What Makes PC Controls so Great?

[Contextualizer]

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?

The mouse is infinitely better for the task of aiming.

Ask yourself: how do you most optimally navigate the user interface of a computer OS/web browser? Is it with a thumbstick? Touchpad?

Nope. For the vast majority of people, they perform best with a mouse. And navigating a UI is not very different from aiming at little pixels that represent the heads of your enemies :]

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.

Why would you need to memorize the entire keyboard layout? You only need to remember a handful of keys (and they're almost all on your left hand); and for the vast majority of games, the control scheme is already standardized.

 

[ploppytheman]

PC Exp: Plat SC2, 2100+ Hunter and Priest (Hunter has 40+ binds and most have one or more modifier), lots of casual gameplay, limited FPS

Console Exp: Nintendo till Gamecube, Xbox, 360 mostly FPS

If you think that using your thumbs and pressing a few buttons is better than a mouse and keyboard... well you are probably playing games with 5 buttons anyway. You use way more muscles for a keyboard/mouse than for a controller and therefore have the potential for greater control. If you think "I am good at xbawks. PC I am not good at so controller r butter" that is just because you haven't used a keyboard/mouse long enough to be good at it. I remember how hard it was to learn PC FPS compared to Console and I still am better at console. Why? Because I played countless hours of console FPS/TPS and very little FPS on PC. Besides taking in the fact that you have more muscles working on K/M (Keyboard Mouse) a mouse almost has as many buttons as a controller. In fact I have 9 buttons on my mouse that I use and an additional 3 that I don't, that matches xbox right there JUST on my mouse, combine that with... I don't know 80+ keys which can be modified with modifiers and well, you have guitar vs guitar hero. I'm not trying to take a big greasy dump on consoles as I play both, but K/M >>>>>> Controller.

There is a reason the highest skilled game Starcraft is played on PC and can't be played on console, and if you mention Starcraft 64, I raise you a problem officer? Sure Halo and maybe fighting games are popular on Controllers but I'm sure if people played any FPS with comp vs console comp would win with equally skilled players because of the accuracy, speed, precision, response, etc.

Also throw in custom controls for PC games where as Xbox controls are idiotic. I love halo but pressing B to melee? really? to melee I have to either "claw" or move my hand off my aiming stick... even if you are fast its still slower than slamming another key.

 

[omega 616]

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).

Spoiler: My mind

The clouds look amazing afterwards.

Have you seen a keyboard and the NAGA? Theres bout 5 times more buttons.

 

[More Fun To Compute]

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.

Are you arguing that because it is impossible to measure anything with absolute precision that an arse is exactly the same as an elbow? I like to get the last word in and appear win internet arguments as much as anybody but this is low, man, just low.

 

[Lerxst]

A keyboard/mouse combo is very analog and on scale with the on-screen action taking place in the game. You move your mouse 2 inches, your character turns 2 inches (or close to it) on the screen. With the "analog" joysticks on the consoles, you press your thumb in a direction and the character turns indefinately in that direction - a half inch press can equal a complete 360+ degree turn over a period of time.

It's the difference between driving a car with a manual transmission vs one with an automatic transmission. A manual lets you fine-tune your driving to the exact conditions of the road, whereas an automatic is about the same in every condition you drive through.

So if you're playing a very twitch-based action game, you want to be able to move your character on the screen with your natural reflexes and have some sense of space. You have a wide range of motion you can choose from and alter it with ups and downs as you move left and right as well that make you feel "connected" with the character. Performing that same move on a cosole removes that level of connection as you now control their movement with a finger push or two.

The console controls are great for games that don't require the fine movements and translate the directional inputs on a general scale - left, right, up and down. It's also not bad with automatic aim on many games. So it has its place. I just look forward to playing FPS games vs. console players though since I know I'll always have the upper hand

 

[shadow skill]

The mouse tends to be more accurate when you need pointing. But really the keyboard is a terrible input device for games. Spamming the keyboard with a trillion actions isn't a sign of good design, in fact it is a sign of the exact opposite. But of course since a keyboard is digital you end up needing more and more modifiers to control things like walking and running etc.

 

[8bitmaster]

because they are so versatile! You can alter your controls on the fly for any kind of setup or feel and even a controller if you really feel like it.

 

[duckfi8]

Apparently the mouse is better for more precision aiming.

Which is funny, Since I'm infinitely better at aiming on a console than my PC.

Most likely because you've had a lot more practice at your console than your PC. Would I be correct in that assumption?

They also have a Auto aim or aim assist

 

[Klarinette]

I think it might have something to do with the fact that so many of us have been familiar with the PC for so long. I'm sure just about any of us could take all the buttons off a keyboard and put them back in their right place, maybe even without looking. *shrug*

 

[Dexiro]

PC's are just better for FPS and RTS games. For everything else i'd say consoles are better.

 

[wordsmith]

I have to say, I do prefer a dualpad for driving games. Shifting gears on the shoulderpads just feels more natural...

That said, if I have to do anything precisely (i.e. shoot, jump, generally not die), I'll take my mouse. I might only be able to pick between on and off with a keyboard, but my mouse twitch is pretty darn good.

 

[Contextualizer]

Continuous input like on thumbsticks makes sense for games where continuous movement is necessary, like flying or driving games. But for precise aiming as found in first person shooters, the mouse is vastly superior.

 

[DarkHuntress]

I don't think they are better than console controls but the do allow me to cheat when I want to.

 

[Tzekelkan]

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.

Are you arguing that because it is impossible to measure anything with absolute precision that an arse is exactly the same as an elbow? I like to get the last word in and appear win internet arguments as much as anybody but this is low, man, just low.

Did you even read my post to the end? In the last part, I specifically expressed that I was not saying what you're implying here. I was just rambling on about whatever because that's what you were doing as well.

Look, all I'm saying is that to play a game skill is also required. It doesn't suffice to have a good control method.

 

[demoman_chaos]

WASD+Mouse is better for shooters and RTS, not much else. Most other types of games are better with a real controller, like a cheapo wired PS3 controller like what I use (the GameStop ones with OBNOXIOUS LEDs in them, which I surgically removed myself).

But what makes PC gaming better than console is 1 word, mods. Not 1 PC game I actively play has not been modded.

 

[Uncreation]

A mouse gives greater accuracy, and faster, and I find pushing W to move forward less awkward then pushing the analogue stick forward.

Plus with a keyboard, you get quickslots and can configure controls with near-infinite variations. On a gamepad, you'll usually have at least one button that is used for 2 things.

Yeah, this. Most games let you configure your controls on a keybord, so i don't think it's that much of a problem. Plus, like countless others have said, there are genres, like RTS that just don't go well on a console (that Halo RTS is proof of that in my opinion).
Then again, i might be biased, since i have played strictly on a PC all my life, and have never had any interest in consoles. Also, my favorite genres are RTS, TBS, RPG (NOT Jrpg) and Adventure. So, yeah, i guess it's obvious which controls i prefer.

 

[Tomster595]

The main reason is because you can maneuver a mouse faster and more accurately. But in my opinion, the keyboard sucks for games. Nothing wrong with the mouse at all, but I don't like to game on a keyboard.

 

[Petromir]

Becasue the PC has access to vastly more control systems than the consoles do.

It lets you choose the corect tool for the job.

Personal experience and preference will also have soemthing to do with it. Also some control schemes give a boost the the begginer, even if another results in the best in the hands of s seasond pro.

Most drivers for example will get much better times with driver aids turned on, whereas a seasoned pro will get his best time with them all off as ultimately he has a more responsive car.

 

[Quorothorn]

Since the FPS and, even more so, the RTS evolved on the PC, it makes sense that they work considerably better in that environment--just like it's really hard to write a sonnet in English, since the form was made for the Italian and French languages (Anglo-Saxon poetry was alliterative). I'd never want to play an RTS without a mouse, but otherwise, I have to say I prefer a controller interface to keyboard & mouse.