PC Controller

[AAA177]

I'm going to be looking for a PC controller this week. I want to use it to play Steam games and games on the Internet Archive site.

 

Curious what people here use for that purpose. I've never really played computer games for the most part and don't currently own a PC controller, and the games I do play on Steam are point/click (e.g., Lucasfilm games). I'm thinking though of buying The Disney Afternoon which would need a controller. For the Archive site, I've been playing the old arcade games with the keyboard (when that works, of course, as I'm sure you will understand).

 

I read that some of the PlayStation/Xbox controllers may be compatible with PC -- is that true? Can I use that for Steam and for Atari 2600 games/etc. online? (Maybe for the latter I should try to find a PC joystick.)

 

One last question, a derivative one: can games on the Archive site be legally downloaded? If not that's fine (I'm not really a download person) but sometimes they seem buggy and I was wondering if downloading would correct that. Also, is just playing them there in the browser legal to do as well? Are all of these games considered public domain?

 

Thanks for the advice! (I should mention too there is a Steam controller itself, which would seem to suggest the solution, but it looks odd to me and I read a review saying it is not comfortable with which to play; plus it seems expensive, although when I do buy the controller, I may just go the used-Gamestop route.)

[Punisher5.0]

I just use a PS4 controller. It works fine the majority of the time.

[Amstari]

I use Xbox 360 controllers. With Windows 10 you can just plug them in and it will detect them, with other versions you just install the driver.

 

The button configuration on Xbox controllers seems to be the standard for most PC games.You can use wired controllers via USB or get a receiver to use wireless controllers. If you have games that don't use the controller I would recommend "Controller Companion" on Steam. You can map the sticks and buttons on your controller to keys or the mouse.

 

I have an official wireless controller but the cheap wired controllers we have also work fine. I prefer the D-pad on the cheap ones.

[Bill Loguidice]

I recommend the latest version of the Xbox One controller. You can use it wired or over Bluetooth. It basically has the same advantages as the Xbox 360 controller, just with an updated design and tech.

 

I have the Steam Controller, but I really don't like it. It's too odd.

[JamesD]

I *had* an XBOX 360 wireless interface for my PC till it burned up. The clone interfaces are pretty cheap on ebay... at least they were last I looked.
Now I use a wired 360 controller off of USB.

[zzip]

I'm going to be looking for a PC controller this week. I want to use it to play Steam games and games on the Internet Archive site.

 

Curious what people here use for that purpose. I've never really played computer games for the most part and don't currently own a PC controller, and the games I do play on Steam are point/click (e.g., Lucasfilm games). I'm thinking though of buying The Disney Afternoon which would need a controller. For the Archive site, I've been playing the old arcade games with the keyboard (when that works, of course, as I'm sure you will understand).

 

I read that some of the PlayStation/Xbox controllers may be compatible with PC -- is that true? Can I use that for Steam and for Atari 2600 games/etc. online? (Maybe for the latter I should try to find a PC joystick.)

 

One last question, a derivative one: can games on the Archive site be legally downloaded? If not that's fine (I'm not really a download person) but sometimes they seem buggy and I was wondering if downloading would correct that. Also, is just playing them there in the browser legal to do as well? Are all of these games considered public domain?

 

Thanks for the advice! (I should mention too there is a Steam controller itself, which would seem to suggest the solution, but it looks odd to me and I read a review saying it is not comfortable with which to play; plus it seems expensive, although when I do buy the controller, I may just go the used-Gamestop route.)

 

Xbox controllers seem to be the current defacto standard on PCs.

 

My PS4 controller also works extremely well with many games (on and off Steam). Some require that you map the buttons to your liking. Some games will put PS button prompts on screen if it recognizes a PS controller ( i.e. O X square triangle), While other games will use the Xbox prompts (A B X Y ) and you have to figure out what is what. Bottom like if you have PS controllers, they work well enough, if you don't, get something Xbox compatible for a more seamless experience.

 

Also recently I looked for a controller that works with Android (for Gear VR), and it's also PC compatible. Paid less than $20 for it

 

By 2600 games, do you mean emulators like Stella? If so, any of the above should work (but you might need to remap buttons to your liking)

[Punisher5.0]

 

Xbox controllers seem to be the current defacto standard on PCs.

 

My PS4 controller also works extremely well with many games (on and off Steam). Some require that you map the buttons to your liking. Some games will put PS button prompts on screen if it recognizes a PS controller ( i.e. O X square triangle), While other games will use the Xbox prompts (A B X Y ) and you have to figure out what is what. Bottom like if you have PS controllers, they work well enough, if you don't, get something Xbox compatible for a more seamless experience.

 

Also recently I looked for a controller that works with Android (for Gear VR), and it's also PC compatible. Paid less than $20 for it

 

By 2600 games, do you mean emulators like Stella? If so, any of the above should work (but you might need to remap buttons to your liking)

What controller did you get for GearVR? I have GearVR too and need a controller. I recently got Witchblood and it gets frustrating using the remote sometimes.

[Osgeld]

 

Xbox controllers seem to be the current defacto standard on PCs.

 

 

yea its been that way for a bit now, well since they started selling the 360 controllers for pc, what sucks though is now there's two different standards, just plain old usb hid direct input, and I think its X input or something

 

the newer version, which is what almost everything new uses just automaps assuming you are using a 360 or similar controller, but it kind of sucked cause I had a couple really good controllers like an original xbox logitech wireless that no matter what could not be mapped to lets say GTA4 or whatever

 

then I had replaced it with a radio shack model that supported both, and it was a decent controller for a little while but if I wanted to play something OLD that didnt support the new thing I had to unplug it and plug it back in holding the mode button, or when I went back to a modern game same thing, like a durn sega pad (and like the sega pad there was plenty of time it just didnt care)

 

now that was a few years ago, so hopefully now everyone has their stuff together, and obviously the 360 or newer pads work

[AAA177]

​Thanks for all the replies. Taking all the information in, and then seeing what Gamestop had to offer at the moment I went there, I settled on an inexpensive Xbox 360 controller. Was about $15. I then tried to play some of the games on the Internet Archive arcade. Most did not work for me except for Pitfall II by Sega (thankfully!) and Phoenix (also thankfully!). The 2600 games likewise did not work, nor anything else (800, Colecovision, so on). After some research, I guess it might be IE that is incompatible. I happened to have Chrome (I hate downloading stuff and probably would not have acquired this just for games, but I had needed it a while back for some writing that I do because the content systems I was using were not compatible with Microsoft) and decided to try that. So far, it seems to work with just about all the games I have tried (very disappointed that Zorro and Bruce Lee for 800XL do not work at all -- I don't mean controller-wise, I mean they simply don't function -- but I have no right to complain considering how much gaming content is available; takes a lot of work to put this together, and I am grateful). Some especially fun moments were with Goonies by Data Soft (I believe that's the company; I'm amazed I actually forgot how to get past the first screen, I used to be so good at this title!), Atari 2600 Frankenstein (always liked that one; always funny to see the monster stomp in anger if you lose all your player inventory) and Wiz 'n Liz. I still feel a bit odd about playing the games since I have no idea what the rights issues are, but they are fun. Perhaps someday the whole licensing issue could be solved and maybe micro-transactions could be used to legitimately buy/rent these legacy titles (I think it is more than fair if the titles were sold for $2/$3 a piece, or even $1 if there was a lot of resistance to those price points); probably would improve the experience as well (Phoenix, as an example, seemed to run a bit slow).

 

Thanks again for all the advice, it definitely helped me to know what to buy; I'm just not an expert in PC gaming, and most computer issues for that matter. My next intention is to buy The Disney Afternoon this week and use my new Xbox 360 controller for that (I assume it will work on Steam from all indications in the thread). Also, to zzip: I don't know how the archive site emulates the 2600 titles, but I mean solely through that platform; years ago on another computer I had Stella and many ROMs, but on my newer systems I really haven't downloaded Stella or any other emulators. I just don't do that these days (wish I did).

Edited January 16, 2018 by AAA177

[+-^CrossBow^-]

i actually use a Mayfair GameCube to Wii U adapter on my PC. The Mayfair model is both Wii U and PC compatible. It did require a driver to install, but I'm able to map the buttons on the cube controller to most games through their options. Odd thing is that emulators actually give me the biggest headache with using this controller setup. Most Emus simply can't seem to 'see' it attached though PC games have no problem with it.

 

But I've liked the cube controller so when I found one of the Mayfair adapters for like $10 one day, I grabbed it and have enjoyed using it. It does require 2 usb ports however to function fully.

[Jess Ragan]

I generally use adapters, but when that's not an option (or I'm too lazy to dig one up) I've got my Logitech F310. It's a hybrid of the Dual Shock and Xbox 360 controllers, and while it doesn't work with the Xbox 360 by default, it can be set to either DInput (classic USB) or XInput (the input used by the Xbox 360 controller). The buttons have the same color and layout as they do on an Xbox controller, but the thumbsticks are parallel and the rounded D-pad reliably responds to diagonals. It's a decent back-up joypad.

[The Mr. Video]

I most of the time use a Wii Classic Controller by connecting it to my laptop through Bluetooth and using WiinUSoft to translate the controller's inputs into Xinput. Other times I use an old USB Steelseries gamepad from about 10 years ago for games that require Dinput.

[MrMaddog]

Xbox controlers are highly recommended for modern PC games which are console ports anyway, and they use Xbox button prompts anyway.

 

They should work for older games, especially ones running through DOSbox, by emulating a DirectInput controller. But this depends on the driver actually working like it should (had an issues with Windows 10 screwing the driver up and I had to downgrade to an older one). If worse comes to worse you can get a Logitech gamepad that lets you switch between Xinput & DirectInput.

 

For DOS games off Internet Archive I believe they use keyboard controls only? If so you can get something like Joy2Key which lets you remap keystrokes to your PC controler.

[Eltigro]

I use my Xbox One controller, connected via USB, to play Steam and emulator games. Computer recognizes it and installs anything necessary when plugged in. Didn't really need to set up much of anything except in some of the emulators. Only annoyance is having to reconnect/resync it to my Xbox when I want to play it.

[Video]

I use a 360 controller. Works for most everything I've used it on.

[leods]

People recommending an xbox 360 controller should say the d-pad varies from very bad to god awful on the 360 controllers.

 

Hori multiple choices of good quality and decent prices. If you're using digital only inputs there are also other alternatives like the iBuffalo SNES immitation controller.

 

Any PS3 wired controller works on PC as d-input. Actually PS3 took the PC standard of the time, d-input and adopted it for their wired controllers. Some of those are very good options.

 

Mx go to controller right now on PC is the Hori pad Pro for xbox one. For all the features and quality it has a great price. I find it to be better than the original xbox one or 360 controllers, and it has the extra "pro" features than can help in some games.

 

Those Hori PS4 minis also look cool, but I don't have one.

[Newsdee]

Not for all games, but a good solid (and heavy) arcade stick is worth it

 

For emulators my favorite is a USB iBuffalo SNES gamepad, which is cheap, very sturdy, and the buttons feel nice.

 

Otherwise a PS3/PS4 or XBox controller are all solid choices. I'd avoid cheap clones as there's always a tradeoff (bad DPad mostly).

Edited February 11, 2018 by Newsdee

[+-^CrossBow^-]

i actually use a Mayfair GameCube to Wii U adapter on my PC. The Mayfair model is both Wii U and PC compatible. It did require a driver to install, but I'm able to map the buttons on the cube controller to most games through their options. Odd thing is that emulators actually give me the biggest headache with using this controller setup. Most Emus simply can't seem to 'see' it attached though PC games have no problem with it.

 

But I've liked the cube controller so when I found one of the Mayfair adapters for like $10 one day, I grabbed it and have enjoyed using it. It does require 2 usb ports however to function fully.

Forgot about this..would you believe it, like a week later I finally picked up a PS4 Pro and an extra controller and decided to give the PS4 remote play option a shot. Long story short, I've taken the mayfair gamecube controller adapter off the PC and boxed it up and just decided to leave the PS4 controller plugged in since it seems to work better in most cases. I haven't tried it with emus yet and I need to do that...

[Eltigro]

One thing I have noticed, and I'm sure it's just my specific controller, is that left on the d-pad is a little touchy. It's just fine for sustained presses (like running to the left) but when you're trying to navigate a menu, it sometimes moves two or three times when you only press it once. I think it is very slightly rocking some and registering it as multiple presses. Anyone else had issues with the d-pad on the Xbox One controller? I mean, it's still miles better than the one on the 360 controller...

 

Also, along the lines of using a controller on the PC, I have a cable that converts the plug on a PS2 controller to USB, so I can use my PS2 dual shock controller on my computer. I haven't used it on my computer, but I did use it on my PS3 in a pinch. So there are always those options for older controllers.

Edited February 15, 2018 by Eltigro

[Bill Loguidice]

One thing I have noticed, and I'm sure it's just my specific controller, is that left on the d-pad is a little touchy. It's just fine for sustained presses (like running to the left) but when you're trying to navigate a menu, it sometimes moves two or three times when you only press it once. I think it is very slightly rocking some and registering it as multiple presses. Anyone else had issues with the d-pad on the Xbox One controller? I mean, it's still miles better than the one on the 360 controller...

 

I haven't, but I will say that the Xbox One S/X controllers are better than the original Xbox One controllers in my experience.

[Eltigro]

 

I haven't, but I will say that the Xbox One S/X controllers are better than the original Xbox One controllers in my experience.

 

Are they compatible with the regular Xbox One? I've been wanting to get a second controller, but haven't really found one I like at a good price. I'm sure these are still $60 or so.

[+Tarzilla]

Anyone know of a modern version of the Wingman Warrior?

 

http://support.logitech.com/en_ca/product/wingman-warrior

 

I used it a ton when it came out for MAME as the spinner worked well for games like Tron and Discs of Tron, but with USB I could never find a replacement with a proper spinner.