Most PC gamers would rather die than let you take away their mouse and keyboard. But for third-person action games, racing, or emulated retro games, gamepads may still be worth using. If your controller isn’t quite working properly, you can calibrate it in Windows 10 to make sure that every movement translates to your game with 100% accuracy.
Here we comparison the four most popular game controllers & explore which one is best for PC gaming. US links Sony DualShock 4 Controller: http://amzn.to/1Qe. 15 PC Games You Should Play With A Controller. Keyboard and mouse might be the old standards of the PC platform, but they're by no means the only way to game on a computer. Native support for Xbox.
Why Would I Need to Do This?
Although many gamepads, like the Xbox One or Xbox 360 controllers, are usually calibrated for gaming on a PC right out of the box, others may need you to calibrate them before the system recognizes all their movements with complete accuracy. For example, if you use a Nintendo 64 controller with a USB adapter, it will almost certainly need to be calibrated before you can use it.
In other cases, you may just have an old controller that needs a little help. For example, maybe you have a button that’s sticking and you aren’t sure just how much the computer is able to read from it on each press. Or perhaps your gamepad has a worn down thumbstick that doesn’t seem like it’s tilting as far as it could. The calibration tool can help you dial in your controller so it’s as accurate as it can be.
Shop at Best Buy for a great selection of wired and wireless PC game controllers for your PC gaming needs. Shop a wide selection of PC Controllers at Amazon.com including Gamepads & Standard Controllers, Joysticks, Flight Controls, Racing Wheels, Video Game Controllers & more. USB Game Controllers. Product - 2-pack SNES Retro Classic USB 2.0 Super Nintendo Games Controller for PC Windows Mac OSX SFC. Product Image. The Right Game Controllers Help Simulate Real-life Experiences. If you want to take your gaming experience to the next level, select PC game controllers that mimic the equipment used in real-life scenarios. Players who want to try this experience can opt for simple flight simulator joysticks or basic gaming racing wheels.
We’ll be using an Xbox 360 controller for this guide, since that’s what we have, but it should work pretty much the same for any gamepad you plug in.
Open the Calibration Tool
To find the Calibration Tool, begin by going down to your Start Menu, and selecting “Settings”.
Once in Settings, click on the tab for “Devices”:
After the next window, scroll down to the link that reads “Devices and Printers” inside the “Printers and Scanners” tab, and click on it.
(You can also get here by going into Control Panel > Devices and Printers in all versions of Windows).
RELATED:Why You Should Get an Xbox Controller for PC Gaming
From here, the controller should pop up as long as it’s already connected. If not, make sure you have all the latest drivers installed for the controller of your choosing.
Find the controller, and right click it to bring up the following drop-down menu. From here, click on the option for “Game controller settings”.
After you click this, the following window should automatically pop up. From there, click on the “Properties” button.
The window that follows will contain two options: “Settings” and “Test”. To start, choose the Settings tab, and then click the button in this window that reads “Calibrate”.
From here, the Calibration Wizard will automatically begin taking you through the process to get your controller set up properly. (This window is also where you’ll find the button to “Reset to Default”, in case you want the tool to automatically reset any changes that were made during a previous calibration run.)
Calibrate Your Controller
Again, we’re using the Xbox 360 controller here, so you may see slightly different windows depending on your controller, but most of it should be very similar. Click Next to start the calibration.
The calibration tool will start off with the “D-Pad” calibration, which on the Xbox 360 controller is actually the left thumbstick. At first, it will ask you to leave the thumbstick alone so it can find the center point.
Let go of the thumbstick and click “Next”, at which point you’ll be taken to the next screen.
Free Nero Download! Trial versions Free Products Smartphone Apps Nero Tools Update Discs Further information. Nero Burning ROM 2019. The elite of burning software! Version Details. Aug 10, 2018 We don't have any change log information yet for version 1.12.0.1 of Nero Burning ROM 2019. Sometimes publishers take a little while to make this information available, so please check back in a few days to see if it has been updated. Aug 21, 2019 The industry leading burning specialist Nero Burning ROM 2018 burns, copies, rips, and protects your multimedia files from CDs, DVDs, and even Blu-ray Discs for. Mar 13, 2017 Download Nero 9 Free. With support for RSS feeds, this tool helps you create discs with all kinds of data, generate NRG images and copy the contents of a CD or DVD to another location. Nero Free is a perfect CD or DVD burning utility for users who just want to quickly and effortlessly transfer their data from local storage on discs, without the need to interact with many advanced tools and side applications offered by the full Nero suite. With a focus on the latest technologies, streamlined interface and ease of use, Nero Free version is the perfect way to transfer your data. Download nero 7 full free.
Although it’s not necessary, we recommend selecting the “Display Raw Data” box, which will show you exactly where the resting point for the thumbstick is with quantifiable numbers. This data is valuable because it will tell you if either of your thumbsticks are starting to wear down due to overuse, and can help you to diagnose any reasons why your in-game accuracy might be slipping.
From here, swing the left thumbstick all the way around its full range of motion a few times. You should see the small cross hit all four corners in the box above, or at least touch all four sides of the box.
Next, you’ll run through the same set of tools for any “axes” on your controller. These could be pressure-sensitive buttons like the Xbox’s left and right triggers, thumbsticks, or they might just be regular buttons on some gamepads.
In our case, the Xbox 360 triggers are measured along the Z-axis, and should register anywhere from 100% (resting) to 200% (pulled down completely). The X-axis calibrates the Xbox’s right thumbstick for horizontal movement, so for that, you just need to pull the thumbstick all the way to the left and the right, and see if the full range of motion is being appropriately registered.
The same goes for the Y-axis (vertical movement). Swing it up and down, and as long as you see the numbers “0%”, and “100% at the extremes of both the top and the bottom of the thumbstick’s range of motion (as well as resting in the middle at 50%), your controller is properly calibrated. As you can see in the example above, the X-axis of my right thumbstick actually rests around 52%, the product of old age and a lot of intense rounds of Halo Online.
RELATED:How to Control the Windows Desktop With an Xbox or Steam Controller
Unfortunately, while the software side of calibration does help you to find out how well your controller is responding to your movements–and even course correct for a faulty thumbstick to an extent–the only hardware fix when it starts to get worn down like this is to head down to the store and pick up a new controller altogether. Or, if you’re feeling handy, you can buy parts like thumbsticks online and replace them yourself.
Once you’ve run through all four calibrations, you can click “Finish” to move on to the testing portion of the process.
Test the Calibration
Once the calibration process is finished, it’s time to test out the results. In the same window you started from (with the “Settings” and “Test” tabs), now you’re going to want to click on the “Test” tab.
From here, any movements or button presses you make will automatically appear on-screen. This is a good way to determine exactly how quickly the buttons are registering–if they’re registering at all–as well as making note of how close (or far away) the thumbstick is resting from an even 50% after you move it around a bit.
Once you’ve finished your tests, make sure to hit Apply before you close out the window, and you’re done!
Although most modern controllers will come calibrated out of the box to work flawlessly with Windows, it never hurts to go in and re-calibrate once every few months just to be sure you’re not missing any headshots due to a controller that’s out of whack.
Image Credits: Pexels
READ NEXT- › Protect Your Home Minecraft Server From DDOS Attacks with AWS
- › How to Copy and Paste Text at Linux’s Bash Shell
- › How to Remove Activation Lock on an iPhone
- › How to Set Up a Smarthome Without the Cloud
- › How to Quickly Create Your Own Chrome Browser Theme
TL;DR – These are the Best PC Controllers:
- Steam Controller
1. Xbox One Controller
Best PC Controller
Xbox One Controller
See it- UK readers: See it on Amazon (UK)
Aside from its ease of use, the Xbox One is sized well and has good button placement that should make it a good option for most users no matter what sized hands they have. The triggers are also exceptional and it even has a good D-Pad for playing retro games.
2. Logitech F310
Best Budget PC Controller
Logitech Gamepad F310
See it- UK readers: See it on Amazon (UK)
Those short, nubby grips don't make for great ergonomics, but that shouldn't matter if you're only picking up a controller for short bursts to drive vehicles in games like Grand Theft Auto V or Battlefield V.
3. Astro C40
Most Customizable PC Controller
Astro C40 TR
See it- UK readers: See it on Amazon (UK)
Customizing the Astro C40 TR expands even further when you get the to software, which allows you to remap single button on the controller, tweak the sensitivity on the joysticks and triggers, tune the sound mix that comes through the 3.5mm audio jack, and even shift the balance of rumble on the left and right sides of the controller.
4. Sony DualShock 4
Best Bluetooth PC Controller
DualShock 4
See it- UK readers: See it on Amazon (UK)
The beauty of using a DualShock 4 with your PC is you not only get the usual gamepad controls, but you can also take advantage of its gyroscopes to add motion controls. You can even choose to add the touchpad into your control scheme if you so choose.
5. Xbox Elite Controller
The Step Up Option
Xbox Elite Controller
See it- UK readers: See it on Amazon (UK)
The Xbox Elite Controller also adds a step up in quality build over the regular Xbox One controller while featuring a rubberized diamond grip. While I wholeheartedly recommend this controller, you should know the much improved Xbox One Elite 2 controller will release later this year on November 4.
6. Steam Controller
Bringing the Touchpad to Controllers
Steam Controller
See it- UK readers: See it on Amazon (UK)
The Steam Controller unique control inputs add a lot of extra functionality to give you more customize how you play PC games. What's more, you can even download or share control mappings with the Steam community.
7. Razer Wolverine Ultimate
Best PC Controller for FPS Games
Razer Wolverine Tournament Edition
See it- UK readers: See it on Amazon (UK)
Pc Game Controllers Ps4
While all the controllers so far have focused on bringing console controls to the PC, the Razer Wolverine Ultimate manages to bring some PC control to game controllers. The Razer Wolverine Ultimate features four underside buttons that are designed to act like a sniper button or DPI switch for gaming mice. Depending on which of these bottom buttons are engaged, the controller can increase or decrease the sensitivity of the joysticks for faster camera panning or carefully centering your target.The Wolverine Ultimate also gives gamers an extra pair of bumpers, plus swappable thumbsticks and D-Pads. Perhaps what I like about Razer's gamepad is it features some of the clickiest buttons I've seen on a controller, which makes it feel more like I'm playing with a gaming mouse than a controller.
8. SteelSeries Stratus Duo
Ready to Go Out of the Box
SteelSeries Stratus Duo
See it- UK readers: See it on Amazon (UK)
WIndows 10 also automatically recognizes the Stratus Duo as an Xbox controller, which means you don't need to remap any buttons. The only thing this controller lacks is rumble, but if you don't mind the missing haptic feedback, the SteelSeries Stratus Duo is a great controller you can use with a lot of other devices.
9. 8Bitdo Sn30 Pro
Best PC Controller for Retro Games
8Bitdo SN30 Pro
See itPc Game Controllers Reddit
- UK readers: See it on Amazon (UK)
10. Switch Pro Controller
Let's a Go with Nintendo's Controller
Switch Pro Controller
See it- UK readers: See it on Amazon (UK)
Good news is once you've got it paired properly over Blueooth, Steam will automically recognize it as an Xbox One controller with all the button mapping done for you. However, if you're playing games outside of Steam, you're going to need 8BitDo Wireless USB Adapter to make the Switch Pro Controller act like an Xbox One gamepad.