Hostile Faceoff: Controller vs Mouse & Keyboard

Thread: Hostile Faceoff: Controller vs Mouse & Keyboard

Which is the most enjoyable way to play games?

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    36
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Hostile_18

Hostile_18

Face/Off
Platforms
  1. PC
Once each decade we vote on the ultimate controlling mechanism for playing computer games.

There is no room for nuance here. No half measures. Which is the most enjoyable way to play games?

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VS
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You ask for the most enjoyable, not the best one?

It's not a straight forward answer. I play many games with a controller and prefer playing them that way. I could also play them ok with kbm, but it wouldn't be as nice.
On the other hand, the shooter games that I like are fast old school style games. Playing them with a controller is just bad, you need a mouse to do all the crazy fast turning precise shots.

So:
- Controller is the better option for many games, but you can play everything fine with kbm.
- You can't play fast fps fine with a controller.

I'd go with mkb if I had to chose, but both are important and controllers are great as well.
 
If a controller came out with like 40 useless buttons you guys would be up in arms. Also no rumble support in 2023!

I suppose if you need easy aiming though and it makes the game more enjoyable for you and your arthritis crippled hands I can give you all a free pass. 😉

@teezzy get em.
 
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I'm really weird about this. I used to be KB + M, but lately I am definitely controller. I don't like having to keep my arms out stretched. I would rather just lean back in my computer chair with a controller in hand. Even in Cities Skylines I prefer the controller layout over the weird unintuitive PC UI they have.
 
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regawdless said:
You ask for the most enjoyable, not the best one?
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"Best" is a strange metric in this context. Is best most Precise? Comfiest? Most Versatile? Best value Etc.

The "most enjoyable" phrasing, kind of let's the recipient decide which of those factors are most important to them.
 
Hostile_18 said:
If a controller came out with like 40 useless buttons you guys would be up in arms. Also no rumble support in 2023!

I suppose if you need easy aiming though and it makes the game more enjoyable for you and your arthritis crippled hands I can give you all a free pass. 😉

@teezzy get em.
Click to expand...

Fast games are fun. Like Anger Foot, which will release later this year. You have to finish the levels as fast as possible.

Here's me playing the demo:


Now you do that with a controller. Won't be enjoyable.
 
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Optimus said:
I'm really weird about this. I used to be KB + M, but lately I am definitely controller. I don't like having to keep my arms out stretched. I would rather just lean back in my computer chair with a controller in hand. Even in Cities Skylines I prefer the controller layout over the weird unintuitive PC UI they have.
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Reclining sofa, can by your side, controller in the hand. Big boy TV. Dude Bro life. 💖

Work all day hunced over a desk, come back to be hunced over a desk, with a tiny screen. Poor unfortunate soul.
 
regawdless said:
Fast games are fun. Like Anger Foot, which will release later this year. You have to finish the levels as fast as possible.

Here's me playing the demo:


Now you do that with a controller. Won't be enjoyable.
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Take it one step further and have auto aim, cheats ;)

There's no denying you get pin point accuracy but snipping people from a mile off when there a tiny spec on the screen isn't that fun. For me I like more cinematic battles and tense firefight where I'm not just like The Terminator.
 
Hostile_18 said:
Take it one step further and have auto aim, cheats ;)

There's no denying you get pin point accuracy but snipping people from a mile off when there a tiny spec on the screen isn't that fun. For me I like more cinematic battles and tense firefight where I'm not just like John Wick.
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Auto aim would obviously remove the challenge and the fun. Going controller only would pretty much exclude whole genres of games. Don't think it's much fun playing strategy games or shit like LoL with a controller, also fast paced fps.

Going mbk only let's you play all the games well.
 
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Easy choice for me. Exceptions like FPS and games with a million functions are the exception to the rule that kicking back with a controller is by far the preferable choice over sitting at a desk.

Also, analog movement shits all over 8 way movement more often than not.
 
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regawdless said:
Auto aim would obviously remove the challenge and the fun. Going controller only would pretty much exclude whole genres of games. Don't think it's much fun playing strategy games or shit like LoL with a controller, also fast paced fps.

Going mbk only let's you play all the games well.
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I changed John Wick to the Terminator, caus honestly John Wick had some intense balls to the wall combat!!

Every time someone has told me a controller can't do a certain genre they have been proved wrong. They said that about Diablo 3, they said that about Age of Empires, They Said it about Civ 6 and also Baldur's Gate.

Of course I'm just playing devil's advocate and teasing a little. There are niche cases where I prefer the MS Word machine. It's just very rare and sometimes just because the game originally didn't have controller support.
 
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Last year though, I think like 80% of my gaming time was using a controller.

Elden Ring and such. Both input methods have their best use cases and if you only play certain kinds of games, going controller only will be fine as well.
 
regawdless said:
Last year though, I think like 80% of my gaming time was using a controller.

Elden Ring and such. Both input methods have their best use cases and if you only play certain kinds of games, going controller only will be fine as well.
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That's a significant change for it been a lesser way to play.

Come over to the Dark Side. Be a filthy casual like us. The water is warm... I think because someone peed in it.
 
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Hostile_18 said:
That's a significant change for it been a lesser way to play.

Come over to the Dark Side. Be a filthy casual like us. The water is warm... I think because someone peed in it.
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Won't ever happen. I like my retro and old school style shooters too much.
 
regawdless said:
Won't ever happen. I like my retro and old school style shooters too much.
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I play everything through Steam, it gives great controller support to games that didn't originally have it. That been said there are a few exceptions like the original Deus Ex where its better to use the Keyboard/Mouse.
 
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I can't think of a single first person game that would benefit from a controller. They all suck with it.

I played every RE with a controller but when I got to RE7 I couldn't enjoy the game. Switched to kb/m and it instantly got fun. One of my favorite REs now.
 
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regawdless said:
I meant games that require you to aim and turn fast, there's an amazing amount of modern retro style shooters. I won't play all these fast paced games with a controller.
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They do look interesting but I've never felt hampered by a controllers speed. Just yesterday in Resi 4 I turned up the movement speed of the reticle while aiming etc, and it does have fast turn. Obviously will never be as fast as a mouse but we're all in it together, so I never feel at a disadvantage.

I'd probably feel different in competitive FPS games, but my focus has always been on fun than getting the most kills. Returnal is super fast paced and I got right up the leader boards on that with a controller.

I guess it's how much you place on performance vs comfort. No right or wrong, just depends where your priorities lie.
 
HE1NZ said:
I can't think of a single first person game that would benefit from a controller. They all suck with it.

I played every RE with a controller but when I got to RE7 I couldn't enjoy the game. Switched to kb/m and it instantly got fun. One of my favorite REs now.
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Easy mode 😉
 
Hostile_18 said:
Easy mode 😉
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It's not just for better aiming. With mouse look you can instantly scan the environment like you would in real life. Be aware of where you are and what you do. Sort of VR like satisfaction of being present in the game.

On a controller there's a huge lag in your reaction time and looking around feels like a job. You are controlling the camera instead of yourself.
 
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Hostile_18 said:
They do look interesting but I've never felt hampered by a controllers speed. Just yesterday in Resi 4 I turned up the movement speed of the reticle while aiming etc, and it does have fast turn. Obviously will never be as fast as a mouse but we're all in it together, so I never feel at a disadvantage.

I'd probably feel different in competitive FPS games, but my focus has always been on fun than getting the most kills. Returnal is super fast paced and I got right up the leader boards on that with a controller.

I guess it's how much you place on performance vs comfort. No right or wrong, just depends where your priorities lie.
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There are many great games on PC designed for fast and precise aiming that aren't competitive games. It's not about getting the most kills, fast old school single player fps are a whole genre. It's basically just normal fps games before developers had to gimp them to be playable with a controller due to the rising popularity of consoles and their thirst for shooters. All that slowing down, taking cover, aiming down sights, auto aim etc. got introduced because of the insufficient abilities that controllers provide.
 
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regawdless said:
There are many great games on PC designed for fast and precise aiming that aren't competitive games. It's not about getting the most kills, fast old school single player fps are a whole genre. It's basically just normal fps games before developers had to gimp them to be playable with a controller due to the rising popularity of consoles and their thirst for shooters. All that slowing down, taking cover, aiming down sights, auto aim etc. got introduced because of the insufficient abilities that controllers provide.
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What mainstream games are we talking about so I can relate? Because Wolfenstein, Doom, Quake, Duke 3D work great on a controller. Goldeneye and Halo were console born and added loads to the genre.
 
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HE1NZ said:
It's not just for better aiming. With mouse look you can instantly scan the environment like you would in real life. Be aware of where you are and what you do. Sort of VR like satisfaction of being present in the game.

On a controller there's a huge lag in your reaction time and looking around feels like a job. You are controlling the camera instead of yourself.
Click to expand...

Yeah I'll give you it's more realistic for looking around, so that is a good point. It's takes away in having super beyond human accuracy though IMO.
 
I can't answer it without nuance. Just like everyone has pointed out, there's no one and only.

Even a game like Minecraft plays way better with keyboard/mouse. But then a game like Rocket League makes no sense with anything but a controller.

And even in the FPS genre, a game like Call of Duty seems better with keyboard/mouse, but in reality it kinda isn't. It has a controller's DNA built so strongly into it that you'll often hear KB/M players bitching about the advantage that controller users have after all the years of laughing about anyone using a controller in an online game against a big pro boy using KB/M.
 
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Hostile_18 said:
If a controller came out with like 40 useless buttons you guys would be up in arms. Also no rumble support in 2023!

I suppose if you need easy aiming though and it makes the game more enjoyable for you and your arthritis crippled hands I can give you all a free pass. 😉

@teezzy get em.
Click to expand...

Depends on the game

FPS, TPS, CRPG, Strategy = M+KB
Fighting and shmup = Arcade stick
Third person and 2d platformer = controller
 
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Grinchy said:
I can't answer it without nuance. Just like everyone has pointed out, there's no one and only.

Even a game like Minecraft plays way better with keyboard/mouse. But then a game like Rocket League makes no sense with anything but a controller.

And even in the FPS genre, a game like Call of Duty seems better with keyboard/mouse, but in reality it kinda isn't. It has a controller's DNA built so strongly into it that you'll often hear KB/M players bitching about the advantage that controller users have after all the years of laughing about anyone using a controller in an online game against a big pro boy using KB/M.
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But after a hectic day what does Grinchy pick up more often than not? 😄
 
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regawdless said:
friends-ross.gif


We have different definitions of "great". They definitely "work" though.
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I have extensive knowledge of Duke 3D, Doom and Quake and can't think of you can get a lesser experience with them using a controller. I played both ways substantially.
 
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