bought one of those wireless receivers they had back in the day. I think they've discontinued them now.

 

[Addendum]

I simply bought a wired one. Works fine for me.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

My PC's hooked up to my TV, so wired wasn't really an option for me.

 

[Havok83]

I have a wired one as well. Whenever I play games on my PC, Im right in front of it, so I dont really need wireless

 

[terry78]

That 360 one is kinda costly, so if budget is an issue, Logitech usually is a decent alternative.

 

[Lily Adler]

I'm bumping this thread to ask for some help. My Nyko controller is having trouble working with games that claim to be compatible with game controllers, particularly Asphalt 7. I went into Control Panel and it says it works fine and the controller works on all the tests. I fear that newer software may not be compatible with it and I may need to get a new Xbox controller for PC.