Why do people seem to think Gamepads are better than KB+M?

[InkySpines]

I prefer mouse and keyboard, but while the mouse is great, my left hand always feels suboptimal on the WASD. Good enough, but somehow inappropriate for controlling an avatar. Hotkey MMOs and RTS are out of favor these days, but they are the only genres that actually seem designed for keyboard and mouse. RTS as we know it isn't really playable with a gamepad, and studios have proven themselves incapable of making good MMOs for the past decade, so unfortunately AAA has come to be synonymous with console port.

Strategy games are best played with mouse, but control schemes for those are much less relevant as pausable or turn-based games, and it is a niche genre anyway. Driving games without pressure sensitivity are pretty much pointless also.

I expect MOBAs will largely migrate to console soon and stay there. Blizzard was able to port Diablo III well, I don't see why they wouldn't already be considering the same thing for Heroes of the Storm. /schadenfreudecackle

 

[Cerebrawl]

A lot of people harp on about gamepads pretty much being a requirement for 2D platformers. That always struck me as kind of weird. The only advantage a gamepad gives you is analogue control which you don't even need for most 2D platformers.

Faster and more easily pressed and identified buttons play a part. I find it easier to do things like jump attacks, wall jumps, etc with a controller. I had a hell of a time using the downward thrust in Rogue Legacy with keyboard, much easier to time it right with a controller, short window and a bit fiddly.

 

[Evonisia]

I CAN use keyboard and mouse, and in fact when I was kid all I did was play shooters on my Dad's PC. I just don't prefer it to gamepads. They're better, but that doesn't stop preference. If I don't feel comfortable using a keyboard and mouse, I'm not going to enjoy or perform as well. It's why I hate stumbling on questions like "Can you use the Xbox 360 controller pad on TF2" (or some game like that). Rather than getting the correct "you can on all source games" answer, you get "You can, but don't. No proper shooter player would sabotage their own gameplay like that".

 

[Cerebrawl]

I expect MOBAs will largely migrate to console soon and stay there. Blizzard was able to port Diablo III well, I don't see why they wouldn't already be considering the same thing for Heroes of the Storm. /schadenfreudecackle

You avoided mentioning FPS/TPS games, which are also much better with mouse. Really anything with first or over the shoulder view, possible exception of some melee combat games, anything with pointer or crosshair aiming is better with a mouse.

But yeah anything that gets rid of click-to-move for diablo/MOBA games is a good thing, I can't stand it. I'd rather have WASD+mouse, but twin-stick is preferable to click to move any day, I thuroughly loath that control scheme, can't enjoy those games at all because of it, that's anything diablo, torchlight, path of exile, etc.

 

[NuclearKangaroo]

i say they are both equal, gamepads are better for roughly half of the genres out there and KB+M better for the other half

playing shooters with a gamepad is plain horrible, and same can be said about fighters with a keyboard

 

[CloudAtlas]

I don't own a console myself, but from what (comparatively) little I played on consoles at friends', I have to say that I find a controller more ergonomical than keyboard + mouse. And if I had a bit more practice, I would probably not suck quite that much when playing with controllers either.
That's why I think gamepads are better... for titles that can be reasonably played with controllers. Which are most games, I guess, other than strategy and stuff.

 

[DrOswald]

KB+M is better when you need the speed or precision of a mouse, the many buttons of a keyboard, or both. Under most other cases Gamepad is better.

Each input device has advantages and disadvantages. I would never play MMX with a KB+M for example, but I would also never play Civilization 5 with a controller. Which is why I have both.

 

[saxxon.de]

Neither is better or worse than the other. They're just different tools for different jobs.

 

[Able Seacat]

I'm used to using a controller and I'm just plain awful using KB+M. It really just comes down to personal preference most of the time unless the game has been designed specifically with one or the other in mind. Or if you're playing competitively and want to find which one will allow best reaction times etc. Such as KB+M for shooters and fight sticks for fighters.

 

[Gankytim]

Eugh, seems I've kicked up a shitstorm.

I'm not intendting to piss people off, I'm just spouting my own personal anecdote and experience being well versed in both.

Don't worry, you're new, you weren't to know.

This topic always gets people pissed off. You'd be amazed how belligerent people get over their preferred method of video game input.

Heh, yeah whenever you suggest that one gives you greater contol and precision people outright get angry, it's almost nonensical. It's like they have some emotional stake in what's better. (They shouldn't, it's not like anyone is going to laugh at you for using a controller.)

I look at it like this, you can rub two sticks together(using a gamepad in an FPS, or a KB+M in a racing game), or you can strike a match (using KB+M in an RPG, using a controler in a fighting game). Yes, one is superior and gives you more ease of use but they both get the job done.

 

[Poetic Nova]

Both are fine to me. However, KB+M makes fps's better to play since you cannot aim like you should with a gamepad, granted, I only need it for Stalker. I play Borderlands on my PS3 fine with a controller.

 

[RatRace123]

Ahh yes. The ol' "why do people have different opinions" topic. Always a fun time, and always full of rational debate and understanding!

Personally speaking, it all just comes down to preference for me. I just don't like the feel of the KB-M combo. It doesn't matter if it's objectively "better" for most games or not. It doesn't feel better to me. I like the grip of a controller, rather than having my hands splayed out over a keyboard. It's just a better feeling when gaming for me, and I tend not to have to think about it as much, so I can focus more on actually playing the game.

 

[Nieroshai]

I've never received carpal tunnel pains from a good controller. A mouse, on the other hand...

 

[lacktheknack]

Why do people seem to think that chocolate is better than vanilla?

Why do people seem to think that metal is better than hip hop?

Why do people seem to think that shooters are better than point-n-click adventures?

Why do people seem to think that Calvin and Hobbes is better than Peanuts?

Why do people seem to think that Godzilla is better than the Cloverfield monster?

Why do people seem to think that Lord of the Rings is better than The Inheritance Cycle?

Why do people seem to think that Apple is better than Microsoft?

Why do people seem to think that Linux is better than Apple?

Why do people seem to think that the programming language Python is better than C?

Why do people think Lego is better than K'Nex?

Etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc. Preferences with both pros and cons continue to exist.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

Been using a controller for my whole life. Mouse and Keyboard just feels wrong. Hands are too far apart for my liking and I am constantly looking down at the keyboard because I'm not familiar with the layout when I do try it. My brain and muscle memory just aren't familiar with, and thus I don't like, the mouse and keyboard setup. And I've never had any problems doing anything with a controller.

 

[Auberon]

Quick glance, I think I'm the second person to say the magic word: console ports.

They have homogeneous software and are widespread enough that developers can relatively safely ignore PC near-completely, so they do lazy port without ANY optimization even for KB+M in this topic.

 

[Ticklefist]

Interesting how the reasons people prefer gamepads are virtually the same reasons I prefer the keyboard and mouse.

 

[Azaraxzealot]

for me it's a comfort thing. Due to my lifelong illness i almost always need to be laying down or else be in excruciating pain. a controller lends itself to my predicament.

 

[Weaver]

Controller is better for action games and fighting games IMO. I'd never want to play Bayonetta with a M&KB for instance.
M&KB is better for RPGs, MMOs, RTS, and Shooters in my opinion.

 

[Pink Gregory]

I much prefer a controller for third person.

First person it's M+KB, no contest.

Think that's where I draw my line; aside from obvious advantages to non-action games with PC setup, though I remember playing quite a few hours of playing Tropico 3 on the 360 with a keyboard with very few problems.