What Makes PC Controls so Great?

[oktalist]

On the PC I use a 360 controller for third person games because it feels right. I prefer the mouse for FPS because, to use an IO-stream analogy, it's "random access" as opposed to the "sequential access" of an analogue stick. That is, if I want to look 90 degrees to the right, I just move my mouse to the right by whatever the corresponding distance is in a fraction of a second. With an analogue stick I have to push it to the right and hold it there for a second or two until my crosshair arrives where I want it to be. If I make it any more sensitive than that then precision aiming becomes impossible. Having said that, I was perfectly happy playing Deus Ex 2 and Battlefronts on the XBox.

 

[Scruffy]

What Makes PC Controls so Great?

Above all the possibility to choose my preferred input device!
Mouse, keyboard, gamepad, joystick, wheel or something different? No problem and I get to choose between myriads of forms/layouts for each. Try simply getting an Xbox-style gamepad for a PS3

 

[Anggul]

The first response that springs to mind is: Hotkeying.

 

[The Night Shade]

The mouse is the best thing in pc gaming and the keyboard so many good buttons

 

[SavingPrincess]

Both of you should read all my posts.

I did. And?

I said I do better on a controller without aim assist then I do on a Keyboard/Mouse.

You may do "better" personally, but the threshold for accuracy is still lightyears apart. You could take the best person on console and an average person on PC, and if it came down to pure accuracy without auto-aim, the scores would be about even. It's just reality... nothing personal against either system.

 

[TheScottishFella]

more buttons means less clusterfucky controls like on console and when you buy some games for the pc there is a huge mod community meaning you can get the most out of your game eg HL2

 

[cefm]

Mouse pointing (not just for shooting but for interaction with the environment). This is particularly true for strategy type games where you need to be clicking all over the map.

Also, there's a full keyboard you can associate functions with. So instead of only having ONE tool slot or cycling through weapons or having to constantly open your inventory screen, you can just throw 20 items, spells, etc. into the 10 function and 10 number keys and use them on the fly as you like. Any game with a lot of spells or abilities or items that are supposed to be used in combat is a great example - do you really like having to cycle through the list or pause right in the middle of comat just so you can select the right thing?

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

smooth aiming and normally a ton of control customization options. consoles? not so much....

 

[omega 616]

I guess I am the only person who thinks memorizing the entire keyboard layout for what does what is to much of a chore.

Theres 12 buttons on one controller, theres more than that on one line of a keyboard (except the line with the space bar), the you get the NAGA mouse and you have another 16 buttons thats about 50 buttons.

I find myself stopping so much to look at the keyboard trying to remember/figure out what the hell does what or go into the buttons page and look it up, talk about breaking immersion.

Probably just me on this one.

 

[AnAngryMoose]

Personally, I hate PC gaming. Maybe it's just because my mouse is a piece of shit, but the only PC Game that wasn't an RTS (which work extremely well on PCs) was Battlefield: 2142. I can't remember if that was before I replaced my good mouse with my current piece of crap. I also feel that the look sensitivity with a Mouse is extremely high. Then again, I grew up with console gaming an never really looked at the PC as a machine for gaming.

Also, my first experience with PC Gamers was extremely unpleasant and extremely... What's the word of looking for... Well, I'd say sectarian, but replace the religion with gaming consoles.

 

[300lb. Samoan]

Not trying to start anything, but I just can't for the life of me figure out a way how PC controls are better than console controls (as I've been told by PC gamers.) So how is it better?

It comes down to the essential difference between a mouse and a joystick. A mouse measures absolute movement, while a joystick measures relative movement. Mouse input is more direct and performance is more dependent on reflexes than on muscle memory. It's much more indicative of how you aim a gun than controller input, although it lacks the trigger and physical kick of an XBox 360 controller.* It's also more capable or high amounts of information in a short time, which is why it works so much better for RTS games and click-slashers like Diablo.

*I mean, this is the arguement FPS geeks get into all the time, right? Do RTS people even believe they'll ever have a good RTS on a console? The controls just don't support it yet. Maybe something new with Natal could change it, if it stacks up like it should.

 

[Ascarus]

Not trying to start anything, but I just can't for the life of me figure out a way how PC controls are better than console controls (as I've been told by PC gamers.) So how is it better?

after having played games on a PC for years, i found the console controllers to be clunky and difficult to manage (so many buttons).

i've adapted over time, but i am still much more proficient with a mouse and keyboard ... and don't forget, many people use a mouse and keyboard all day long at work. your proficiency with those items becomes quite good after having used it daily for years and years.

 

[yoyo13rom]

Totally depends on the person.
In my case I've been a PC gamer all my live, so whenever I tried a gamepad, I felt like an utter noob. It's like introducing a caveman to modern stuff, either if it's a keyboard or a controller, the result will be the same.
I've learned to use the keyboard since I was 4, so PC gaming comes natural to me.
But with a controller, I'd need like several months of intens training to get the hang of it.

 

[Cynical skeptic]

I'm going to make the wild assumption this hasn't been said yet...

But the biggest reason people like the mouse/keyboard setup is because (whether they know it or not) they, not some subtle hand holding training wheels aim assist bullshit, are the ones contributing most to their success/failure.

If you think console controls are equal to or better than mouse/keyboard, you are wrong. The quality of console controls is dependent entirely upon whatever game you are playing. The shooters with "shitty" controls do not have aim assist schemes, and are operating on 1:1 input. The games with "good" controls have auto-aim.

 

[ugle43]

Mouse has more precision. Doesn't mean you can't be better with a control since it's all personal preference.

Yes it does, any given person can (with games that are good for mouse) train himself to be better with mouse than with joypad, just as he could train himself to be better at a car-sim with a wheel than with a keyboard, or better st a fighter with a joypad than a wheel.

 

[hyker]

keyboard and mouse is more precise but with a controller you can sit back and put your feet on the table to make yourself confortable
plus,pronce of persia and re4 is WAAAAY better with a gamepad than keyboard

 

[MetallicaRulez0]

The mouse gives you more precise aiming, but I think console controls are faster once you get used to them. I know I could NEVER be as quick on my PC as I am with 10 sensitivity on my 360. Controllers tend to be less carpal-tunnel-inducing as well, but maybe that's just me.

 

[EBHughsThe1st]

The mouse applies a "hands-on" feeling unlike two sticks.

 

[Sixties Spidey]

Better aiming, shitty movement. Really, controllers and keyboards are about the same when you think about it.

 

[Tzekelkan]

Things I don't really disagree with, which make this an odd conversation.

Hey, I like the mouse and keyboard more than the controller too, you know? I think it's more precise too, okay? I am a PC gamer. What I'm saying is that personal skill is an important factor in gaming, unlike opening doors or adding one and one, which a dog could do.

And while I agree with you that mathematical models can be made for anything with enough theory and experimentation, you should also agree that our Universe is not deterministic and there's a large degree of chance involved in all microscopic phenomena. Even our best mathematical models become simple approximations as increasing precision is required.

Quantum Mechanics, our most precise widely-accepted set of theories yet, does not mesh well with General Relativity and is thus perhaps a mere approximation to the n-th order (with finite n) to reality.

I realize this has a negligible impact on the macroscopic world we live and play in, but I just thought I should put that out there, so people won't think we are capable of finding in a finite amount of time an exact analytical solution to any and all problems.