Here’s something I’ve been noticing as of late. People seem to be using game controllers more. Even on PC. Is this a thing now? People using controllers instead of Mouse & Keyboard?
I mean obviously certain games suit Mouse & Keyboard controls — RTS and FPS spring to mind — but I’ve noticed my brother in-law who is PC Master Race to the core using his Xbox One controller rather frequently.
Who among you has made the switch?
And who among you was doing this from the very start?
Comments
70 responses to “The Big Question: Controller or Mouse & Keyboard”
It depends on the bloody game alright
Yeah, the answer is highly dependent on the game. It’s not something you can just answer as a generality.
Highly agree. Mind you I would have once said K+M only for FPS, but I’m pretty good at shooting aliens in the face in Destiny!
Destiny has so much auto aim and aim assist you could probably use some basic hand-waving and shoot them in the face. Great game though 😉
Agreed. FPS and RTS I like kbm. Racer and fighter I like controller.
Yeah very much depends on the game…or more specifically the game GENRE for me.
– First person shooter? Keyboard + mouse. No questions. I refuse to play console FPS games for this reason alone (the Metroid Prime series being the only notable exception, because they *didn’t* use dual analogue controls).
– Real time strategy? Again, keyboard+ mouse.
– Third person action/adventure games? I tend to gravitate towards a gamepad usually (The Witcher games being an exception).
– Platformers? Gamepad.
– Fighting games? Gamepad.
– Driving games? Gamepad (in the absence of a steering wheel).
So I guess when it comes down to it, I use a gamepad for more game types than I do the keyboard and mouse – however, those game types I do use the K+M combo for are set in stone and I’m staunchly opposed to using a gamepad for them.
It also highly depends on the support from the devs too. so many just put k/m in as an afterthought and its royaly fucked up so controller is miles better (ds1 for eg). Given the choice id rather k/m for everything if it was well supported ie menus, inventory, tight controls (srsly fuck off with mouse acceleration its shit) etc there is one exception that being flight sims but a controller is no good for them iether imo.
Nearly every game is better with KB+M but Dark Souls.
Dark Souls is different.
If I played competitively I’d use a mouse and keyboard.
But I rarely play anything multiplayer, and I like to play on my couch in an almost horizontal position, so a controller works better for this. I hunch over a mouse and keyboard enough at work.
Controller all the way. Will only use Keyboard & Mouse if there is absolutely no other option.
But as I mentioned the other day, that probably comes from about 3 and a half decades of being a console gamer.
Controller & dpad for menus & 2d
I suuuuuuck with K&M
Menus? But you point… and then click.
You know, the same way you got into the game in the first place 🙂
Hurrrrrrrrrrrrrr
I’m sick. And I have a baby that screams all night. You’ll have to forgive me for being dull. My brain is barely ticking along.
I reckon I could almost type faster with a controller :p
Both? You can’t expect me to play Dota with a controller. KBM only for those that needed it and Controller for everything else. Have a Razer Sabertooth for my controller needs. Mechanical buttons ftw 😛
Playing Witcher 3 with controller at the moment, it feels much nicer than KBM.
Controller 100% of the time. I play games to relax, usually on the couch. Controllers were designed with this in mind and have been getting better for 20+ year. RTS is the only game that springs to mind, but I don’t play them. FPS doesn’t really matter, because if everyone is on controller then the alleged advantage of KB+M is a moot point.
I was actually a bit of a fan of the Wiimote/Nunchuck combo; it offered the analog character movement of a controller, and using the remote to point actually felt surprisingly natural. Worked well for Metroid Prime, at least. And I think the WiiU’s tablet controller would be amazing for strategy gaming; use the tablet as a map, and to plan your moves, then watch the action unfold on the TV screen. But alas, for there be no strategy games of note on the system.
Such a crime that there’s no good RTS for the Wii U.
Hey there’s Pikmin 3!
Controller for pretty much everything. I even take the time to get MMORPGs to work with a gamepad, although there’s usually a complication like wanting to chat or some menu option I can’t bind. PC gamers lord up aiming with the mouse but movement is far more important to me. I can aim perfectly fine with a stick, I wouldn’t chose it over a mouse in a life or death situation but it doesn’t hold me back. However movement with WASD just clumsy.
Yeah, where’s option 3) Both ?
Depends on the game, and what I feel like doing at the time. Some games only work well with kb/mouse, some work great with both, some are more comfortable to play with the controller.
I play GTA with an xbox controller and mouse..
once i get motivated I will unbox my gaming peripherals and get out my orbweaver 🙂
The controller is so much more comfortable than M&K (especially for extended sessions). I’d prefer to play it if I had the choice for every game but honestly, it comes down to what games you’re playing. On PC, it’s pretty much mandatory to play M&K on any top-down strategy game (RTS, MOBA etc) and FPS if you want to be able to compete against others. The accuracy M&K provides for games that do not cater to controllers are definitely why you’d need to use ’em. Pretty much, if it’s a single player game, regardless of console/pc, I’ll try to whip out the controller if there’s official support for it.
each has its own rightful place, really depending on what genre of game is being played. Some games are much better suited to controller style play like Demons Souls, most platformers and such however most FPS games are better suited to keyboard & mouse, as are most top-down strategy/moba games. Whereas flight sims are better suited to a joystick/HOTAS.
The debate is comparing apples with oranges. Each type of peripheral has its own place depending on the games that have been adapted for them. Each has its own strengths & weaknesses & for the most part this depends on the game being created.
voted controller, because yeah, if i have the choice i’ll use it over a keyboard and mouse, BUT it depends on the game and even if a game supports a controller sometimes it just isn’t implemented well enough
I also sit in front of a keyboard and mouse for a very large amount of time for work so i don’t particularly enjoy using it when i’m at home wanting to relax and unwind, so for me it isn’t just a control method preference, it is also to get a break from my 9-5
Depends on the game. I come from a console-only background, but made the switch to KB/M for Bioshock Infinite after investing in a decent PC, and never looked back for FPS (although I still use the dualshock for Destiny, obviously, and don’t have [m]any problems with it). Racing games and third person games tend to work better with a controller, so stuck with that for them, but started Witcher 3 this morning with the keyboard, purely so I could switch more freely between signs, and am having no problems with it.
ALVAYS KEYBOARD UNT MOUSE!
ALVAYS!
…One time I actually bought a keyboard and mouse to hook up to my PS3. Very few games support it, but it was practically mandatory for Dust 514 . The difference was night and day.
Der Controller regel alles, mein freund. Widerstand ist zwecklos!!!
I do now know what I just read but I am sure it is funny.
Awesome. I kinda could read it then. Common used phrasings I see. Nice.
I always wished I could use this to play Monster Hunter online.
It really does depend on the game
You wouldnt play an RTS with a controller, and FPS games can be played with either depending on personal preference.
For me I play shooters with a mouse and keyboard, and will grab a controller for racing game, platformers etc.
For something like GTA 5 which is a mix, then I will swap between them as needed, when on foot I will use mouse and keyboard, but will grab my controller as soon as i jump in a vehicle (unless im a passenger in which case I will keep the mouse)
M&K unless i’m playing a racing game. Then its controller only if i cant be bothered getting my wheel out, which is pretty much every time.
If the game supports a controller and the controls don’t suck, I prefer that.
Nothing beats mouse for precision in RTS and FPS games and games where there’s a lot of inventory management (like Minecraft or older-style RPGs) but that’s about where I feel the advantage ends. In third person games I feel like the controller gives better control of the camera view and for other styles of games such as platformers I feel like I have a quicker response time with the controller whereas with keyboard/mouse I’m more likely to fumble.
Of course each game on it’s own merits, I’d say the only time I’ve played a game and directly compared where there was a distinct advantage to playing with mouse/keyboard was Castlestorm. I tried the Xbox One port when it went free this month and compared to the PC version trying to aim the ballista is just shocking. I can’t imagine trying to play the game on hard mode without a much greater degree of precision.
Almost all of my gaming as a kid was on either the Sega Mega Drive or the Commodore 64 with a joystick. So I’m Team Controller. I’ve never been able to brain keyboard and mouse gaming and I really suck at it.
Controller for 3rd person/driving/2d scroller/fighting games, mouse and keyboard for everything else.
Controller for RPG/indie/side scroll games. KB/mouse for FPS/RTS. G27 for racing
If I don’t have to click on things, then controller pretty much.
Depends on the game. But for any kind of gun aiming, mouse + kb all the way.
I’ll actually sometimes swap between gamepad and mouse + kb in some games. Like an open world game, Sleeping Dogs for example, I’ll grab my gamepad in a vehicle and then use the keyboard on foot.
I’m 99% KBM on PC. The only game I’m playing with controller lately is Dragon Ball Xenoverse, and that’s because the keyboard is atrocious in it.
i play need for speed with controller, but most things like arma3 COD, BF all KB + mouse OR DIE
Love the PS4 controller. Haven’t played a PC game in years.
Obviously taking into account the type of game, I’m finding myself gravitating more towards controller than M&K. A lot of FPS and action titles now are being made specifically with controller support in mind, and I think they’re better for it. Streamlining the interface to be as efficient as possible really helps any games, and if that path takes them down the road of the controller, then so be it.
Controller. Keyboards are for word processing, yo.
FPS/3PS/Strategy/(Most) Simulations: Keyboard/Mouse
Platformer/Action-adventure (sword-based,etc.)/Driver/Stealth: Controller
RPG/Fighting/Top-down: Either
I voted controller as that is my preference, but as I think everyone has said it depends on the game. As a general rule, if it’s 3rd person, I use a controller i.e. Dragon age, the witcher, tomb raider etc. (MMORPG’s are an exception as too hard assigning enough buttons and navigating menu’s), also racing games (if I don’t use my wheel) are better with controllers. FPS, RTS, ARPG’s, MOBA’s etc. are all just easier with mouse.
I prefer a mouse & KB but for games like GTA or racing games i like using a controller.
I’m the keyboard and mouse camp for one simple reason: I broke the controller I use for my PC.
Games are typically designed with a control scheme in mind. You wouldn’t play Dota with a controller and you wouldn’t play Dark Souls with keyboard and mouse. Some games can use either (typically 2D platformers), in which case I tend to side with the controller. If only because using my thumbs to hit several buttons is slightly lazier than using multiple fingers to achieve the same end.
If it’s 3rd person controller, everything else K&M.
FPS: K+M
Batman: Controller
RTS: K+M
GTAV: Controller
Hotline Miami, Binding of Isaac: K+M
it’s all about the genres
Controller. I even play Farcry on my PC with my Xbox controller. Only time I’ll grab the mouse is for RTS, and not feeling the love for the modern attempt at the genre.
Both simultaneously works as well.
Basically any open world game like GTA or Saints Row, I’ll play using my left thumb on the left stick of a controller for movement, while controlling the gun with the mouse. Then shifting to just the controller whenever I needed to drive.
The WiiU gamepad on Splatoon uses dual sticks and the gyro/ motion control for precise aiming, haven’t tried it yet but caught my interest as an alternative to a traditional controller for a shooter.
I am with most people here, it depends on the game. That being said, I have started using the K&M over a controller for the most part. I think it is because I am getting used to the K&M now (was a console gamer for years before getting into PC gaming). I started playing The Witcher 3 with K&M, then switched to controller, but actually switched back because I found it a lot easier to control (especially the inventories) and more responsive with the K&M.
K&M for FPS, TPS, RTS, MMO’s…. well most games really. My controller is typically reserved for Action games like DMC, Dark Souls or driving games.
Mouse precision aiming is the key.
GTA V has vibration feedback for controller on PC, but i prefer Keyboard and Mouse. Just feels better. I use to swap between the two when on foot and driving, but the moment i needed to start shooting, the K&B was way better for me.
Witcher 3 on PC… Controller all da way! 😀
Shadows of Mordor… no way in hell im using a keyboard for that.
GTAV handles it really well. I mainly use a controller, but for shooting grab the keyboard. Swaps right over
The only gamepad I have for my PC is some kind of Logitech USB controller my Dad picked up somewhere forever ago. I think I used it to play Mirror’s Edge and… I’m not sure if I used it for Blood Dragon. Oh yeah, Fez and Super Meat Boy too.
It wouldn’t work with Guacamelee and the keyboard controls for that were super weird, so I used my arcade stick to play that. And I used my joystick to play through Strike Suit Zero, and will never not use it to play Elite: Dangerous.
The rest get the mouse and/or keyboard. I mean I don’t think you could play something like FTL with a controller 😛
FPS, RTS = M+K exclusive
Pretty much everything else = Xbox 360 controller for me.
Although I have borrowed a G27 wheel for Project CARS…. and goddamn I won’t play it with a controller ever.
Keyboard and mouse, definitely… 99% of games are unplayable with a controller. Games like platformers (It’s why I prefer Mario over Donkey Kong on the 3DS), fighting games, RTS, and FPS/TPS games.
That said, I’d never play a game like a racing game or simulator with a keyboard and mouse.
Where’s the option for BOTH?
GTA V is a perfect example of this done right…I run around shooting with K+M and then when I jump in a vehicle and it instantly switches over to Controller prompts. Well done R*.
K+M for most of the time. I even use K+M on my Xbox 360.
I bought a PS3 Move controller other half thing. The one with a Circle pad. I wanted to use it with a mouse to play FPS. My mac wouldn’t cooperate. It was a sad time. I’m back to using the controller I was weaned on.
I played most of the AC series on PC. Keyboard controls sucked arse. I switched to my XB1 controller for Black Flag and it was amazing.
Controller is so much more comfortable – no awkward finger/wrist positions.
Of course, KB+M for Heroes, RTS, Space Engineers, Diablo/Windward, WoW.
I do most of my FPS on console. Back in the Jedi Knight days, KB+M was everything but since then, its just cruiser to chill back with a controller rather than hunch over a damn keyboard
After spending 8 hours sitting at my computer at work the last thing i want to do is sit at a computer to play games. For this reason its controller all the way.
mouse and keyboard for pc games FPS, strategy, some indie titles
controller for third person hack and slash and i dont mind using for fps
For everything other than a RTS. Saying that the controllers aren’t perfect either. I hate where the L1/L2, R1/R2 buttons are located. If the L1/R1 buttons were where the L2/R2 buttons are and the L2/R2 buttons were further down the controller, then they would be perfect.
I was using an xbox 360 controller to play Mortal Kombat 9 the other day, after a few minutes, my hands were in agony (muscles for the thumbs). damn i’m out of shape!
this poll seems to missing 1 major voting option.
TL;DR at end 😉
I agree mouse\KB for a FPS. Why? Lets say i was equally skilled using both a mouse or gamepad. i would choose to use a mouse not only because, but mostly because, by doing so i maximize the rate at which i can turn without any loss at all in precision (aiming) turning (if i need to look behind me i simply flick my mouse to the side).
I believe this is the only true reason worth mentioning when it comes to the age old argument that a mouse is superior for FPS . Why? because it simply shows that u are in fact giving your self a handicap by not using a mouse, yes regardless of skill – remember we are assuming I’m equally skilled at each input device… How? what Handicap?
Unfortunately opting to use a controller over a mouse i instantly limit the rate at which i can turn. The only way to compensate for this and have the ability to turn at the same rate as a player with a mouse is to increase the sensitivity. unfortunately it is right at this point where I must make another trade off; the higher the sensitivity the more i lose my ability for precision aiming. while the difference with a controller may not be extreme for a skilled player the fact will always remain that with current hardware a mouse is superior, coupled with the fact anyone with a competitive streak might want to go with any option that gave them a slight edge, or in this case didn’t give them a loss of ability.
TL;DR for FPS i choose mouse, if i choose controller i give my self an inherent handicap that is hardware related and has nothing to do with player skill. for this trade off i may or may not lose the comfort in which some find in a controller.
As for an RTS, the first game that springs to mind is Starcraft 2, in SC2 it is actually possible in this day and age to effectively use a game pad at a relatively competitive level. this has been demonstrated by at-leased 1 player (after a 2 second Google – alias = batman) who with the help of 3rd party software was able to achieve diamond rank while streaming with a game pad. Personally i wouldn’t go to all this effort to use a controller, but if your one of those who must use one at any opportunity then i guess its an option and has been shown that there is no real disadvantage beyond setting it up and learning to use it.
As for other RTS games if a controller option is available then i can only imagine that the hassle of setting it all up would deter me, thus settling for the KB\mouse option
TL;DR for a RTS i choose mouse/kb simply because of the hassle of setting up a controller (if its even an option) is astounding.
The only other game type i would generally stick to a KB/mouse would be MMORPG’s
SO yes thats right, just as it seems im another KB/Mouse lover… almost every other game type that pops into my head, 3rd person games “with automatic cam follow”, racing games, fighting games such as mortal kombat 10 the list goes on… there is no way i would use a KB\mouse if i had the option of a controller, or another more suited input device. The only reason i have generally accepted using a KB/Mouse over the years is because getting an all in 1 controller for a PC that was supported by more then 1-2 games seemed near impossible. If i didn’t want to use a KB and mouse i would generally have to go buy a new other input device for every second game such as joysticks \ throttle controllers \ steering wheel \ pedals and so on…
TL;DR This poll really needed an option of I choose to use the input device that I’d consider the most optimal for my style relative to each game type… with some consideration to effort of setup and or cost.
P.S to answer what i see as the underlying question in this poll. yes i think more people are now using controllers in some PC games, not because its “a thing” or they have become more popular. but simply because controllers have started to get support, become more easily available, and probably more so; become a simple plug and play option.
P.P.S still don’t get poll options since i wouldn’t be surprised if 1/2 of the people who voted Controller actually prefer to use KB and mouse for X game but simply voted controller because they find them self playing games more suited to one more often then a KB/mouse, and vice verse for kb/mouse.