Mass Effect 3 PC version has no 360 controller support

[Epona]

Community manager Chris Priestly confirmed the news on the company?s forums, meaning controllers such as a plugged-in Xbox 360 PC controller will not do the trick. It?s all keyboard and mouse, gringo.

?The PC version does not support controllers,? said Priestly. ?They may or may not work, but they are unsupported by the game.?

http://www.vg247.com/2012/02/15/no-gamepad-support-for-mass-effect-3-pc-says-bioware/

Bioware has always been stubborn about this but in 2012 it's just not tolerable anymore. How many people plug their PC into HDTV's today? How many people would rather relax on the couch with a controller rather than a keyboard and mouse?

Well, you know my opinion, what's yours. Do you think taking out 360 controller support is ridiculous for a console port?

 

[Toasty Virus]

I'm pretty sure neither ME1 or ME2 had it either, why not just get it for the Xbox 360 if you want to play with a controller?

 

[Epona]

I'm pretty sure neither ME1 or ME2 had it either, why not just get it for the Xbox 360 if you want to play with a controller?

I prefer the improved performance of a PC. Just this morning I was playing Dungeon Defenders on my PC WITH my 360 controller, why must Bioware be so stubborn about this?

 

[Weaver]

I am unaffected by this.

 

[Wolfram23]

For a lot of games I like to use my PS3 controller (emulated as an Xbox controller for ease) but definitely would not plug my PC into my HDTV. Can't stand lower picture quality when an image is stretched out like that lol. Not to mention worse contrast ratio.

But anyway, that's unbelievable that they wouldn't offer gamepad support. Not that I care though, I'm one of those weird people that doesn't find ME interesting.

 

[Epona]

For a lot of games I like to use my PS3 controller (emulated as an Xbox controller for ease) but definitely would not plug my PC into my HDTV. Can't stand lower picture quality when an image is stretched out like that lol. Not to mention worse contrast ratio.

But anyway, that's unbelievable that they wouldn't offer gamepad support. Not that I care though, I'm one of those weird people that doesn't find ME interesting.

Stretched? Just run your PC at your HDTV's native resolution. My Sony 40" HDTV looks better than my 23" HP monitor, both run at 1920x1080 (1080p).

 

[Toasty Virus]

I'm pretty sure neither ME1 or ME2 had it either, why not just get it for the Xbox 360 if you want to play with a controller?

I prefer the improved performance of a PC. Just this morning I was playing Dungeon Defenders on my PC WITH my 360 controller, why must Bioware be so stubborn about this?

Well they've never done it in the past, so I don't get why they would do it now.

If it's such a problem, download xpadder or something else that lets you bind keys to a controller.

 

[Zhukov]

Huh. I wonder why not. One would think that that's a relatively simple thing to include.

Oh well, doesn't affect me.

 

[Wolfram23]

For a lot of games I like to use my PS3 controller (emulated as an Xbox controller for ease) but definitely would not plug my PC into my HDTV. Can't stand lower picture quality when an image is stretched out like that lol. Not to mention worse contrast ratio.

But anyway, that's unbelievable that they wouldn't offer gamepad support. Not that I care though, I'm one of those weird people that doesn't find ME interesting.

Stretched? Just run your PC at your HDTV's native resolution. My Sony 40" HDTV looks better than my 23" HP monitor, both run at 1920x1080 (1080p).

I don't mean stretched like the image is distorted. I mean the pixels are stretched.

1080p on a 24" monitor (what I use) is around 92 pixels per inch.

On a 40" TV it's only 55 ppi. Monitors also generally use much higher quality panels.

The main reason you get away with it on a TV is that you sit so far back it isn't noticeable. Although trying to read text is a hassle IMO, need to zoom in to read anything.

Regardless, I don't really care if people want to play PC games on their TV from their couch. Go right ahead, and have fun. Personally I don't do it because I like the higher quality image, plus my desk chair is pretty comfy.

 

[Stavros Dimou]

This game lacks many basic features adopted by the industry as standards for years.

It isn't only that it doesn't support xbox360 controller,it also doesn't change the in game messages like "press button X to do that" to properly depict the button according to the binding you did,and it also doesn't have dedicated servers for its multiplayer but some kind of consolistic 'lobbies'.

So you can't know anybody's ping and you have to wait when other people will decide to press SPACE on their computers so YOU can play...

Unneseccery frustrations all over the place.

 

[Epona]

This game lacks many basic features adopted by the industry as standards for years.

It isn't only that it doesn't support xbox360 controller,it also doesn't change the in game messages like "press button X to do that" to properly depict the button according to the binding you did,and it also doesn't have dedicated servers for its multiplayer but some kind of consolistic 'lobbies'.

So you can't know anybody's ping and you have to wait when other people will decide to press SPACE on their computers so YOU can play...

Unneseccery frustrations all over the place.

ME2 didn't alter the in game messages when you changed buttons either. Bioware has gone downhill. Even indie devs seem to care more about PC ports than Bioware does.

 

[Epona]

For a lot of games I like to use my PS3 controller (emulated as an Xbox controller for ease) but definitely would not plug my PC into my HDTV. Can't stand lower picture quality when an image is stretched out like that lol. Not to mention worse contrast ratio.

But anyway, that's unbelievable that they wouldn't offer gamepad support. Not that I care though, I'm one of those weird people that doesn't find ME interesting.

Stretched? Just run your PC at your HDTV's native resolution. My Sony 40" HDTV looks better than my 23" HP monitor, both run at 1920x1080 (1080p).

I don't mean stretched like the image is distorted. I mean the pixels are stretched.

1080p on a 24" monitor (what I use) is around 92 pixels per inch.

On a 40" TV it's only 55 ppi. Monitors also generally use much higher quality panels.

The main reason you get away with it on a TV is that you sit so far back it isn't noticeable. Although trying to read text is a hassle IMO, need to zoom in to read anything.

Regardless, I don't really care if people want to play PC games on their TV from their couch. Go right ahead, and have fun. Personally I don't do it because I like the higher quality image, plus my desk chair is pretty comfy.

Well, I guess it depends on the TV. My neighbor has a cheap HDTV, Spectre is the brand and you can see a huge difference in the picture quality at 1920x1080 with a PC hooked up via VGA between the Spectre and the Sony.

 

[Wolfram23]

Well, I guess it depends on the TV. My neighbor has a cheap HDTV, Spectre is the brand and you can see a huge difference in the picture quality at 1920x1080 with a PC hooked up via VGA between the Spectre and the Sony.

That's a good point. I'd be curious how it looks on my parents new 52" Sony Aquos. I've got a Samsung 40" at home, it's definitely pretty good but not high end by any means and I don't like the PC plugged into it. I just stream my movies over my PS3 to watch on TV, otherwise I game on the monitor.

Actually, I'd be even more curious on how it would look on my friend's 70" Sony Aquos. I can't believe he bought such a monster TV. Kind of stupid, really, but then I saw it and was like... whoa. We played Gears of War 3 for a couple hours lol.

 

[Epona]

Well, I guess it depends on the TV. My neighbor has a cheap HDTV, Spectre is the brand and you can see a huge difference in the picture quality at 1920x1080 with a PC hooked up via VGA between the Spectre and the Sony.

That's a good point. I'd be curious how it looks on my parents new 52" Sony Aquos. I've got a Samsung 40" at home, it's definitely pretty good but not high end by any means and I don't like the PC plugged into it. I just stream my movies over my PS3 to watch on TV, otherwise I game on the monitor.

Actually, I'd be even more curious on how it would look on my friend's 70" Sony Aquos. I can't believe he bought such a monster TV. Kind of stupid, really, but then I saw it and was like... whoa. We played Gears of War 3 for a couple hours lol.

Well as another example, compared the Wii (with component cables) on both TV's using New Super Mario Bros Wii. Now we know that the Wii only runs at 480p but the Sony smoothed it out well, there were no jaggies while the Spectre had clearly visible jaggies. Sad thing is, Skyward Sword has jaggies even on the Sony, I'd hate to see it on the Spectre.

On another note, it is such a joy to post on this forum. Every other click and you get an error. You would think that by now they would add another server or whatever they have to do to make this site more stable. It's Wednesday and that's why I am getting errors every other click but this site in always unstable where speed is concerned. You may click something and it comes right up and 2 minutes later you click something else and it takes forever and then a minute later it's fast again.

 

[TsunamiWombat]

Depends how necessary a controller is for comfortable ...control. ME games have always been fairly well localized/better on PC and used with a mouse.

This game lacks many basic features adopted by the industry as standards for years.

It isn't only that it doesn't support xbox360 controller,it also doesn't change the in game messages like "press button X to do that" to properly depict the button according to the binding you did,and it also doesn't have dedicated servers for its multiplayer but some kind of consolistic 'lobbies'.

So you can't know anybody's ping and you have to wait when other people will decide to press SPACE on their computers so YOU can play...

Unneseccery frustrations all over the place.

Well, 1 - It's a demo, which effectivly means it's a beta, so the button binding thing will probably be gone in the final build. As for the lobbies, lack of ping, or dedicated servers?

That IS industry standard. PC isn't the market for multiplayer anymore. These days, it's a big fucking deal when PC games get dedicated servers. Terrible step back I know, but it is what it is.

 

[Epona]

Depends how necessary a controller is for comfortable ...control.

ME is always fairly good on PC, also don't call it a 'port' thats a dirty word.

Do you think it was designed for consoles or for PC? I assure you, it's a console game ported to the PC. Actually, I would say it depends on the preference of the player. Some people don't like keyboard and mouse controls and why shouldn't a game designed to be played with a controller have controller support? Bioware is about the only company that doesn't get that, even Bethesda gets that now.

 

[Wolfram23]

On another note, it is such a joy to post on this forum. Every other click and you get an error. You would think that by now they would add another server or whatever they have to do to make this site more stable. It's Wednesday and that's why I am getting errors every other click but this site in always unstable where speed is concerned. You may click something and it comes right up and 2 minutes later you click something else and it takes forever and then a minute later it's fast again.

Every Wednesday at 10am the site takes a huge shit. You'd think they would realize Yahtzee's videos practically cause the Escapist to crash by now. Yeah, new servers or at least more bandwidth is definitely in order.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

Mass Effect 1 and 2 didn't have it as far as I know. So why is this such a big deal now? I don't see how not being able to use the controller in a third game in the series can possibly be a deal breaker for any PC gamer.

 

[Epona]

Mass Effect 1 and 2 didn't have it as far as I know. So why is this such a big deal now? I don't see how not being able to use the controller in a third game in the series can possibly be a deal breaker for any PC gamer.

First of all, it took me 30 minutes to even read your post, escapist has become so fuckin' unstable that it's almost not even worth coming here.

Secondly, to answer you. It is 2012 and in 2012 most games that are designed for consoles come to the PC with 360 controller support. What Bioware pulled with the first 2 games is no longer acceptable in 2012 when I can fire up any number of Live Arcade games on Steam and use my 360 controller. I would rather sit back and play on my couch with a controller while also enjoying improved graphics and faster loading than to sit on my couch and constantly re-adjust my mouse or stop my keyboard from tipping off my lap (the other option is to put a pillow on my lap and put the keyboard on that but it gets hot). The Keyboard/Mouse combo is great for RTS games but if a game is designed for a controller, it will play just fine with a controller and for Bioware to once again say "fuck you" to PC gamers requesting this feature, well it's ridiculous. Also, for an RTS game I wouldn't be playing on the TV as you need to see small numbers usually.

No one is trying to take away k/m from anyone but choice is a good thing when it's just so easy to implement 360 controller support thanks to Microsoft providing Windows drivers. If indie devs can do it, so can Bioware/EA.