PS4 Controllers Will Work with Windows — Does It Matter?

[jimmysmitty]

Well yeah, maybe they release PS4 games that were initially exclusive for the PC and not for the Xbone. For that, it'll be good. It'll also be good for all those that prefer a PS controller over an Xbox controller. What's the issue here?

I haven't run into many modern games that are PS exclusive and then ported to PC. Nor have I run into any modern games that do not use X input for the controller.

Then again I only use the controller for games that it works better on such as racing or side scrollers but still I think X input has become the standard which is why the 360 controller is so easy to use. Just plug it in and it works.

I prefer my Logitech F310 but that's just me.

 

[Thorfkin]

"At present, though, the PC is spoiled for choice when it comes to good controllers."

Bullshit! I know because I've been looking for a while now. What the PC has is a distinct lack of attractive comparable options. I challenge you to find a decent quality Windows Bluetooth controller that provides all of the functionality of a Dual-shock control and isn't covered in some atrocity of bad taste.

My requirements to qualify as a decent control:
1) Bluetooth support! Non-negotiable! If i have to sacrifice another USB port to an additional wireless dongle then that controller is not an option. That's the whole reason I invested in Bluetooth support in the first place. RF and IR wireless devices all require a custom transmitter to interface with the PC, which in-turn means I would need a separate wireless interface for each device. I require the ability to connect numerous devices to my PC using a single wireless interface. That means Bluetooth.

Older Bluetooth spec revisions caused a brief delay when switching from low power mode to active. I've had at least one manufacturer claim that's the reason they don't make Bluetooth game controllers. That's just a poor excuse though. I use a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard and that brief delay is not a problem once you get used to it. The newer specification revisions are supposed to eliminate this delay so it would seem to me that manufacturers are just being lazy.

2) Flat Black! You'd think this would be obvious but for some reason peripheral manufacturers really seem to struggle with this. It the manufacturer uses the color silver anywhere on the exterior of the controller then it belongs in the trash. Primary colors can be used, and will generally look good, in small doses for accentuation or notation but the device should be flat black, period. I love the way the Dual-shock 3 and Dual-shock 4 look. I wouldn't mind the black X-box 360 controller's look if it weren't for the disproportionately sized X-box logo on the face of it. But I'd even be willing to cope with that if only the controller were Bluetooth instead of RF wireless.

I'd use my Dual-shock 3 for my PC if I could but the only drivers available that allow the DS3 to work with Windows prevent you from attaching any other devices to that Bluetooth dongle. That effectively makes it unusable as a wireless PC controller.

Given the lack of decent Bluetooth PC game controllers, I've been using a pair of Logitech F310 controls. If Sony can make the DS4 work well as a Bluetooth PC game controller then I'll happily retire these Logitech controllers.