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When playing fast-paced first-person shooters and complex strategy games on your PC, you can’t beat the precision of a keyboard and mouse. But if you play platformers, puzzles or retro games, or are more comfortable with a controller, a gamepad is still a great addition to any gaming PC. Microsoft’s latest Xbox Wireless Controller, the only one you buy for Xbox Series X or S, is the best controller you can buy for gaming because it’s comfortable and supports most devices.
Best Batteries For Video Game Controllers
But if you already have a gaming console and controller that you love, whether it’s an old Xbox One gamepad or a Nintendo Switch Pro controller, you don’t need to spend more money on a controller designed specifically for your PC. Any controller that has two analog sticks, two shoulder buttons, and two trigger buttons and can be connected to your computer via USB can be used with PC games. Some require more configuration than others, which we’ll cover below.
A Brief History Of Video Game Controllers
The Microsoft controller is easy to hold and has built-in Windows support – just plug it in and it’ll work with any game that supports a controller. But if you want to play wirelessly it needs AA batteries or an extra rechargeable battery.
Microsoft’s Xbox Wireless Controller for Series X consoles | The S is almost identical to the old Xbox One controller – it adds a share button for clips and screenshots, uses a USB-C port and has a redesigned eight-way directional pad, but otherwise it’s hard to tell the two apart. It’s a tried-and-true design that works well, and the vast majority of PC games offer controls and button layouts that assume you’re using an Xbox controller (or one with an Xbox-style button layout). For those times when you don’t want to connect your headphones directly to your computer, the audio quality from the headphone jack is good. The biggest downside is that you’ll need a pair of AA batteries or a rechargeable battery if you want to play wirelessly (most other controllers include a built-in rechargeable battery at this point).
Sony’s PlayStation 4 controller is a more comfortable option if you have small hands and have a rechargeable battery and nice analog stick. But this may require additional setup for some games, and most games default to Xbox-style button labels.
The Sony DualShock 4 wireless controller is slightly smaller than the Xbox controller, making it a more comfortable option for those with smaller hands. It has a more comfortable thumbstick than the Xbox controller, as well as a directional pad positioned on the left, which is more convenient for playing 2D games. It has some nice extra features that the Xbox controller doesn’t have, like an internal rechargeable battery and a touchpad that can emulate a mouse cursor. But it takes extra effort to work with non-Steam Windows or macOS games, and doesn’t work well with computers with headsets plugged into its audio jack unless you buy Sony’s USB wireless adapter. Many games also assume an Xbox button layout, and as a result, it can be confusing when the game’s button labels don’t match the buttons on your controller. We prefer the DualShock 4 for PC gaming over the PlayStation 5’s DualSense controller, which has the same flaws but is physically larger and costs more.
Backbone One Review
This officially licensed clone looks a bit cheaper than Microsoft’s Xbox Gamepad, but is surprisingly similar and usually costs about half the price.
If you want to spend less and don’t mind a cable, the PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller for Xbox One/Series X|S gives you most of the features of Microsoft’s new controller for about half the price. Its analog sticks and buttons are comfortable enough for hours of gaming sessions, and since it’s compatible with Xbox consoles, it takes advantage of the excellent Xbox controller support built into both Windows and Xbox. Compared to other budget controllers, the PowerA controller feels better in the hand and the audio quality from its headphone jack is better. It also has a convenient volume and mute switch and additional configurable buttons on the handles.
If you love playing old games and want a more authentic experience, this is the best of the many SNES-style Gamepad replicas.
If you play retro (or throwback) games that don’t need all the extra buttons, thumbsticks and triggers of modern controllers, a simple gamepad can provide a better and more authentic experience. The Retroflag Classic Wired USB Game Controller is a look-alike for the Super Nintendo replica controllers that come with the SNES Classic Edition, or the SNES controllers produced for the Nintendo Switch. Its buttons are comfortable, responsive and clicky, it has a Turbo feature to help smooth out repetitive button presses, and it works well with Windows, macOS and most retro gaming software. But it’s a poor choice for most modern games, requiring thumbsticks and more buttons than those old SNES-style controllers.
Best Nintendo Switch Controller For 2022
Currently, Xbox controllers offer the most reproducibility of video games, which is the most important aspect for gaming accessibility.
If you have a disability or an upper extremity injury, you may want a gamepad that allows you to easily rearrange the controls. Steam, the leading video game platform, offers the best support for Xbox controllers. Our current budget pick, the PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller for Xbox Series X | The S is cheaper than its Microsoft-made counterpart and features mappable ‘advanced game buttons’ under the grip, making it easier for one-handed gamers to play. use.
Andrew Cunningham is a former senior writer who has been testing, reviewing, and writing about computers and other gadgets since 2012, and he’s been playing with game controllers since he was old enough to own one. He is currently a senior technology reporter at Ars Technica.
Britt H. Young is a writer and PhD candidate in geography at the University of California, Berkeley. He has contributed to Wirecutter on topics related to technology and cooking. His work on the future of technology has appeared in n+1, Input and Rest of World. She’s working on a book of essays about techno-optimism, disability, and what it’s like to have a bunch of artificial baby hands in your closet.
The Best Video Game Controllers For Every Platform
If you already own an Xbox or PlayStation console (or a Nintendo Switch Pro controller) and are happy with the included controller, you won’t need to buy another one. And most computer games can be played with keyboard and mouse. We only recommend buying one of our devices here if you don’t already own a game console, need a controller for a second player, or don’t want to deal with lugging a controller around.
All our remains can be connected directly to a computer with a USB cable, and wireless ones can be connected via Bluetooth, such as a wireless keyboard or a wireless headset. All Macs and all Windows laptops have Bluetooth support, but not a gaming desktop. If you want to add Bluetooth to your desktop, we recommend an internal PCI Express card with better antennas than many cheap USB dongles (you have an empty PCI Express slot and a free USB header on your motherboard); In our testing, the tiny USB dongle made the connection slow and inconsistent after a few minutes of gaming.
Controller preference is highly personal and may vary depending on your hand size, playstyle, and operating system. But regardless of the specific controllers you prefer, most people should look for the following features:
Other features like a touchpad, internal rechargeable batteries, or extra customizable buttons and triggers are nice to have, but a good controller doesn’t need them.
Wireless Bluetooth Controller S820 Game Controller For Switch Phone Ps4 Steam
For previous updates to this guide, we’ve tested dozens of controllers from major manufacturers like 8Bitdo, Logitech, Microsoft, Nintendo, Razer, ScufGaming, Sony, and Valve, along with a few more controllers from lesser-known companies popular on Amazon. . . For our original 2021 update, we focused primarily on updating the account guide for the new controllers released for Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and S and Sony’s PlayStation 5.
We’ve tested all of our modern controllers on a Windows desktop with a variety of 2D and 3D games, including first-person shooters.
. This process gave us plenty of time to evaluate the analog stick, d-pad, and trigger buttons, as well as consider how the controllers felt during long gaming sessions. For retro controllers, we’re stuck with classic 2D platformers and similar action games
. We tested each controller for at least an hour and spent at least three hours playing different games with each of our controllers.
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Microsoft’s Xbox Wireless Controller for the Xbox Series X and S consoles is a polished version of the Xbox One controller, itself an upgraded version of the old Xbox 360 gamepad. It’s a familiar design that’s comfortable and works well, and has built-in support in Windows: Not only
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