5 replies to this topic

[Kite]

I dunno if this is the best place to ask this, but I’m currently looking for a relatively cheap PC game controller I can use for 3D movement games (analog stick movement).
 
Currently, I have a Logitech F310. It’s been pretty awesome for 2D games (Zelda, Sonic, etc.). However, now that I’ve been trying to branch into 3D stuff a bit more I’ve encountered a major problem I have with this controller: the analog triggers in the back absolutely destroy my hands. A combination of both their positioning and how hard I have to press them is really doing a number on my ability to play anything. I’m also having trouble with the analog sticks being in the Playstation position because it puts my thumb or my hands into an awkward position if I want to both use the triggers and move.
 
I’m wondering if anyone has any suggestions I could look into that are relatively cheap. The searches I’ve done so far have almost unanimously brought up Xbox 360 or Playstation clones that have one or both of the problems I mentioned above. I don’t mind if the triggers are digital (honestly I might prefer it). The only controller I can think of that hits the spots I want it to hit is the Wii U Pro Controller, but I’m hesitant to buy one of those since I don’t have a Wii U and I’ve heard one of the more common problems with syncing those to a PC is that you sometimes have to resync it with a Wii U first to get it working if it stops.

 

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

[Geoffrey]

Wired Xbox 360 controllers regularly go on sale on Amazon for about $30.

[Kite]

The XBox 360 controller has the same type of triggers as the Logitech controller I currently own. Or rather, the Logitech controller grabbed that from the XBox 360 design when it was merging the XBox and Playstation designs. I don't think it'd be any better on my hands, unfortunately.

 

Edit: To clarify, I guess my issue isn't so much the position of the triggers (since the Wii U Pro Controller puts them back there too) so much as their shape, their position, and the fact that the triggers are analog all at the same time. All of those things put together make me strain my hands a bit if I'm playing for more than 30 minutes.

Edited by Nick, 28 September 2017 - 04:20 PM.

[Nicholas Steel]

The XBox 360 controller has the same type of triggers as the Logitech controller I currently own. Or rather, the Logitech controller grabbed that from the XBox 360 design when it was merging the XBox and Playstation designs. I don't think it'd be any better on my hands, unfortunately.

 

Edit: To clarify, I guess my issue isn't so much the position of the triggers (since the Wii U Pro Controller puts them back there too) so much as their shape, their position, and the fact that the triggers are analog all at the same time. All of those things put together make me strain my hands a bit if I'm playing for more than 30 minutes.

The Xbox360 triggers have around half the resistance of being pressed compared to the Logitech F310 trigger buttons and they swing at a better angle. The xbox360 gamepad also has vastly better analog sticks but the DPad is pretty bleh (I didn't try the DPad on their $99 special edition gamepads that let you switch the DPad between 2 modes of operation).

 

I have the Logitech F310 for its DPad and official Xbox360 gamepads for games that rely upon analog directional input.

Edited by Nicholas Steel, 29 September 2017 - 12:54 AM.

[Kite]

Howdy. I changed my name from Nick since I last posted. I've been pretty busy, so I never got around to posting about that.

I figured I'd start posting again with a bit of a super late update to this. I ended up getting one of these controllers and it arrived today:



I got a Wired Controller Plus, a cheap Switch Pro Controller alternative from PowerA. It doesn't have a lot of the Pro Controller features like rumble, amiibo stuff, the gyro, and it's wired instead of wireless. Because of the missing features, it's probably not the best controller for games like BotW or Mario Odyssey due to the gyro mechanics both games make significant use of. However, it works fine as a DirectInput PC controller. I got the Super Mario theme since it was on sale since I like Mario, but there is also a BotW version and I think a Mario Odyssey version is coming out eventually if it isn't already out (I didn't see it on the Amazon listing).

I mainly got the controller because I do eventually intend to get a Nintendo Switch and I figured it wouldn't hurt to have a cheap Pro Controller alternative until I can actually put a Pro controller into my budget. I figured this would kill two birds with one stone. However, the ability to swap the analog sticks with different variations also appealed to me since I could potentially adjust the sticks until I get a config I liked. Also while I probably would have liked the Zelda one better, I also do like the look of the Super Mario skin. It's Mario and I think the pattern is neat.

I tested it out for a bit in Dolphin and a few random 2D games like Sonic. I've been playing with it for less than a day so far, so I can't say for sure if this will last for me or if I'll run into unanticipated problems. But I figured I'd give some quick thoughts on it anyway.

With Dolphin, it's definitely an improvement over the ancient PS2-styled controller I dug up specifically to get around the hand cramping issues I talked about in the OP and the Logitech controller I was originally using. I think having the analog stick in the XBox/Switch/Gamecube position agrees with me a lot more than the Playstation position. The analog sticks are really responsive. Since this is a Switch controller, the L and R triggers are digital like most of Nintendo's latest controllers. But I think they are fairly easy to press and I'm not straining my hands with them, so I'm actually happy with that. The controller is also pretty comfortable to hold compared to my other controllers.

I have mixed feelings on whether this is an improvement for d-pad heavy games compared to my Logitech controller, though. The d-pad seems to be a little too close to the center, but maybe I'm not used to using a d-pad down-right from the analog stick in general. It feels like I have to extend my thumb a bit far. It's kind of a shame since I think I like this d-pad better than my Logitech d-pad. I noticed when I was playing Sonic Mania with my Logitech that it was kinda weird pressing down for the spindash (it kept feeling uncomfortable to do the movement for that), but I wasn't having that type of issue with the PowerA.

My only other gripe with the controller so far is that it only came with two convex (domed) analog stick swaps and they have different heights (one short and one tall). The other four analog stick swaps are concave and there's a set for each height. It isn't a huge deal since I don't use the right analog that often with the games I play, but it's still a little annoying since I think I'm preferring the convex analog stick.

Overall, I'm liking the controller okay so far. I might be breaking the Logitech back out for d-pad heavy games if I can't get used to this one, but it seems pretty okay for 3D games and that's one of the big reasons I got it anyway.

[Nicholas Steel]

Assuming you can break out of a ducking position in Sonic by pressing a diagonal downwards direction, the Logitech DPad will probably make it easy to accidentally switch from ducking to walking. This issue was also present in Alwa's Awakening but the devs patched it after I reported the issue (you can now not break out of a duck by pressing Down-Left or Down-Right), making the games platforming a lot better.

Edited by Nicholas Steel, 30 November 2017 - 03:08 AM.