I am new to PC gaming. I have spent decades gaming on console. As you can imagine, gaming with a keyboard and mouse is foreign to me. What I cannot imagine is why anyone would want to use a keyboard and mouse?? When using a keyboard, I am constantly looking down at the keys to make sure I press the correct one. This process isn't bad when playing a game with little input, but playing something like Cyberpunk is wildly frustrating with a keyboard. How do you play a game that has dozens of keyboard inputs without constantly looking down?? I know how to type on a keyboard. Not a useful skill in this sense.
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Keyboard and mouse seems inferior to a controller. Am I wrong?
- Thread starter Domenico
- Start date
You answered your own question in your first sentence. Youre new to PC gaming. You will most likely grow to prefer kb/m in some genre of game. I was a console gamer for a long time and even tho i had a fondness with PCs and had them, i never actually "gamed" with them. So for the first year or 2 of me playing games on PC, especially FPSs i was still using a controller. Fast forward to today and i cant imagine gaming without a kb+m. I only use a controller in very select instances like couch co-oping or fighting games.
Kaamos_Llama
Moderator
Muscle memory helps, doing it from a young age. Pretty sure the vast majority of competitive FPS players are using mouse and keyboard, I definitely find it way better although I only play single player games and I'm bad. Complex strategy games are much slower with a controller.
I still play melee or fighting games with a controller, and driving is easier for me on one too, but some people use mouse and keyboard for everything and prefer it.
I still play melee or fighting games with a controller, and driving is easier for me on one too, but some people use mouse and keyboard for everything and prefer it.
ZedClampet
Community Contributor
You just aren't used to it. I never have to look at my keyboard.
People play different games with different things. I use a controller for Super Mega Baseball and various racing/flying games, but a keyboard/mouse for everything else, especially shooters.
Do a little research and you'll find that keyboard/mouse players pretty much destroy controller players when grouped together in online games. There's a reason pro players don't use controllers.
OsaX Nymloth
Community Contributor
As others said, you will get used to it. When you started using a gamepad, you also didn't know all the buttons, right? Hell, I remember using gamepad for the first time to play Dark Souls properly and you can imagine the first few hours were me dying because I couldn't grasp the controls. 
After some time you won't have to look down to see what key is where. You may even turn into one of those StarCraft 2 pros!
After some time you won't have to look down to see what key is where. You may even turn into one of those StarCraft 2 pros!
Currently using eswap pro x, never going back to kb+m in third person single player games. This thing is not only more comfortable for long sessions, but a lot of games seem to give advantage to controller users. Guardians of the Galaxy would be one example of the games i played recently. Same for Forza 5.
There are definitely instances where a controller is much better than kb+m and I agree with what you said here mostly. Forza, Gears, Riders Republic, all games I would dread to play with a mouse and keyboard. But there are other third person games that I much prefer with a mouse, such as Red Dead 2, The Division 2 and Saints Row games. These games allow for more accurate aiming using the mouse. My rule of thumb is to always have a controller ready at my desk in case I need to use it. I currently use an Xbox Series X controller and it’s perfect for my big fat hands.
The way i see it is this:
if i need plenty of keys or i need precision, i go with KB+M the keyboard provides plenty of keys, macros etc so stuff like Strategy games its a requirement. Mouse look is more accurate in general whereas controllers require autoaim or console aim to "snap" the last few sections. So games with aiming shooting third/1st is useful.
For pressure precision or complex button combinations, joypad is the way forward. controllers with analogue sticks allow for precision based movement whereas kb you have to press a set of keys to perform and is awkaward. So stuff like speed The ergonomic design means its designed for quick/repetitve button pressing. Stuff like fighting games or 2d platform shooters come to mind.
When i played yakuza 2 i played it with a joypad purely because it was a fighting game. But not going to lie, shooting in that game is crap and i did play it with a keyboard to see what it was like. Interestingly, i performed fewer combos or specials partly because of muscle memory, partly because of the lack of tactile response like rumble etc.
of course, there are exceptions it really depends on the game and how well they have been adjusted to KB+M some will be easier then others.
if i need plenty of keys or i need precision, i go with KB+M the keyboard provides plenty of keys, macros etc so stuff like Strategy games its a requirement. Mouse look is more accurate in general whereas controllers require autoaim or console aim to "snap" the last few sections. So games with aiming shooting third/1st is useful.
For pressure precision or complex button combinations, joypad is the way forward. controllers with analogue sticks allow for precision based movement whereas kb you have to press a set of keys to perform and is awkaward. So stuff like speed The ergonomic design means its designed for quick/repetitve button pressing. Stuff like fighting games or 2d platform shooters come to mind.
When i played yakuza 2 i played it with a joypad purely because it was a fighting game. But not going to lie, shooting in that game is crap and i did play it with a keyboard to see what it was like. Interestingly, i performed fewer combos or specials partly because of muscle memory, partly because of the lack of tactile response like rumble etc.
of course, there are exceptions it really depends on the game and how well they have been adjusted to KB+M some will be easier then others.
rdr2 is better on controller for everything really. just need a GOOD controller.
Personal preferences for everyone. I just suck really bad at aiming with a controller and would rather not use aim-assist in RDR2. I don’t mind using it in a game like Gears 5 though. And to me, the Series X controller is the best controller I’ve ever used.
Zloth
Community Contributor
Excellent rundown, @Johnway!
I got a real education in that playing Jedi: Fallen Order. Everything was fine at first, but as I got more abilities to use, it became harder and harder. Mapping powers to number keys is fine for a few powers and sorta works for up to ten, but the numbers get harder to find quickly with high accuracy. I switched to controller and did FAR better.
On the other hand, online shooters can't even let PC and console players play together because the M&K folks slaughter the people using controllers. That's because the mouse is superb when it comes to quickly moving your pointer/crosshair to a point on the screen. In fact, it's even great getting to points NOT on the screen - it's easy to tell if a video of a first person game is done with a controller or a mouse because a person using a mouse can turn 180 degrees in a split second while people using controllers have to sloooowly turn around.
Then you get games that really could use both, like Mechwarrior 5. Unless you've got a mouse with a whole lot of buttons on it, it's going to be easier to pick which set of weapons your mech will use with a controller. However, if you're trying to shoot out cockpits at long range, you've got to use a mouse.
I got a real education in that playing Jedi: Fallen Order. Everything was fine at first, but as I got more abilities to use, it became harder and harder. Mapping powers to number keys is fine for a few powers and sorta works for up to ten, but the numbers get harder to find quickly with high accuracy. I switched to controller and did FAR better.
On the other hand, online shooters can't even let PC and console players play together because the M&K folks slaughter the people using controllers. That's because the mouse is superb when it comes to quickly moving your pointer/crosshair to a point on the screen. In fact, it's even great getting to points NOT on the screen - it's easy to tell if a video of a first person game is done with a controller or a mouse because a person using a mouse can turn 180 degrees in a split second while people using controllers have to sloooowly turn around.
Then you get games that really could use both, like Mechwarrior 5. Unless you've got a mouse with a whole lot of buttons on it, it's going to be easier to pick which set of weapons your mech will use with a controller. However, if you're trying to shoot out cockpits at long range, you've got to use a mouse.
RDR2 probably has an auto-aim option. The game decides that, well, you're fairly close, so it just cheats for you and makes you hit. If you get a controller that has a good trackball, though...
partial aim-assist is more realistic imo. they really do it well in rdr2. when you draw, you already draw pointing to the animal, unlike kb+m. imagine taking a shot in real life, you'd draw your rifle aiming at the thing you're hunting too, not 10 feet into the sky.
check out eswap pro x from thrustmaster, sticks feel like a dream, smooth and precise. And I really didn't like aiming with controllers before on the sn30pro+ I had (and still have)
The amount to accuracy tweaking you can do, in the smallest amounts to keep aiming at a persons head is amazing. As for Cyberpunk I'm in my third run through of the game, mainly just throwing daggers, double jumping through the air, on top of buildings, over barriers and just wrecking with head shots from throws with a keyboard and mouse.
You will get use to it. I use controllers for certain parts of that game, only the races though and some driving.
Most games I use keyboard and mouse, stuff like dark souls and side scrollers I use a gamepad mainly.
You will get use to it. It takes a while, but I've always been using mouse and keyboard for like 30 years.
Also side note, I actually use to love keyboard/gamepad combo. I got messed up 20 years ago and had to have surgery on my left arm. I was wearing a sling so I used a gamepad in that hand. The joystick for movement, arrow pad for cycling weapons, items, powers, whatever the game called for. Left top button was jump and bottom left was crouch. Then use the mouse for aiming and shooting. I swear to this day it was the best way to play before games got so many more buttons and commands.
You will get use to it. I use controllers for certain parts of that game, only the races though and some driving.
Most games I use keyboard and mouse, stuff like dark souls and side scrollers I use a gamepad mainly.
You will get use to it. It takes a while, but I've always been using mouse and keyboard for like 30 years.
Also side note, I actually use to love keyboard/gamepad combo. I got messed up 20 years ago and had to have surgery on my left arm. I was wearing a sling so I used a gamepad in that hand. The joystick for movement, arrow pad for cycling weapons, items, powers, whatever the game called for. Left top button was jump and bottom left was crouch. Then use the mouse for aiming and shooting. I swear to this day it was the best way to play before games got so many more buttons and commands.
Colif
Moderator
it depends on the game type really.
racing games are likely better on controller, if you don't go nuts and buy a steering wheel
3rd person games, could be either or.
Some games you cannot play without one - Journey comes to mind
4x games wouldn't work well on controller as you need all the keys. Even with the shift function on my controller, I would run out of key combos before moves. There isn't as such as RPG controller yet.. unlike the multi button MMO mice you can buy.
Temped to try DIablo 4 on controller since its made for consoles now.
racing games are likely better on controller, if you don't go nuts and buy a steering wheel
3rd person games, could be either or.
Some games you cannot play without one - Journey comes to mind
4x games wouldn't work well on controller as you need all the keys. Even with the shift function on my controller, I would run out of key combos before moves. There isn't as such as RPG controller yet.. unlike the multi button MMO mice you can buy.
Temped to try DIablo 4 on controller since its made for consoles now.
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