Suggestions For PC Controllers

i went radio shack &|nd got a usb to ps2 adaptyer &|nd use my ps2 controller &|nd it works great

Logitech makes a dual action controller that resembles the ps2 controller. I bought that for my ex after her ps2 fried, and she switched to pc, the controls were really easy to set up (same as the ps2's) .

I've set the wife up with a ps2 controller over a year ago and never looked back. Very easy to set up and most walmarts carry replacements should you ever get frustrated at being out camped by a bot and throwing your controller across the room into the wall or smashing it into the hardwood floor.

I've found the overall quality of most PC controllers to be trash. I bought a USB adaptor for Playstation 2 controllers and has worked great for me, and only cost me about $5. It works in windows XP, Vista, 7, and even Linux for me.

This is the exact item I bought:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001AATQ0Y/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller=

"7 new from $3.12"

My Logitech dual analog or whatever controller crapped out on me in 2 months. The wre that goes into the controller got loose or something.
What I had to do was wrap the wire around my controller tight and use a alot of tape to fix that.
Then the 2+3 buttons die (select+cancel) a few months after that.

All in all I gotta drop 20$ either every few months or once a year stretching it.

If you have a PS3 controller, go to www.motioninjoy.com. It takes a little work but I have my PS3 controller workin for FFXI.

I have a Logitech Wireless one. It has fell from my desk countless times, my Nephew takes it and throws it around. Still, one year later, Still works perfectly. Except for the occasionally wear out of the button's rubber, but I had so many previous controllers that I just use em as replacement parts. :D

Gamestop also sells a PS3 USB Controller, those work great and no Installation required.

Thanks! was looking for something similar to this one. Had a different installation which kinda screwed up the binding of my controller.
Hope this would work better.

*ancient necrobumpga* ^^;

I posted about this in random questions some time ago, but I ended up having to replace my PC (which involved a switch to Windows 8) and put off making a decision in the meantime. I couldn't hunt down the responses I received the first time, but I did find this wonderfully relevant thread instead. :] I've spent the past 2 hours reading conflicting reviews about various products, but I place a lot more faith in this community than in the average customer on Amazon.com. I'd really appreciate any advice you guys might have. :D

Basically, I'm looking for a Windows 8-friendly way to use a PlayStation DualShock-style controller to play FFXI and various games on Steam. Things I am considering:

• When I first switched to PC from PS2 many years ago, I bought a Logitech Dual Action USB controller that looks like this:

  Spoiler Alert! Click to view.

  
  The only thing I like about this controller is that its layout vaguely resembles a DualShock. I don't really like the way it feels and it has a huge flaw that gives me second thoughts about buying another Logitech product: the D-pad is mounted on a wheel instead of being 4 separate buttons. Instead of a crisp and reliable button press, you have to push down the edge of the wheel that corresponds to whichever direction. It feels clunky and very uncomfortable. After a few months of use, the D-pad became less and less sensitive until it started taking ridiculous amounts of pressure for the controller to even register a press. All of the newer Logitech controllers appear to have the same kind of D-pad. :/ Would prefer to avoid if at all possible, unless someone knows of a model that doesn't have this issue.

• I've also considered buying an adapter for my PS2 controllers:

  Spoiler Alert! Click to view.

  
  But I can't figure out if this sort of thing will work on a 64-bit Windows 8 system. Does anyone have one of these and know the answer? Would it work with newer games on Steam? Because PS2 controllers are like sex for my fingers and an adapter wouldn't cost very much.

• I'm also thinking about getting a PS3 controller. Since I don't actually own a PS3, I think I'd need to buy a charger as well. I've already researched how to create an interface between a PC and a PS3 controller, but this is definitely the most expensive option. Is it worth it? Would the controller work for both FFXI and stuff on Steam?

Anyway, sorry for the long post. I welcome any and all anecdotes and advice--everything else I've found has been from 2009. XD

Several years back I used that exact same adapter with no issues, at least when playing FFXI.

Now I use the Logitech F310 controller you posted for Steam games, but I haven't had any issues with it whatsoever. They also have a very nice price point ($~15 on Amazon).

You can use this PS2 adapter on any Windows version. In the worst case scenario, you'll just have to use Xpadder or similar to make it work.

I'd advise using "normal" controllers on PC, though. Nowadays, you can use PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One and PS4 on PC without any issue, they're easy to set up, even wireless.

I used to have the Logitech model you posted above until using console controllers became plug and play level of ease.

For the PS3 pad, you don't need a charger as it charges when it's plugged through USB, if you ever plan on charging it that way.

Every controller works with anything. You can even use some programs to map the keys and give them a deeper use.
I personally use a 360 controller for the sole reason that my PS3 controller's driver used to make me BSOD and I was too lazy to fix the issue. I've used said 360 controller to play FFXIV, PSO2, MGR and Grid on Steam to give you an idea.

Nowadays, there is little to no reason to buy a Logitech controller unless they feature something that is better than the console versions. You can practically use any controller from any console on your PC with little effort needed. I've been using fightpads that I use to play Street Fighter on Steam (360 and PS3 versions and the Saturn controller) to play any game that doesn't need a joystick, for example.

The Logitech F310 is a cheap piece of plastic, I have a few of them, I know.

I have 2 of these:



They work great.

Thanks for all the advice!! :]

The USB cable used to charge a PS3 controller is bundled with the system and sold separately from individual controllers. :( If you zoom, you can see "USB cable is not included."I assume that any USB A to mini B would work, but I've read that people are having mixed results using unofficial cables. XD


Since they're so cheap, I'm thinking my best bet is just to get one and give it a try. Do y'all have any recommendations on Trenro vs. HDE brand?

Yeah a Micro Mini (damn I'm tired) cable should work, as long as it supports the current needed to charge it (which if it's to spec, it should).

I have some monoprice cables, they're cheap but I don't have any complaints, short of their shipping fees, if you have amazon prime order one of their cables through amazon instead of from monoprice directly, that way you can get it in 2 days and free shipping.

As for the adapter, I have two of the HDE ones apparently, this one to be exact:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001AATQ0Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Gonna get myself one of those adapters then. Can't beat the price lol

Thanks again everyone! :D

I've been using my cellphone cable, my friend computer mouse's cable and my camera cable for the PS3 controller. It works fine, really.

I edited my post, the PS3 controller is Mini-usb not micro, your phone is mini usb?

Yeah.

Micro is what is used by say, Blackberry and Samsung isn't it?

I used one of these with a ps2 controller basically since I started FFXI. While the adapter lasted til a few months ago, I burned through controllers over the years.

For a few weeks I tried a ps3 but I cannot stand the various weird drivers and I had nothing but trouble with them.

When my ps2 adapter up and died, I switched over to a ps4 controller. I don't like the cost, but it is really easy to set up. I plugged it in, re-configed my buttons and started playing. I've not tried the wireless on it though since my pc doesn't have wireless but I do plan on trying it at some point. Be nice to not have to worry about the cord getting damaged or the port getting bent up while playing. Another nice thing is that the ps4 controller has 4 secondary buttons you can use instead of just 2 and you can map those to macros for quick actions. It's been a huge lifesaver for me when stunning or if I need a fast heal.

No micro is the standard phone power cable, the EU enforces the same cable for all phones.

Even usb 3.0 capable phones like the Samsung Galaxy S5 ship in the EU with a micro usb 2.0 cable, instead of the micro usb 3.0 cable like in the US (doesn't matter charging wise, just data transfer, kinda moot as most just use some sort of sync capabilities online).

I'm pretty sure the only outlier is Apple with their proprietary connector, and I think they ship/use an adapter in the EU to comply (I may be wrong on this one, don't really keep up with Apple ***).

Mini USB is used more in digital cameras, external card readers, older mp3 players, and other peripherals that I can't think of at the moment, but also the PS3 controller, oh also my ti-inspire CAX or w/e graphing calculator.

Micro is used by basically every modern device other than apple. It's pretty much the standard plug. Mini use to be but micro has over taken it. I just can't wait for USB type C to start showing up on devices.

I may have to look into one of those, but not for XI. I picked up a game today where it won't let me map the buttons how I want them, so I need to find something that lets me map more buttons...

Yeah as I thought. Most of my stuff is bought in Japan at the moment, even my digital camera has ports that are different than micro and mini.

I know you are considering using a PS3 controller but the best way to go is with a xbox 360 controller i believe there is very little in the way of driver installs you have to do. Most of steam games support the 360 controller natively and i think you can probably scoop one up dirt cheap at the moment.

and im not 100% sure if PS3 controller still has to be connected via USB to work, (silly proprietary bluetooth) any who hope it helps a bit.

Logitech Wireless Gamepad F710

I've used this for about 4 years now with absolutely zero issues. The batteries last for a week shy of eternity, also. Which is nice.

The D Pad is 4 individual buttons (I've dissected it a few times to clean it, so I'm confident this is true), and the L/R triggers are both analog (L/R Trigger axes) and digital (on or off) depending on if you have it set for X-Input or DirectInput settings respectively (switch on the top of the controller). In this respect it actually acts as two controllers in one. So can just flip the switch while one game is up, and play another with the other setting. Also, the analog sticks have a circular cutout instead of the inane square cutout the other Logitech controllers have.

I highly recommend this one. Definitely a huge cut above the myriad of cheap garbage Logitech has graced us with over the years.

That one looks exactly like the F310 I have, except bright silver and wireless xD

Looks really nice, will probably grab that one when my F310 finally kicks the bucket.

If you are using windows 8/8.1 just buy a PS4 controller and a wire to plug it in to pc. You don't have to install any programs to make it run just need to go into program x86, pol game pad config and reset it up.

So I got PS2 to USB adapter in the mail and it seems to be working correctly for FFXI, but I'm having a bit of an issue trying to play XIII-2 (as an example) through Steam.

Some of the buttons seem to be mapped strangely, which I assume is because the game is expecting an Xbox-style controller input. There is no calibration or re-mapping option inside the game itself, so at this point I guess I need to download some software to do it for me? I've seen Xpadder recommended, but before I pay $10 for something I'd like to know if anyone knows of a better alternative.^^

Edit: looks like (paid) Xpadder vs. (free) Motionjoy, with the drawback of Motionjoy being the occasional BSoD. Is Motionjoy really that bad?

There are some guides on how to use a direct-input device (what you have, and what XI likes) as an X-input device (modern games, and like the PS3/360 controllers).

There are torrents available for xpadder, but it is some good software, would even allow you to use a controller in instances where a controller isn't supported, as you can bind keys and key comboes to buttons, it's probably what I'll do or at least look into to play Battlefront 2 (just picked it up in humble bundle) with a PS2 controller, as the game itself won't allow you to do something like "double tap X for force run).

Doesn't steam let you change the mapping?

edit: Motioninjoy should also technically work, but it is adware and is generally advised to not be used.

I don't have any games at the moment that require X-input that I know of, so I can't really test anything well, sorry. I've always solved issues going the other way (Using an X-input device with a direct-input only game).

If I'm going to use Xpadder and it's the best option, I feel like I should pay for it so it can continue to exist and be supported hahahah

I don't think there are any gamepad settings within Steam itself, but I am admittedly very new to the interface.