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for certain games controllers are so comfy, I’ve had a controller next to my desk for years for times I want to play something more casual that supports controllers.
Nothing will ever be as accurate as a 1:1 pointing device. Using a thumbstick sucks ass for general mouse-work why would it be suddenly good for FPS games? Thumbsticks are best at racing, platforming, flight sims, maybe RPGs and scrollers.
Right tool for the job.
Yeah I’m pretty sure people are just starting to use controllers for the controllers’ usecases. A lot of people (including me) played stuff like space simulators with mouse+keyboard, which are obviously not the right tool for the job.
Absolutely. I started cyberpunk again and it’s keyboard/mouse until I get in a vehicle, then it’s controller
Trackball controller
Wait, those are a thing?
You might find one as an accessibility option
I’ve been trying to make one in a normal form factor but can’t find anything on how to make a track ball from scratch/program a board to read it
What are your thoughts on the Steam deck’s Touchpads? I’d love to see them in a thumb ball type formfactor
My problem with touch pads is limited range, you constantly have to recentre. In a competitive environment that’s wasted ms where you are moving your finger back to make your next movement
The thumb ball reduces the amount of that
At least with the ones on the steam deck this is solved (for me) largely by software emulating the momentum of the trackball
I just played through Portal again, using a DualShock 4… up until Test Chamber 18. It was simply not possible to look left/right without ever-so-slightly moving, enough to miss falling back into the portal. Mouse and keyboard- cleared it instantly.
Edit: I may try again, using a controller that has 8-way detents on the analog sticks (i.e. GameCube gamepad)
Personally on the steamdeck gyro, once I got used to it, has become indispensable for a lot of games to solve this sort of problem
When playing through games with both shooting and driving (or horseback riding in RDR2) I keep my controller handy and swap between it and mkb. I find I generally prefer walking around with a controller until I need to shoot; I end up using the controller 75% of the time.
Can’t you use a controller + mouse combo?
I could but I’d rather not. With a controller in one hand and a mouse in the other there aren’t many buttons near my fingers, I’d have to let go of one to do some stuff anyway for some functions. Plus it makes UI glyphs flash between keyboard and controller which is irritating.
I think it’s most likely that more people are playing genres like platformers and fighting games that are designed for controllers on PC than before.
I wouldn’t call those genres particularly popular atm
I don’t understand controllers. I can never get to use them properly. I grew up playing on computers all my life. My brain simply can’t grasp them and I always forget where all the buttons are.
Steamdeck, platformers, racers, and fighters are all controller preferred games.
Games need to support it well with remapping and better UI and ways to control that make sense.
I have to wonder what percentage of folks are using handheld gaming PCs like the Steam Deck or ROG Ally. Personally I’ve found that I game much more now that I have a Steam Deck and can mindlessly play stuff like Dave the Diver while relaxing on the couch with my SO, versus setting aside specific “gaming time” to be at my desk.
I remember in the 90s almost everyone I knew with a pc had a gamepad or joystick of some sort.
As others have said, it really depends on the game. But I would say >90% of my PC gaming is done with a controller. I’ve just become so adapted to them, that the keyboard and mouse just feels foreign now. Even with FPS, most of the time I use a controller. I’m aware of the advantages of using a mouse obviously, but again I’m just conditioned to it now.
If you can aim assist snap as fast as someone can flick, it’s fine. A lot of games account for this and it pisses off the “m+kb is the only good peripheral” crowd every time despite their constant insistance that controller is worse for everything. Even OG overwatch had competitive controller pros (e.g. Malik); map knowledge, good awareness and positioning, control of resource locations (or power weapon spawns in older fps) have always been skills that contribute to wins as much as aiming well, regardless of peripheral. The best peripheral is the one you’re most comfortable competing with.
Other than soulslikes I pretty much always prefer mouse+KB. Playing bg3 with a controller briefly during a co-op run was just way worse, for example.
BG3 is completely playable with a controller though. Yes, kbm is better here, but I’ve played 2 entire campaigns on my deck and it was fine. The radials can be kind of annoying but you can customize them so it’s not so bad. You can tell Larian put a lot of work into making a good controller experience, while Solasta: Crown of the Magister (for example) promised controller support but it plays like ass with one.
Solasta actually plays pretty well with an old Steam Controller and the right controller mapping, but I can see where you’re coming from on a controller without a touchpad input.
BG3 has an entirely different interface when using controller. I’m not a fan of the radial menus, but it’s not really an issue with the controller.
The truth is, for me at least, my wrists aren’t getting any younger and the controller is easier for me to use.
I do still use M+KB for games and activities that need it, but if there’s a reasonable controller option I’m going to go that route.
I’ve been using controllers on PC since the Sidewinder days, I’m glad to see support for most controllers be basically perfect on Linux and pretty decent on Windows. MacOS still has a way to go with anything that isn’t made by Sony, but it’s not exactly a gaming platform.
We are just getting old and our backs hurt too much, ok?
Thank God, this changes everything
/s
Edit; I attached a link to the best selling Bluetooth controller in the description.
I’ve been playing from the couch for a few years now.
I’ve got a DS4 and DualSense which I use via Bluetooth for games with support. Most times I’ll have Xbox controller icons, but I don’t care about that.
I have a Steam Controller that I use for most things that don’t have support, especially strategy games. That right pad is a beautiful mouse replacement. It’s also fantastic for couch flight simming since you can use the grip buttons to change action sets.
Of course I have a wireless keyboard and mouse, but I find myself using them for gaming very, very rarely.