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

[Phrozenflame500]

KB+M is generally better for shooters and most strategy games. Controller's are generally better for racing, platforming, fighting and third-person brawlers. Of course PC games can support both forms of input so it's all irrelevant from a console wars perspective.

 

[dvast]

Because Gamepads were designed for games while keyboard and mouse were designed for typing and what not.

Also, analog sticks give far more precision in 3d environments then arrow keys.

At least that's my reason for liking gamepads more.

 

[TheWanderingFish]

Personally, a controller feels much more organic in my hands. Whenever I sit down to play a game, am activity I'm supposed to enjoy doing in my down time, I want to be comfortable and relaxed. To that end, holding a controller on my lap as I sink ever farther into my couch with a bowl of chips is much better than sitting at my desk with my PC.

That isn't to say that KB+M isn't good. On the contrary, for certain games it is way better. And I like playing games on my PC just as much, but when I'm in the mood for it. RTS and things of that nature are not only better, but more fun to play on a PC when you aren't frustrated by the controls.

Ultimately, I guess it depends on your definition of "better". If you mean "more accurate, higher performance" then KB+M. If you mean "provides the nicest experience in terms of comfort etc" then controllers are better. Of course, there are games which defy these standards, but these are just my opinions.

 

[O maestre]

well KB+M is not meant to be used for games, or at least designed to. Game pads on the other hand well are designed for gaming, and then there is the whole vibrational feedback. Gaming with a rumble pad feels more organic, and thus more immersive due to our tactile sense being stimulated along with our eyes and ears.

And before some smart ass argues that by my logic, stimulation of our olfactory senses would make gaming even better. I mean that stimulating senses that we use to navigate and manipulate the world around us, will make the experience more immersive. So taste and smells won't count.

 

[The Abhorrent]

Here's the general breakdown for what I feel between the two:

---

Controller

In a word: intuitive. There may not be a lot of variation for option on most controllers, but they just feel more natural and leads to MUCH smoother gameplay in general. I find it also enforces a "simple elegance" for a game's design; you have fewer tools to work with, but those tools can accomplish a much wider variety of tasks. The other advantage is that brings you closer to being "in control" of a single character.

That being said, it has a tendency to break down in the following situations:
- When you need to manage a lot of things at once
- When you need a high degree of precision
- When you're separated from the action too much, usually when you don't interact more directly

Oddly enough, those are the EXACT advantages of a keyboard and mouse.

---

Keyboard and Mouse

There's no question from me, keyboard and mouse are just plain awkward for when it comes to most games; but as noted above, it gives you an advantage when you need to watch a lot of things at once, need to be precise, and/or are separated from the action. Two note worthy genres where this matters: RTS and FPS. In the case of RTS, most attempts to do the genre with a controller have not worked out well at all. FPS didn't really take off on consoles until they worked out how to make it work with controllers, with the innovations of dual analogy sticks (one to aim, one to move) and carrying far fewer weapons (Halo: CE restricting to carrying only two weapons at once); those made the genre WORK with a controller, though it still struggles to keep up with the precision of a mouse in a competitive environment. Come to think of it, those are genres which are ESPECIALLY well-known for their competitive online communities.

However... I find that the keyboard and mouse just isn't as innately FUN to play with. Is it better sometimes? Definitely. But I still gravitate towards the controller, unless using that instead only ends up being unmanageable for one reason or another.

At the end of the day, winning isn't everything.

 

[Racecarlock]

Because I like gamepads.

Also, try driving a car in a game with your mouse or keyboard. I have, and yeah, not very precise. Good thing rigs of rods is designed to be a fun car crash simulator.

 

[Mad World]

Controllers are good for games such as Dark souls (like you said). But, For FPS games, keyboard and mouse obliterates them. It amazes me how people elect to use controllers for FPS games - especially when it's on PC. No matter how accustomed to controllers one can get, a fairly privy keyboard-and-mouse user will outmaneuver them.

I suppose that for some, controllers are more fun. And, in the end, it's all about having fun.

 

[otakon17]

Being a PC and console user I can see the advantages of using both. But for the broader scale KB+M seems to win out, the control of your whole wrist greatly beats the control of your thumb for FPS games, having hotkeys RPG's readily available. For fighters Gamepad DEFINITELY beats KB+M by miles, but a fightstick wipes the floor with both.

Off the top of my head, the only time I've prefered to use a gamepad was when I HAD to resort to plugging in my 360 controller for Metal Gear Rising and both Dark Souls but those feel designed for gamepads.

As an anecdote, I've seen decenttohigh level FPS players from PC and Console go head to head in a LAN match, the console users who were using Gamepads got their cute little buttocks handed to them every time.

On a more personal scale, my performance on online FPS with a gamepad is just horrible compared to my performance with KB+M.

Mouse is FAR better at aiming but for smooth, controlled movement beyond [FAST] and [STOP] along with moving beyond a straight line in one of the eight cardinal directions at 45 degree intervals, controllers are where it's at. Not only that, but the simpler button layout means for quicker reactions(a reason most fighting games are better played with a controller, especially considering the ever popular quarter circle forward command). You won't accidentally hit reload(usually R) when you're trying to throw a grenade(sometimes F) while trying to run backwards and jump away(usually S and Space) and trying to do other finger gymnastics. Not only that, it's downright uncomfortable to try and control your fingers independently while focusing on the screen and GOD HELP YOU if you lose your placing because in that split second you look down, YOU'RE DEAD.

As a person that grew up with controllers, they're much more comfortable for me. My hands don't cramp moving around the left analog stick after a mere 30 minutes of play.

EDIT: Two words to add: intuitive and ergonomic. A controller is designed with both of these things in mind. The intuitive part is what buttons do what(like the default of the "trigger" on the right side of modern controllers is the "fire weapon" button) and the ergonomics because it's designed to be held comfortably and fit the hand well with buttons all within easy movement range of each other yet by placement still being separate and unique.

 

[otakon17]

Controllers are good for games such as Dark souls (like you said). But, For FPS games, keyboard and mouse obliterates them. It amazes me how people elect to use controllers for FPS games - especially when it's on PC. No matter how accustomed to controllers one can get, a fairly privy keyboard-and-mouse user will outmaneuver them.

Doesn't matter to the controller user. The keyboard is just too foreign a thing to use to get used to using it for PC is all there is to it. I grew up on controllers, from the NES to The Duke and beyond.

 

[otakon17]

It depends on the game and the person. Really. For FPS, Fighting, and RTS games the KB+M is preferred ... for Racing and platforming games... the gamepad. TBS games can go either way.

The biggest advantage of KB+M is customization. One of the biggest complaints I've had about controllers is they make assumption as to dominant hand. That's why the d-pad is always on the left side... and for most times this is good but for myself in fighting games.. I prefer to have the directional controls mapped to my right hand. YOu can't do that with a controller. you can however do that in near about any PC game.

Okay, how do you figure a KB+M is better for a FIGHTING game?

 

[Strelok]

Speaking specifically about shooters I always felt that KB+M made them too easy, it's just point & click death. It just feels like cheating to me. It's fine for other games, but I guess I'm comfortable with either setup for any game because I've never limited myself to either pc or console exclusively.

ROFL!!!! There would be far less rage quitters in Red Orchestra 2 if this were true. Never heard his one before, it's a good one. Just curious, aim assist on controllers? Perfectly normal? Not cheating at all? It's like I've gone through the looking glass seriously.

On Topic: You will find that the most adamant supporters of controllers are better, are usually console fanboys, in my experience anyway. They find themselves getting really good with a controller seemingly unaware that aim assist, as mentioned above, even exists on consoles, and in fact is a requirement for most FPS games to be even playable.

 

[Whitbane]

Some RPG/Action games work better with a controller, like Darksiders, but inventory management is usually a pain in the ass. Open world movement feels better on a controller, as just holding W and Shift to sprint gets tiring.

Mouse and Keyboard are great for everything else, and I pray for the souls of the poor people who try to play PC shooters with controllers. It's a deliberate handicap.

 

[The Lunatic]

To answer the original question.

Because people are wrong.

It is not a subjective thing. Keyboard and mouse offers a faster and more accurate input.

There's no debate to this.

Some games "Feel" better with a controller. It's subjective. And that's fine, if you prefer it, that's not an issue, nor are you somehow "Inferior" for liking it.

But, it's incorrect to think it's faster or more accurate in any capacity.

From a purely technical point of view, a keyboard and mouse is better.

 

[mysecondlife]

With my current living arrangement, playing with KB and M takes a lot of effort.

I play videogames in a small room I share with my friend. My friend takes up most of the room because he's been there longer than I have.

Because there is very little room for solid surface to place my keyboard and mouse, controllers are how I play my games.

So yeah, controllers are better for me at this moment because I can play with it while sitting, lying on my bed. That goes the same with console over PC as well.

 

[SmallHatLogan]

To answer the original question.

Because people are wrong.

It is not a subjective thing. Keyboard and mouse offers a faster and more accurate input.

There's no debate to this.

Some games "Feel" better with a controller. It's subjective. And that's fine, if you prefer it, that's not an issue, nor are you somehow "Inferior" for liking it.

But, it's incorrect to think it's faster or more accurate in any capacity.

From a purely technical point of view, a keyboard and mouse is better.

A mouse is technically better, but a keyboard gives you less freedom of movement (8 directions) than an analogue stick (360 degrees).

 

[Cerebrawl]

A mouse is technically better, but a keyboard gives you less freedom of movement (8 directions) than an analogue stick (360 degrees).

Mouse + flightstick, best of both worlds.

 

[Aaron Sylvester]

FPS, RTS, MMO, RPG (depends), 2D Fighters - keyboard+mouse
Driving/Racing, RPG (depends), PS1/PS2 emulations - gamepad

That's right, I personally find 2D fighters significantly easier to play with a keyboard. Many of them revolve around rapidly inputting specific directions, and a d-pad (or stick) controlled by 1 thumb is always going to be inferior to 4 independent fingers ready to hit all directions. Hence Hitbox was invented:

The only limitation to this is playing characters that require 360/720-degree directional inputs (e.g. Zangief from Street Fighter) for which an analog stick is hands-down necessary.

 

[AmtracZac]

I've played a lot of both Console and PC. I started out on PC, went to Consoles with the PS1 and now I'm beginning to make my way back again. I, personally, prefer a Mouse & Keyboard over a Controller (Though there are exceptions, of course, like fighting games). I couldn't, for the life of me, tell you why I do. I've just found it feels better to me.

 

[azurine]

I admit it's great for First Person Shooters (and maybe RTS games, but I've never played any), but for everything else, it's just not comfortable. A lot of games are made with controllers in mind anyway.

Again, great for FPS games, but practically everything else is a hand-cramping joke.