How Easy Is It to Adapt to Console Gaming, if You Have Never Played on One?

wmxc on 24/09/2020 - 16:16

Hello all,

My first ever console was a Nintendo when I was 7 years old, which I had till I was about 9. After that I only ever played on PCs till about 2011. I have not played a game since 2011…

As an early 30s adult, is it easy to get used to the PS5 or Xbox Controller? Also, may be a better and important question, if you have always been a PC gamer how did it feel playing using a controller for the first time? Liked it or switched back to PC very quickly?

I am not sure if I want to buy a console or just build a brand new PC gaming rig next year. Only reason preventing me from building a rig right now is I bought an expensive (non-gaming) laptop last year.

Additional info: I enjoyed playing COD MW2, Battlefield 3, GTA San Andreas, Crysis and racing games like NFS.

Thanks in advance for any of your wonderful inputs.

Gaming

Comments

  • Orico on 24/09/2020 - 16:24
    +6

    Console is easy to get use to for everything except FPS games. I still cannot understand how some people use the controller better than a mouse. The PS5 streamers on COD are amazing with the controller.

    • psyren89 on 24/09/2020 - 17:09
      +3

      I think most console shooters have some measure of aim assist.

      • Orico on 24/09/2020 - 17:15

        They play with PC gamers and the good ones dominate them in Ground War

        • Beanvee on 25/09/2020 - 13:56

          Aim assist is very aggressive in MW2019 which many players don't realise as they don't have a frame of reference.
          As a PC player you can plug in a controller and set it to the most aggressive aim profile to see for yourself. I would do it more if it weren't for how cluttered the controller bindings are for all other actions, that and twitch movements are still easier with a mouse.

  • renster72 on 24/09/2020 - 16:45
    +1

    you can use mouse & Keyboard on Xbox One, I did pre-order the series X on the telstra All Access where you get the Game Pass and the Machine for $46 a month (for 2 years) however you will need to wait as sold out.. Not all games support mouse & keyboard.

    https://www.telstra.com.au/entertainment/gaming/xbox-series-…

    https://www.windowscentral.com/list-xbox-one-mouse-and-keybo…

    I have Xbox one and PC with Oculus Rift

    PC for FPS, (although keyboard & mouse on console pretty much the same)

    Xbox for Fighting and Racing Games..

    I did Modern Warfare on Xbox 360 when it came out on Controller and it was hard after years of PC Keyboard & mouse..

    I would only play Keyboard & Mouse for FPS. Or the Touch controller on Oculus is cool for VR games.. :-)

    I am seriously thinking of getting the Quest 2 looks cool for VR

    • wmxc on 24/09/2020 - 20:13

      Thanks for your response! I actually did not know that you could use m&kb on consoles! That is how out of loop I am with gaming lol.

      Do you know what genres of games usually don't have mouse and keyboard setup?

      Quick googling tells me there is m&kb support for COD but not for GTA V, which I was looking forward to play :(

      • sween64 on 25/09/2020 - 15:04

        If you're playing singleplayer GTA V with a controller I'm sure you will pick it up, it's a fairly forgiving game. Ms sween64 is playing The Witcher 3 at the moment, she prefers PC and has barely used a controller before this game. She's managing the combat quite well but is having trouble swimming (I think it's partly to do with the poor camera in The Witcher 3 and weird swimming controls).

  • liquidskip on 24/09/2020 - 16:56
    +3

    I could never go back to controller for fps or aiming intensive 3rd person games. Everything else controller is fine, and in some cases better e.g. racing games.

  • Axelstrife on 24/09/2020 - 16:56
    +1

    I could never go back to controller personally and would never recommend it.
    Controllers feel terrible and are just not a good experience for shooters.

    • samfisher5986 on 24/09/2020 - 17:10

      I agree.

      I find its just a method for hating the game or the console in general.

    • Danstar on 24/09/2020 - 17:33

      I play on both. Well i only play cs go and rocket league on xbox (ill move to pc when its free)

  • aragornelessar on 24/09/2020 - 17:16

    This is me on a controller

  • cimrak on 24/09/2020 - 17:27
    +1

    This was me a few years ago; I was a PC gamer for a long time, then work/life got in the way and after not gaming for ~10yrs I got an XB1X.

    Getting used to a console controller took a while, like most things when you are learning muscle memory from scratch. I played 80% campaign mode (Halo, COD, BF etc) & 20% private multiplayer until I was "reasonable" then jumped into public multiplayer on Titanfall2. I think if I had gone 100% into public MP then I would have given up quickly.

    Am I now at a "8yr old hopped up on red cordial and lollies" level of twitchiness? Not even close. But I'm about mid-range when I do play MP, and I enjoy it.

  • Heaps for Cheaps on 24/09/2020 - 17:31

    It does take a short time to do it, but when you get there, and you will, it is second-nature tbh.

  • plmko on 24/09/2020 - 17:33
    +7

    PC gamers don't understand that you don't drag the cross hair on your enemy like a mouse, you move and drop the cross hair on them. Don't fine tune with the aim stick, you fine tune by moving, it takes more intuition to pre-place your cross hair where an enemy will appear versus on PC you just react and aim based on visuals. Almost like an entirely different game.

    I think that console based gamers can adapt either way but PC based gamers have the most trouble between platforms. It probably has a lot to do with the fact that console gamers have to relearn a control scheme every generation and with every title because the hardware and software vary immensely.

    • ShannonN on 24/09/2020 - 17:59

      Great explanation

  • ShannonN on 24/09/2020 - 17:58
    -2

    Ask yourself " do I really want to spend time playing games at 30 ish? "
    you should have a life at that age covid non withstanding LOL

    I play halo and shooters like cod sniper elite series etc on PC with mouse, I bought a nice xbox type controller but gave it to a friends kid for his xbox, was just a waste of time trying to get it happening, for car racing I have a ff wheel and pedals so mouse for me.

    BTW I am old.. 64 so I probably cannot change and set in my love for the PC :)

    However I have not really understood the fascination with consoles for gaming given (until the latest proposed consoles yet to come), the poor graphics and slow processing.

    generally ya can't do much else with them (no wp, or productivity) like on a pc which serves many purposes

    I know I'm probably in the minority here as I see many drool over consoles LOL my vote for PC for gaming

    • nomoneynoproblems on 24/09/2020 - 19:32

      Meh I'm around OP age and couldn't give a stuff. I love gaming. What is a "life"?

    • Patchy01 on 24/09/2020 - 20:08

      Both of the latest consoles do 4K native at 60fps.

    • ezekiel181 on 24/09/2020 - 21:23

      Go back to playing bridge while I program your VCR.

    • w37hsyea on 25/09/2020 - 10:46
      +1

      Shannon, you should check out the clan/guild The Older Gamers.

      Nothing wrong with preferring PC.

      I do both - with the preference for PC - but it is also very satisfying to have some co-op on console with a projector late at night.

  • scrimshaw on 24/09/2020 - 18:10

    Not much of a controller person myself — that's why I bought a XIM Apex controller adapter though it was expensive as heck and cost nearly as much as my $199 Xbox One S 1TB. it also had to be shipped from the US as no-one in Australia stocked the product.

    Stopped playing games though and I sold it off for the princely sum of $145 to some other desperate gamer who was just as noob as I was using joysticks

    Would i recommend buying it for the rip-off price of $200? Probably not because it's hard to tell if the new gen consoles can detect and block the use of these adapters as a anti-cheat measure.

  • pegaxs on 24/09/2020 - 18:49

    Easy for casual gaming. Horrible for competitive cross play titles.

  • jirskyr on 24/09/2020 - 19:00

    I found it easy enough; I'm 40 years old and I had not played a console with controller since N64. I had a Wii but that doesn't really count. Bought an XB1X in 2018 and it was fine, couple of weeks and I was used to trigger aiming. Most console games do have aim assist as well.

    I have a PS4P as well, I prefer the XB1 controller but both are ok.

    I used to be an avid PC gamer but I just got tired of continually feeling like I needed to chase PC upgrades and then fiddle to death with games to get them playing "just right". And I was always wondering "is this the best performance I can get from this game on my rig?" You can always fuss to death with the settings; with a console it just works the same for everyone - put it in, sit down.

    It also turns out I like playing games on the couch way more than at the desk with my PC, esp. considering I'm at my PC all day for work.

    You aren't going to build an ace PC rig for the entry cost of the new consoles AUD 749! That also makes a decision for me.

  • Buzko on 24/09/2020 - 19:19

    I'd strongly suggest you try it and see. Even non-gaming laptops can give you a decent time on older games. You don't have to buy a console, just a controller. I'd suggest xbox 360 or xbox one controllers (I'm no fan of Microsoft, but their controllers Just Work with Windows, and lots of Windows games automatically recognise them). Wired is best, as they just plug into a USB port as opposed to having to worry about bluetooth and charging. A secondhand, wired genuine xbox 360 or xbox one controller seems to go for around $40-$70 these days - a lot cheaper than a new console.

    You barely need to spend any money on games. PC gamers are inundated with cheap, quality games, through regular Steam sales, bundles or Epic weekly giveaways, but if you're just getting back into it, I'd suggest the xbox game pass for PC. It's just an absurd level of value and variety. Again, not a Microsoft fan, but they've bought some cool studios. Based on your interests, I'd suggest checking out the various Halos and Gears of Wars (console FPSs), Saints Row 4 (GTA with everything turned up to 11) or Yakuza (GTA-ish, very Japanese) and Forza (arcade console racer). All those, plus 200-odd other games, across all sorts of genres (Subnautica! Hollow Knight! Final Fantasies VII & XV!) for peanuts - first month is $1, then $11 per month.

    As far as my own experiences, I started on the Apple II (yes, I am Very Old), then had a NES for a few years, then PC gaming for a while, then Gamecube/PS2/Wii, then pretty much PC since then. I'm still not used to the number of buttons on modern controllers, and I'll never be as comfortable in console shooters as with M&K, but some games are just designed for controllers. Most modern games also have extensive tutorials to ease you into things.

    Best of luck!

  • SlavOz on 24/09/2020 - 19:49

    I don't support PC gaming purely because of the overwhelming amount of cheating/modding that goes on.

    Even in single player games there are constantly people using software to whore the speed run leaderboards or expose every possible glitch/bug in the game. It feels like it cheapens a lot of the gaming experience.

  • captaincabinets on 24/09/2020 - 20:37
    +1

    Been playing PC and console since the 90s. More so PC. Got a PS4 Pro for HZD / GoW / RDR2 etc. As others have said, it's fine for most stuff. Found RDR2 the most frustrating, controller wise. If you have cash to burn, PC gaming is better in most ways. Consoles are better for lounge room gaming and simplicity.

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