The “PC master race” has been in a silly feud with the console crowd for some time now, with each arguing that they play on the better gaming platform. It is a rather school playground arguing affair, since the different platforms obviously have their various pros and cons. But, one aspect of the feud that can be look at objectively is whether console controllers are better for gaming than a mouse and keyboard setup.
A mouse and keyboard setup versus a far more simplified console controller has a number of factors that need to be considered. Let’s take a quick look at which of the two setups is overall more beneficial to the player.
Input Method By Game Type – PC Favour
Keyboard and mouse is the preferred input method for FPS games, or first person shooters. Of this there can simply be no argument. A mouse is an extremely precise input device when to comes to aiming and shooting in a first person game. A controller can indeed be used for a first person shooter game, and certainly a player can get very good at it, but a player using a mouse will always have an enormous advantage.
RTS games, or real time strategy games, also vastly benefit from a keyboard and mouse setup. A keyboard simply has a great deal more buttons that can be assigned to game functions, and in a real time strategy game having cleverly assigned shortcut keys very much grants an enormous benefit.
So, in the case of these two game types, a mouse and keyboard input method is very advantageous. Plus, it need not be said that there is an enormous catalogue of advanced gaming mice available, further increasing precision, and like the touch screen navigation you’d use when playing at a Canadian mobile casino, the mouse and cursor approach adds a level of interactivity too.
Input Method By Game Type – Controller Favour
There are likewise a number of games that benefit dramatically from using a controller. One on one fighting games are the first on the list. They require players to quickly input complicated sets of instructions, while still having very precise control over an on screen character. In this case a controller, which allows a player to have instant access to multiple buttons, is by far the better choice.
Racing games require extreme precision in controlling an on screen vehicle; with a major focus an applying just the right amount of input at the right time. Given that a mouse has no natural set boundaries, it does not suit the purpose well. A thumb-stick is by far the better choice, making a controller the obvious option.
Pros And Cons
As with all factors in the PC versus console feud, it is simply a matter of each platform having its clear pros and cons. Certain games are more naturally suited for different input methods, and so there really is no one clear winner over the other.
It should be noted, of course, that a PC can support a controller input method, and a modern console can support a mouse and keyboard input method. So, at the end of the day, strictly associating an input method to a particular platform is in itself not fair.
