Controllers for First-Person Shooters

Favorite Games: Half-life,Quake
Controller to use: Mouse

With dozens of titles to choose from, the first-person shooter is no doubt the most popular genre of all time. Fans of these games usually prefer a keyboard-and-mouse combo, but some get by with just the keyboard. Normally, four keys are used to move forward, backward, left and right, and nearby keys are used to change weapons, open doors, manipulate inventory, and so on.

The mouse is used to look around and to swing left and right. Its buttons control functions like firing weapons and changing weapons, jumping, ducking, or whatever else you want them to do. It's nice to have as much control at your fingertips as possible, so having three buttons on your mouse is the better than two. A scroll wheel is also very handy for scrolling through weapons, but because many games don't support this function yet, it's not mandatory.


A major concern of mouse users is the mouse port's polling rate, which is the number of times per second Windows checks the mouse port for clicks and movement. The mouse was originally designed for dragging, dropping and highlighting text in word processors. For that simple task, the PS2 port's slumberous 40Hz polling is adequate, but not fast enough to dispense of Half-life's Facehuggers leaping for your face. Now that the mouse has become the preferred controller for the first-person shooter, many feel that higher polling is necessary. USB ports on the newer PCs run at about 120Hz, which is excellent, but the devices you attach to it are a bit more expensive.


The ideal controller: Logitech WingMan Gaming Mouse or USB Wheel Mouse

A good mouse can confer a distinct advantage in gameplay. With its new Gaming Mouse, Logitech delivers a mouse that is specifically designed for gamers.

The Gaming Mouse takes on the Logitech's classic three-button design and added a wide base that tapers further out near the buttons. The mouse ball is also slightly heavier than an average mouse's, offering greater stability. It has a USB connector with an included dongle that converts it into a PS/2-compatible mouse.

The increase in poll rate makes aiming much more precise in first-person shooters. When used in USB mode, the Gaming Mouse uses the default 120 times per second, and under PS/2, the Logitech drivers will allow the user to jack-up the polling rate to 200 times per second.

The Logitech's three-button design may appeal to a lot of gamers. But there are other gamers who find it too bulky, and for them we recommend the Logitech USB Wheel Mouse. With its streamlined design, the USB Wheel Mouse allows you to grip it with fingers, allowing quick and easy movements. With the Gaming Mouse, you need to grip the three-button mouse more with your entire hand and palm.

Nevertheless, the Gaming Mouse's design is superb. The buttons have a tactile response, the heavy mouse ball adds a sense of precision and stability. The Logitech drivers also allow the use of the middle button for scrolling. Though it is not as convenient as a true scroll wheel, it's nice to know that the functionality is there.

Mouse selection is very personal, and the choice boils down to individual preference. Logitech's Gaming Mouse certainly has a lot of features -- USB and PS/2 support, adjustable polling, precision and stability.

An exotic controller: Mad Catz Panther XL

The Panther's stick works like a regular joystick, but in order to use the Panther to its full potential, the game you're playing must support the ball that acts as your 360-degree "in-game eyes". Quake II and Half-Life already supports the Panther so mostly likely, the sequels Quake III Arena and Half-life 2, Opposing Force will support it as well.

But there's more. Even with a supported game, you must launch it from Panther's own Control Panel so that the 3D-eyes will work.

This controller leaves plenty of room for add-ons as well as extended functionality even without direct support. For example, use it with a flight sim and the trackball becomes a rudder control. We found it to be far more accurate than twisting the joystick handles. If you don't like the way that feels, you can plug a compatible rudder pedal into a port on the back of the unit.

The Panther is best suited for 3D worlds. Once you grow accustomed to "looking" with your left hand, strafing, circle-strafing and other impossible moves becomes natural and repeatable.

The ball has a very light touch, the stick is comfortable but a bit stiff. Each button and switch is completely programmable. Calibration, especially the in-game sensitivity settings, should
be carefully and throughly performed, otherwise the Panther will handle like an elephant on ice.

But even with those calibration and sensitivity hassles, the Panther XL is the best 3D controller on the market today.

Other Action Games, Adventure and Role-Playing Games

Favorite Action-adventure Games: System Shock 2, Tomb Raider
Controller to use: Joysticks and gamepads

This category lumps all action-adventure games that don't fall in the first-person shooter genre. If you're a fan of arcade-style games that involve shoot-'em-ups and pick-ups, you should go for a good, all-purpose controller.

The choice is between a gamepad and a joystick. They both have their merits, but their usefulness depends largely on the game they're used to control. Action games involving a spacecraft such as Freespace will feel more natural with a joystick. Third-person games such as Tomb Raider play well on gamepads. Arcade fanatics swear by the snappy response of gamepads that often spells the difference between life and "game over."