We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links. Learn More

 

Gaming Controllers: Picking up the Right Controller

There was a time when PC gamers used to look down upon anyone who would dare to use a controller. Simply because according to them, the controller was not the part of the master race and going for anything other than the keyboard mouse was equivalent of blasphemy. However, things have changed in the modern day and age, and instead of sticking exclusively to mouse and keyboard, people are becoming more and more lenient towards controllers and investing money in controllers.

You would be surprised to know that there are just so many people are going with the controllers, and they are becoming increasingly popular in the PC gaming scene.

Now that we know that controllers are definitely something that more and more people are buying whether they are doing it for gaming, or are they looking for that they want to use for a console, this guide is definitely going to help you have a proper and easier experience.

Understanding Your Options

First things first, if you have decided that you want to go with a controller, you have to start understanding the options you have available in the market. Thankfully, this is one of the stages that happen to be one of the easier and simpler stages, so you really do not have to worry about things that much.

Below, you can see the options you have available in the market as far as the options that are available for you in the market.

  • PlayStation: Back in the days of PlayStation 3, using a controller on PC was not the easiest thing available. However, as technology has progressed, things have changed, too. You can actually buy a PS4 controller from the market, and use it with your PC without running into any issues. Whether you are going with wired connectivity, or you are going with wireless connectivity, the option is going to be there. More importantly, PS4 controllers are now natively supported by both Windows and Steam. So you really do not have to worry about discrepancies.
  • Xbox: Xbox controllers, for evident reasons, have always played well with PC. The Xbox 360 controller was officially and natively supported on PC. Whether you are looking for wireless connectivity or wired connectivity, you will not have any issues as far as connecting these controller is concerned. Rest assured, the process is simple and straightforward.
  • Steam Controller: Steam finally recognized the over growing demand and use of controllers and released their own controller in the market that was officially supported by both Windows and Steam itself. Although the controller did not manage to get the same level of popularity, it still remains an option whenever you are looking for the controllers in the market.

Now that you know about the options that you have available in the market and what you can do about the situation, the next step is to look at more deciding factors.

How Do You Plan on Using Them?

If you are really looking forward to getting a controller, you have to decide how you are planning on using them. For starters, if it is first-person games, you will not be benefiting from the controllers at all. However, we are talking about games like fighting games, racing games, platformers, or games like Assassin’s Creed, Devil May Cry, Sekiro, or Batman Arkham series, then in situations like that, going for controllers is a much smarter idea.

What About Games and Support?

Back in the days, having all games support different controllers were finicky at best. IN order to make the controllers work, you had to use third party software solutions like XPadder and then remap the eys. However, that is no longer the problem as whenever you are looking at the control, you have the option to simply connect the controller and the game will support without any issues that might come in the way.

Nearly every modern game that is available on the market supports the controllers, and since these controllers are natively supported on Windows as well, using them with older games is not going to be a problem for you, as they will work without any issues.

Wired or Wireless

Whether you are buying a PS4 or Xbox One controller, you are going to get them in wireless offerings. Which means that you will either have to use a wire to use them, or you can actually go ahead and use something like a dongle that comes for these controllers. The Xbox One S controllers have a module built into them so if your computer does have Bluetooth adapter, you can connect the controller without any issue.

The same goes for the PS4 controllers as they are natively supported and will not cause any issues that might come in the way.

What About 3rd Party Controllers?

There has been a huge rise in 3rd party controllers that are available in surplus when you are looking for good controllers in the market. The good news is that these controllers have become a lot more important and they are defining the way how controllers are viewed in the market.

Some of the best controllers are from Razer, as well as Nacon. They are officially supported by all platforms, and provide you with a lot of extra benefits, making them a great value. Sure, they are definitely more expensive than the first party solutions but the good news is that for the cost you are paying, you are getting something extraordinary that will work great, too.

Conclusion

If you are having difficult times buying a controller, going through this guide will definitely help you buy the best possible controller available in the market. You will have absolutely no issues that might come in your way.

Just make sure that you carefully decide all the factors before making a decision because that is what matters the most in making or breaking your experience.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bill Wilson


Bill is a certified Microsoft Professional providing assistance to over 500 remotely connected employees and managing Windows 2008 to 2016 servers.