[Jimmy_McNulty]

And by cheap i mean one that doesn't cost £35?

[Mark A]

2nd hand?

Regards

Mark

[steven123]

Originally Posted by Jimmy_McNulty

And by cheap i mean one that doesn't cost £35?

You shouldn't need to pay anything like £35 though if you shop on the highstreet then that is probably exactly what you will pay. All the best deals are (and have been for some time) online.

I always tend to use places like Play (www.play.com) Amazon (www.amazon.co.uk) or The Hut or Sendit to name but a few, there are many online retailers for games and accessories and even the dearest are a good few £s cheaper than highstreet stores.

I mostly use eBay though as you can make the biggest savings on here usually if you are fortunate enough to get lucky in an auction though as the site has become more popular this sadly isn't as easy as it once was.

Still you should be able to get a unofficial wired pad for under a tenner and a wireless one for around £10-£12 easily. I actually managed to get two wired pads for ~£8 which were new and perfectly usable though not the greatest quality. However, I also managed to get a proper official Sony Sixaxis controller for £11 on eBay which was used but in perfectly decent condition. The (IMHO better) newer dual shock 3 ones are still a bit dearer but I wouldn't be surprised if you couldn't get one for £20 or less on eBay.

[Jimmy_McNulty]

Do the unofficial pads do as good a job as the official ones? I want it for my PC not for a ps3, thus i'm alittle apprehensive about going for an unofficial one, even if they are £20 cheaper.

[MartinImber]

Originally Posted by Jimmy_McNulty

Do the unofficial pads do as good a job as the official ones? I want it for my PC not for a ps3, thus i'm alittle apprehensive about going for an unofficial one, even if they are £20 cheaper.

Proper PS3 pads are best

[Mark A]

Originally Posted by Jimmy_McNulty

I want it for my PC not for a ps3

Much as I'm a fan of PS3 pads (having a PS3 an' all) if you want a bullet-proof gamepad for the PC that will work out of the box for all Windows based games without any remapping and other distractions, then you simply can't beat a wired Xbox 360 pad that's marked on the box to work with Windows PCs too. I have the option to go with a PS3 pad with my gaming laptop (and did for quite a while) but once I bought a 360 pad for Windows I never looked back and would not got back to a PS3 pad for PC gaming under any circumstances.

Regards

Mark

[jjesso123]

Originally Posted by Mark A

Much as I'm a fan of PS3 pads (having a PS3 an' all) if you want a bullet-proof gamepad for the PC that will work out of the box for all Windows based games without any remapping and other distractions, then you simply can't beat a wired Xbox 360 pad that's marked on the box to work with Windows PCs too. I have the option to go with a PS3 pad with my gaming laptop (and did for quite a while) but once I bought a 360 pad for Windows I never looked back and would not got back to a PS3 pad for PC gaming under any circumstances.

Regards

Mark

I myself prefer the 360 controller but if his preference is the Ps3 controller then I should say there is no need remapping etc All that needs to be done, is download motionjoy select X360 controller emulation and it will work with every game the 360 controller works with. How well will PC games work with a cheap controllers I don't know.

[Mark A]

Originally Posted by jjesso123

All that needs to be done, is download motionjoy select X360 controller emulation and it will work with every game the 360 controller works with.

That's the point - with the 360 pad it just works, no need for any extra software at all. And there are subtle differences in the way the shoulder triggers work and function for example that PC games are written to understand. Plus when playing you'll often get graphical reminders on screen that correspond to an Xbox button graphics but not to a PS3's squares and triangles etc.

In short, no matter how good the PS3 pad is the 360 pad is simply more suited and a better option for PCs.

Regards

Mark

[Jimmy_McNulty]

The x360 controller is one of the few gamepads available that supports W7 (why that is i'm not really sure), and unfortunately for me i'm not a fan of that controller. So i'm left looking around for a 'best of the rest', and atm for a £30 budget PS3 is the winner. Now that i see it's £29.99 on xavvi

[Mark A]

Having had PS1s, PS2s and now PS3s I thought the Xbox controllers were pants. It felt bulky and clumsy and the joysticks felt floppy and inaccurate. But you know what, within a week it felt as natural as the PS pads did/do, and now I can switch back and forth without a second's pause or problem. Both feel as natural in the hand as each other and both just as autonomically usable. I don't even notice the differences anymore to tell the truth.

Regards

Mark

[steven123]

Originally Posted by Mark A

Having had PS1s, PS2s and now PS3s I thought the Xbox controllers were pants. It felt bulky and clumsy and the joysticks felt floppy and inaccurate. But you know what, within a week it felt as natural as the PS pads did/do, and now I can switch back and forth without a second's pause or problem. Both feel as natural in the hand as each other and both just as autonomically usable. I don't even notice the differences anymore to tell the truth.

Regards

Mark

I agree with regards to the learning curve, both controllers are very comfortable and natural to use and I can't see why anyone would have a problem with either, they are both good solid pads, a lot better than the designs we had on some of the previous consoles (original X Box phat pad for example).

I think I might have a slight preference for the 360 pad simply because I use it a lot for PC gaming too but I also think the Dual Shock 3 is a bit nicer to use than the standard Sixaxis and has surprisingly good vibration for a pad reliant on battery power.

At the end of the day I think it is always best to use the right pad for the right system and favour official pads over third party. For the PC the 360 pad has been the controller of choice for some years simply because it is by far the best supported.

Before that I had a PS1 pad and USB to Playstation controller adaptor which was good but still prefer the native support for the 360 pad we have now.