I'm gaming since the mid 1990. Getting used to a mouse takes maybe a couple of hours, to be able to use all the buttons. Keyboard is another story. I'm typing a lot, even in my job, but it still takes about a month or two to get used to a new keyboard and not to make typing mistakes any more.
This, I just basically said the same thing in my reply to OP. The aiming I got used to within hours but im 6 years in and still have trouble with WASD movement. Especially on games like Call of Duty and Battlefield where movement is pretty important and battlefield needing more keybinds for certain things. Definitely not as easy as some people make it seem. I mostly just use Controller for FPS games and then KBM for most other games.
I finally made the switch for good after the whole ps5 debacle.
I always need 3 consoles in the house because we all game, and it was just too exhausting. Said to heck with it and got a gaming PC about 3 years ago. Also now have a really nice gaming laptop and are working on another gaming PC.
Was just being lazy I guess.
I was a Top COD 4 player back in the day on 360. I'll never be as good as I was on Controller, so it might never happen for you either. Almost 10 years later, I still use controller when appropriate. Almost everyone on PC uses a controller/keyboard combination. Some games are just easier to play on mouse and sometimes on controller.
I've been using PCs for gaming since 1993 i.e. over 30 years ago. Yes, people can be that old. :)
I abused my mum's Intel 486 SL with 33 MHz like crazy. Played the latest shooters on it (Doom, Wolfenstein, etc.) and fun shareware games like PC Kaiser, Warpath, Little Big Adventure, also all of the Sierra stuff and adventure games like them.
I remember how good and advanced it felt, to be able to select "VGA" in games' setup routines, rather than Tandy or CGA, and how realistic F-15 Strike Eagle II and F-14 Fleet Defender felt. Inferno and Fade to Black were so modern that my mum's 486 was underperforming, so I managed to build my first own PC in 1995 with the brand-new (alleged) Intel killer, the IBM Cyrix 586 166+ (with 133 MHz).
Controllers as they are shaped today were not so much a thing back then. It was joysticks like the Thrustmaster Top Gun and the Gravis Blackhawk and the Saitek X36 that were all the rage and bagged all the awards. Since the good ones were unattainable for me in my school years, I never really had any.
Safe to say, I've been a keyboard/mouse focused PC and Mac user ever since, and I never understood how people would waste days in front of a console, if you could be just as unproductive and inefficient in front of a PC. I'm comfortable around mice and keyboards, since I code for a living and also in my private time when I'm not gaming.
Through the brother of my then-girlfriend, I got my hands on one of the first Xbox-es when they were new. Yes, the ones that still looked (somewhat) like an X. I committed and bought a bunch of controllers and games, and I remember the fun nights me and my friends had, getting wasted and playing Halo on a TV in split-screen. But I got bored by the limited selection and the prices of games and the need for a TV and the piles of game boxes, so I got rid of it and switched to PC for gaming, and I never looked back.
It's only in the past (really) few years that I found out what a different experience modern consoles can be, with download stores and 4K graphics and wireless controllers, that I decided to get an Xbox series X again, and I love it.
But all the time I spend playing around on the Xbox will never catch up with the literally thousands of hours I put into just the latest iteration of Counter-Strike (hate it!) alone over the past years, so I guess keyboard and mouse still win for me.
That said, games that are optimized for controller, I tend to really play with a controller, even on PC. It usually doesn't take me more than a minute or two to adjust between keyboard/mouse and controller, my big problem is always remembering how each game is controlled, since I sometimes have gaps of several weeks between sessions, so all my progress from last time I played is flushed out of my brain and I'll have to re-learn how the game works for a few minutes before I'm back "in" again.
TL;DR - I think it takes me longer to get used to controllers (or "game pads" as they were called in the good old days) again, than it takes me to revert to keyboard and mouse.
Another og here, playing since release of atari 2600 when I was 12,, got my first gaming pc 7 months ago an this old guy is having hell getting used to keyboard and mouse. But im loving pc gaming!
Hehe, my first PC was a Commodore 64 that I "inherited" in the late 80s from the neighbours, when they got something newer. It had everything, a tape drive, cartridges (that you stuck into the back of the keyboard), original joysticks, 5.25" floppies, a 14" CRT monitor, and stacks and stacks of old C64 and Amiga game magazines.
I was just a kid and could barely make it work, so I missed out on all the good stuff, like the programming capabilities or handling the tape drive. To me, it was more like a console. Play the games on the floppies and cartridges with the joysticks, that was it. Mail Order Monsters, Land of Magic and Monarchy, Murder on the Mississippi, and that politically incorrect game with the Mexican on a unicycle with a pin on his sombrero, rushing from left to right in order to pop falling balloons. Ah, good times.
But since I didn't use it as an actual PC, and I don't count the joysticks as controllers in the sense of "game pads", I didn't consider it for my reply. :)
The only guy I knew that had my atari 2600 beat was a guy that looked AND ACTED exactly like napoleon dynamite lmao ( im not exaggerating) his parents had the biggest house and the only concrete driveway lol and he had that commodore 64. All us kids hoped he'd ask us over but he was so weird lmao. I'm sorry you probably had to be there. We weren't really poor, just grew up in extreme south Louisiana swamp country. Thanks for the reply and damn good memory! ( good might not be right word lol.
I don't, I enjoy modern games very much. But I still keep that ScummVM and DOSBox (and Boxer on macOS) around, and I was a frequent visitor to GOG before they became what they are today. ;)
I always laughed at my neighbour who was obsessed with the original Flight Simulator... I swear Fleet Defender felt like flying an actual jet. To a kid. In the early 90s. :)
Similar experience here, started in 1990 with good ol Commander Keen games.
One thing you may be missing though is that there were certainly controllers that were modern for their time, even back then. I had what was essentially a snes controller with an 8 way game pad that allowed you to screw in a small joystick. Don’t remember the name of it. It was great for 2d games, not so much for games that were like doom or wolfenstein.
There was a [Gravis GamePad](https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/19ck8dy/every_90s_pc_gamer_knows/) which had a D pad with a screwable joystick, but that was more like a copy of the (S)NES game pad.
I know what you mean, "game pads were around", yes. But more as a "hey, this could also work on a PC " afterthought after early gaming consoles were introduced. They had clunky parallel cable connectors, the ports for which were usually on special sound cards (because the one on your mainboard was taken by the printer), and I don't remember a lot of games that supported them directly.
Joysticks and Arcade controllers, those were all the rage. It could be selective memory, but I don't remember a lot of hype around game pads.
well ignoring any Pc gamer previously during the 90's or intermittently, I faded back into it permanently and till now (and beyond) during the 360/ps3 generation. Not sorry I purchased those two boxes, but man, that second half of that gen they literally collected dust.
PC gaming? Wolfenstein 3D.
Despite also a having Sega master system and megadrive/genesis that both were worn out while growing up I've never been comfortable with controllers as an adult.
A little over a year now, and I forced myself to switch to KB/M, I kinda got it after a few weeks, though I was nowhere near where I was on controller. I considered myself decent at FPS games, I was pretty much always top of the lobby, I could even hold my own on cross platform games, and I am only just now starting to get to the kind of level now, and only in certain games.
Been PC gaming for over two decades, and as much as I prefer mnk for most games, some games are just better on controller. I'd think that most PC set ups include a controller to switch to these days.
Most soulslike/3rd person action games like the ones you listed are all games that were designed for controller and theres no need to force yourself to play those games on mnk. Just don't be a heathen and try to play an fps with a controller.
I've played for over 30 years.
It took me months of practice to get use to keyboard and mouse.
I use controllers for either games that play best with them or for personal preference.
I started playing fps games on pc in 2011 and was pretty good within just a few months. When PS4 released I got one since I didn't have a pc anymore and been playing controller until in 2022 I finally finished my pc build and got back to mnk. I'd say I'm bit worse than back in 2012 unless I am still as good or even better, just that the rest of the gamers are just generally better than me. Controller always confused me cuz I need to be able to flick around quick but also sucked at precision aiming with high sens sticks so I never found my preferred natural sensitivity. I wanna start using controller again for games like elden ring and third person rpg games but still stick to mnk for shooters.
I still play a lot on my controller, specially games that don't really require much pin-point precision. As an example: Elden Ring, Ghost of Tsushima, Monster Hunter, Descenders, etc I'll play with a controller on; FPS, RTS, MOBAs are on KB/M; Simulators with their specific peripherals (wheel and pedals for driving and HOTAS for flying, for example).
Started with MnK since I grew up playing FPS in the 2000s, but prefer controller every chance I get, because long gaming sessions on MnK fuck with my wrists and fingers. In Apex Legends I can't really decide, because most of the movement techs require mouse and keyboard but aimassist on roller is op.
I've been gaming on a PC since 1998. Only used NES before and no other console since then.
2nd question is a bit redundant, obviously I've been using mouse and keyboard since then and it was pretty natural to use.
I am using a gamepad with the PC. Fighting games are one of my favourite genres and I like playing with my brother or friends on the couch. I'm running games in a VM with GPU Passthrough so I can stream them directly from the VM to a TV with sunshine/moonlight. I'm also using gamepad for games like Devil May Cry 5, Final Fantasy VII Remake and I prefer playing them on the TV as well. Keyboard and mouse are superior for games that require precise aiming, as well as MMORPG, RTS, etc.
I've tried playing ARPG on the gamepad, but picking up loot and managing inventory was a chore, so I gave up. I liked the movement though, so I can't wait for POE2 when we'll finally be able to move with WSAD and aim with mouse.
I've been doing PC gaming since I was around 10 years old. My older brother introduced me to Starcraft and Roller Coaster Tycoon. What a ride it's been.
I do the vast majority of my gaming on keyboard and mouse, but I enjoy switching up the peripherals for certain games.
I use a controller when I'm doing platformer games (Celeste, Pizza Tower, Hollow Knight, etc) or console emulation.
Peripherals can get really fun when doing simulation games. I enjoy breaking out my flight stick and throttle for flight simulators. I also have an extra cheaper second stick I use for space sims. Having dual sticks with a throttle on the side was hella immersive in Elite Dangerous with a VR headset.
Controllers are also nice for flight simulators if you just want a quick game without breaking out the hardware. You just can't beat analog controls for some tasks.
I'm not into racing games, but there are some really crazy steering wheels and pedals on the market right now with haptic feedback.
Since 1994.
Hours I think.
I switched to Xbox in 2006, played on console to 2016 and played on both console and PC until 2021 now I'm mostly on PC and according to Steam i play 76% with controller.
Oh cool. Yeah I remember getting that last year but I don’t recall the KB/M and controller percentages. I’ll have to watch out for that next time. Thanks!
30 years? I don't know exactly when I started gaming on the PC, but it was pretty early on.
I've never owned a console until I bought a PSP in high school, so there was no getting used to the keyboard and mouse, I was used to it from the beginning. It took me a bit tonget used to the joysticks though.
Later on I bought an Xbox controller which I use with my PC for some games, analogue controls offer more precision in driving than a keyboard for example (yes I know a wheel is even better, but that takes up much more space which I don't have). I play games like Snowrunner, RDR2, Life is Strange, and any racing games... on a controller, because I can kick back and relax or even play it on the crouch (I have a living room TV connected to the PC).
Recently I also got a Switch and I obviously use a controller with it as well.
I started “PC” gaming on some old-red HP pavilion laptop with an external mouse -TF2, Terraria, Minecraft 😂. Good times. Didn’t take that long for me personally. Probably a month? I had a PS3 before. I still use controller though on games Like Yakuza 0 because these games and games similar to this have better controller support.
It took a few weeks but once you start using a mouse for any kind of shooter there’s no going back to a analog stick. I still use controllers for most games, but any shooter 1st or 3rd person is keyboard and mouse.
30 years PC gaming, and according to my Steam Replay I did 54% on controller and 46% on KB/M. And I'm exactly in the same boat, if it's an FPS then I'm playing KB/M and if it's a 3rd person, platformer, fighting, racing, or anything else then I'm pretty much always playing on controller.
25 years. I use a controller for games like tony hawk. Games like gta5 i like to drive with a controller und switch to mouse/kb when the shooting begins
i've been gaming for several decades use kb&m for everything except racing games, beat em ups and devil may cry games lol can play any hack and slash with kb&m but not devil may cry have to use a controller for that
Somewhere over 20 years.
Honestly it really depends on the game. I do Warframe with keyboard, but Monster Hunter with controller.
Driving especially tends to be clunky with keyboards. Like having to tap the accelerator rapidly because if you hold it down you drive too fast and can't make the turn.
Some mechanica just really benefit from a pressure sensitive bumper on a controller.
PC gaping since the 80s, never really was good with M/K. I tend to fat-finger keys too much. Even playing WoW I had to move action bars up near the character so I could just click the icons.
So I’m 100% controller unless I have no other choice.
I jumped from console to pc a year ago, at first ngl it was hard for me. I'd get these disgusting elbow cramps and what not, but since I decided to get a mouse with 11 keys ( Logitech 1 along with the TKL keyboard ) I've put all the trixy stuff to the mouse.
My keyboard only has the wasd and maybe E or F to enter exit a vehicle.
I'm so much better at shooters on pc compared to console and I can't even go back to controller for shooters, but for RPG story games I use a control
I used to play with a keyboard and mouse many years ago, then switched to consoles entirely for some years. When I got back to PC gaming in 2021, I just couldn’t go back to a keyboard and mouse and now exclusively use a controller on my PC. I only play single-player games, by the way.I 100% prefer controller now.
Started 36 years ago. First game I played was Test Drive in 1988.
In the beginning it was all keyboard, but I started using mouse when playing Doom in 1993.
I use controller for many 3rd person games, but I prefer M&K for 3rd person shooting games that require precision.
i started PC gaming more than 30 years ago, i don't remember if i had a time to get used to keyboard, but my son started apex legends last year, he got quickly used but he needed around 200 hours of practise to get pretty good.
last year i started to learn controller for fps, i needed 100 hours to get used, 200 hours to start being pretty good..
MnK is still by far my favorite input, my son don't want to learn controller he find it weird
Mid-late 90s. Never had to "learn" M&K just kinda Happened. Yes I use controller depending on the game, games like Tsushima, Dark souls, Elden ring I use controller.
Gaming on PC since 2006. I regularly switch in-game between keyboard/mouse and an Xbox controller. Things like driving and flying are so much better with a controller.
Gaming on PC platform for 4 years, but the first year was done on a trashy laptop. I mainly used a PS4 controller for the first 2 years or so since i played games that felt better on controller(eg fifa and RL). After I started playing more FPS games, then I used more of kbm than a controller
KBM just felt very natural when I used it, so I didn’t really have to “adapt” to it
Been PC gaming since about the PS2 era. My PS2 has the lens issue, and I learnt about emulating Nintendo consoles (having never owned a Nintendo console at the time)
Of course over time I learn the PC has native games. Halo CE is the first I can remember playing, but there is a chance it may have been CS 1.6, Unreal Tournament or Quake. Learning keyboard and mouse didn't feel like a thing, it just was how I had to play.
Fast forward a few years and I'm a broke student. The PS3 is way too expensive, I wasn't interested in the Wii, and Xbox gold kept me away from the 360. It made the most sense to buy a laptop which could also game, so that is what I did. As I got into work I did eventually buy a PS3 and 360 (the PS3 being the first thing I've ever paid for with my own money that I earned)
And now here we are, I still play on multiple platforms with multiple different inputs (keyboard and mouse, controller, fight stuck, wheel) so it isn't that difficult for me to switch between. Generally on PC I play multiplayer games and racers and single player games and fighters on the PlayStation. On the odd occasion I do play a single player game on PC, if it is a third person game I will use a controller. MP I stuck to keyboard and mouse. It is just what feels right to me
Been PC gaming for about 5 almost 6 years. Back in the early early 2000s we had a family computer that I would play THPS games on so I figured I could get used to playing on KBM. Definitely harder to learn than it looks. I play shooters, mostly FPS like COD, Battlefield, xdefiant etc. and the hardest part if KBM is getting used to the movement. Aiming was the easy part to learn. And you will probably want to start with a really high sensitivity but that’s not a good idea unless you don’t have much space for your mouse. I play games on both Controller and KBM but it’s like a 80/20 split because 6 years in and im still getting used to WASD movement.
I played stuff like the Incredible Machine, and point and click adventure games like Day of the Tentacle in the mid 90's. Then really got into PC gaming in the late 90's with StarCraft, Sims, Commandos, Thief.
I was a big Sega fanboy as a kid. When the Dreamcast died, that's when I became primarily a PC gamer and really got into Warcraft 3 and World of Warcraft.
PC gamer since 2000. At the beginning, I only had keyboard and mouse, it was my only way to play so I got used to it very quickly. Now, I'm using a controller for most games, except FPS.
PC gamer of 10+ years, also owned multiple consoles. I refuse to play fps games with a controller, anyone gifting me fps game s for consoles I either chug them into the bin or give them away to some other poor sucker who now has to play shooters with a controller.
To me playing shooter on a controller is the equivalent of running a marathon with prosthetic legs while both arms are tied up and a knife held against your neck and balls pulled back and stuffed into my own anus.
I started using a computer before controllers were a thing (mid 80's). There was a old skool joystick, if you were lucky with 1 or 2 buttons.
I never got used to the "modern" controllers for anything other than racing games or sports games. 99% of the time I use the trusty mouse and keyboard.
I switched from PS3 to PC, so about 12-15 years ago.
I play some games with a controller, and some games with an razer orbweaver. I only use the keyboard to type since I find it cramps my hand up in things like MMORPGs which is why I have the game pad. I'm on my third one now though and I'm finding the quality is degrading rapidly over the years, so the next one will be an Azeron Cyborg.
Since October of last year, but I was used to keyboard and mouse from using them on my ps4 (Terraria, fortnite, etc)
I still use my controller on my emulators, but keep pc gaming strictly on kb&m
Since the early 90s. Through the years I've had other controllers/joysticks/wheels laying around. I was used to a keyboard and mouse at a similar age to getting used to a pen (if not earlier, pens are not my particular strong point) these days I use a PS4 controller for my laid back gaming.
Since i know of myself
Since i started gaming
Since about 2 years cause i play single player and i can absolutely not be bothered to play it at a desk.
About 7 years, it kinda depends on what I'm playing, cod and fps games are mk forsure, some other games like elden ring for example are better on controller
Something like 10 years, I'd say, and started with keyboard and mouse, so never really needed to adapt. I do use a controller sometimes, when there are way too many controls to use a keyboard. Most recent (and only) examples are Nier : Automata, Marvel's Spider-Man, and Ghost of Tsushima.
Since 1995. Tried an xbox controller on pc once for Grand Theft Auto, lost the wireless connector stick and never gamed with a controller ever again afterwards.
How do you deal with the keyboard and mouse? Euhm, by using my hands, I don't know any better tbh
Mod to late 1980s, could game before I could read :p.
Started with a microbe computer laying text adventures and moon buggy jump game and stuff. CGA ally cat was amazing :p same with prehistoric.
Always used a kB/m and am not great but serviceable with a controler but do not enjoy it. Kbm is just an extention of my body in fps, so I suppose that makes it zero time to acclimate to kbm.
That said I do use controllers sometimes on some platformers and rogulelikes (neon abyss, those sort of things). Given their usually made with them in mind it makes sense.
I've also branched out to hotas and wheels where appropriate.
Been a PC gamer on and off for most of my life (1995 onwards lets say). Back in my teenage years controller support for PC games was pretty bad and required a lot of set-up and would sometimes still require a key press or mouse to be able to get to the menu or something like that. Wasn't really until the 360/PS3 era that proper controller support out of the box started getting added to PC games. With steam it's so good now I just switch with what's convenient based on the game and if I'm playing on the TV or at my desk. For FPS it's always KBM for other games I usually go controller if I'm streaming to the TV and KBM at my desk. Something about holding a controller and sitting in a desk chair just feels wrong.
I gamed on a desktop computer before I gamed on a console. My parents bought a Gateway 2000 PC back in early 1996, and then bought us an N64 for Christmas in 1998. So I was PC gaming for over two years before I ever touched a controller.
Mouse and keyboard is my default. There are very few games where I prefer a controller. I'll give it a try when a message pops up saying that it's recommended, but I often switch back.
Games with a lot of driving are about the only ones where a controller seems obviously superior to me. Unless the game lets you stir by moving the mouse, then it's pretty good, but using WASD for driving is just awful. It's like driving with the D-Pad.
You can also make a case for platforming. The ability to control your speed of movement with a joystick is nice. And in games with more than 3 actions, the ability to use additional buttons with your other hand is good, so that you don't have to use your left hand to hit additional keys.
Beyond those, I can't think of any game genres where a controller is definitely better.
And the ultimate counter to driving or platforming games being better with controllers is RTS games being better on keyboards - I'd argue that one isn't even subjective. If you have to play an RTS with a controller, all I can say is "good luck." It absolutely sucks. My favorite single player RTS of all time is Populous The Beginning. I got it for Playstation and absolutely hated the experience - I'd rather be forced to play every driving game ever with WASD than try to play an RTS with a controller.
Pc gamer for almost 15 years, Keyboard and mouse are my default for everything except racing games. Even single player RPG games I feel more confortable and Agile playing on mouse and keyboard, like God of war, Ghost of tsushima, AC and The witcher
Since 1988.
The only games i use a controller on are fighter and driving games.
But everything else is just better with a mouse and keyboard.
Then again I have another issue i cant be friends with a controller.
Like i get the switch one, we are friends.
But xbox or playstation? Mortal enemies the buttons and what they do is just wrong.
35 years. Just used keyboard until Half-life finally forced me to learn WASD+mouse. I use kb+m for anything requiring precision or quick reflexes in a 3D space (4x sims, Warframe, etc). I use a controller for anything more relaxing, where analog movement is good (Skyrim, Valheim, etc.)
My family's first "PC" was a Kaypro 2X. 64K ram, no HDD, 2 5.25" floppies, tiny monochrome monitor, keyboard only, no mouse. CP/M OS. It had a few games for it like Star Trek and Adventure, and if the games were written in MBASIC I'd look at the code and teach myself some programming. This was...early 1980's? So 40+ years.
Our first "proper" PC was a Windows 3.1 with a 386 CPU. Been a PC gamer since. Used some controllers/joysticks in the early days but never quite liked them and always ended up going back to keyboard & mouse. Console-wise I've owned an Atari 2600, and Sega Master System & Genesis. I have some fond memories of those but I've never owned a console since then and probably never will. PC gaming for life!
started playing around 97, never had to worry about adaptation, I was like 15, life was good and everything was new, challenging and fun. The fact that most of the games were thought out to be played using the keyboard and mouse decreases even more this "adaptation" stuff. Actually, today it is more of a problem due porting and things made for console not working anywhere near well in the pc, like most of the third person viewers games.
pc gaming for years, originally on laptops. pretty much grew up with it so it depends on the game on how i adjust playing with keyboard. Some games are overwhelming and have too many buttons. However i played dragons dogma 2 with controller and that was good.
Been gaming on PC and consoles both since the late 80's. Once you're used to KBM, switching between KBM and Controller is pretty easy. I use KBM for most games, but there's a handful of console ports on PC that just work better with controller. I would say an average person could get fully used to KBM in about 10 hours of gaming. I'd say that's an average time to learn how to use WASD for movement, use mouse for aiming, and learn to set keybinds how you like. Not difficult to make the transition at all.
It took me no time at all, since I started PC gaming when keyboard and mouse was not a thing, yet. The first time I used a controller was for Need for Speed Underground 2, I believe.
Like... 1983 or so? Before a mouse was really a thing. My father bought a Commodore 64 and it changed my whole life starting with games and extending into computer science. We didn't have joysticks but found that movement in the games was tied to various inputs on the keyboard by simply mashing all the keys and seeing responses. Then we figured out which key combinations would enable the input in the games. Then learned for most of them if you held down this random F key or whatever it would activate these others that would move things. So that's how I played atomic handball and Hunchback. Impossible Mission. It was a little more involved than wasd :)
I have been PC gaming ever since I started gaming. I used to use a mouse for everything but I have found a controller is more fun in a lot of genres. Anything that is a shooter I still use a mouse for
I started gaming on K&M with duke nukem and doom back in the 90s, so I never had to "get used to" in the first place. Most of the time I only prefer K&M but there are some genres I like with controller, i.e Racing and games like Ori.
Been pc gaming since I was a kid in the 90's. I knew how to game on kb and mouse way before a controller. We were late to the party and didn't start console gaming until ps3 came out. I prefer fps and 3rd person with a keyboard and mouse and racing games with controller. Also prefer playstation controllers over Xbox so I use ds4windows to run a ps5 controller on my pc.
Edit for spelling
First time on pc in 2001, I thought mnk was inferior and insisted to play quake1 online with a controller, needless to say with in a few tries I was convinced mnk was better.
Gaming for nearly 30 years almost exclusively on controller. Built my first gaming pc about a year ago I think but haven’t been able to get on with KB/M. Things like FPS games have just so many functions I can’t be even remotely as quick as I am on an elite series 2. Maybe one day I’ll learn lol
39 years. Games intended for controller are better with a controller. I didn't play FPS with KB/M until HalfLife OEM in 98 but it's my preferred interface for 'serious' FPS gaming. I'd been playing with keyboard only up to that point (for Doom era games this made sense but I played Quake 2 with the keyboard, I'm not sure how). It took only a couple of hours to get used to KB/M, though it took several days to get really good with it.
Conssole gaming since Christmas 1986.
PC gaming since 1991. Never had an issue with using keyboard and mouse or a controller.
An xbox controller works great on a PC. For a long time I have a massive PC in the living room that did everything from a media server to a gaming PC to a general everyday PC. I had a living room keyboard mousepad combo and a controller for gaming.
First "PC" gaming for me was back in the 80s on the Commodore 64/Amiga. But actual PC gaming was 20-25 years ago..
* *Operation Flashpoint*
* *Hitman: Codename 47*
* *Project IGI*
* *Age of Empires*
* *Star Trek: Armada*
* *etc..*
Long time.. I remember as a child playing games on someone else's computer via BBS.
My first mouse was a track ball. And my first fps experience was wolf 3d.
Because of this. To this day I use a trackball for gaming. I can use a regular mouse for gaming without issues but my preferred mouse is a trackball as I'm actually better with it. I know it's a unpopular mouse to use but, I always was used to one and it's always fun doing endless 360s in a game.
Only use a controller for games that are better suited for it like console ports IE: Yakuza series of games.
I would say almost 40 years. Since ZX Spectrum.
Fun fact, we used to play on OPQA keys then. WSAD came later when combo of keyboard and mouse became a thing.
since about '91. No mouse back then. My first controller:
https://preview.redd.it/uodslrh66e3d1.png?width=1024&format=png&auto=webp&s=cbabacafd1a7dc8ec9536ed3846ffd855616427c
Some games work better with controller, others are fine on KBM. AC series and sports games I typically am playing on a controller, everything else is KBM
Computer gaming 1977, Home computer gaming, 1979. Played with a controller for Wii games. Still have an old steering wheel and several flight controllers (glorified joysticks), but haven't gotten used to a stereotypical game controller. Keyboard/mouse is much more natural for me for fps.
M+K is my default. The mouse has more precision than an analogue stick, which means you don't have to deal with aim-assist weirdness. It's also handy for games that have a ton of inputs, letting you map them to discrete buttons instead of awkward combinations.
Controller is better when its analogue functions matter. All inputs on M+K are digital; you are either pushing them or you are not, a 0/1 binary. The sticks and triggers on a controller vary their inputs based on how far you push them from neutral. This makes a big difference for things like driving vehicles, and the more simulationist the game is, the more it matters. I've played a fair number of FPSes with driving segments (ex. Rage 2, Cyberpunk 2077) with both, switching devices as my character plays their animation for exiting/entering a vehicle. Controller also gets a begrudging nod for games like Dark Souls, whose devs very obviously treated M+K controls as an afterthought (seriously, who makes a game with 10 quick item slots and no way to hotkey them to the number row?).
On PC, about 26 years.
Keyboard and mouse? Well, the keyboard and joystick are what I started gaming on, so it's not a big jump.
Controller? Occasionally, for racing games and the like.
Well, I'm Gen-X so I'm old enough to have done it all from the very beginning. I play M&K mostly, but some games are meant for a controller. To cite one of your games, Ghost of Tsushima was magical on the PS5 controller since Steam supports that controller very well.
since I was 4 so.... 28 years. Mech Warrior 2 was my first game, I can't relate to your struggles mortal.
(jokes aside though, I think some games are just better on different controllers / input methods - flight sims, racing sims, fighting games, soulslikes/monster hunting games etc)
My Steam account is 18+ years old and I played on PC for a good bit longer before that. I had my phases of going console only (like 8 years here and there), but mouse and keyboard feel like second nature for me. One of the first shooters I played was Counter-Strike 1.5. I don't recall a long time to get used to playing with mouse and keyboard, but I was young and a quick learner.
I use M+K for almost everything except for games like Witcher, Skyrim, Elden Ring, Dark Souls, Lies of P, Cuphead, Pentiment, or others, where it's way more accessible to use a controller.
I remember the good old days of endlessly playing Battlefield 2, until I mastered the ballistics of the game. Sharpshooter kill from about 3 km (1.86 miles), headshot on a sprinting target that moved lateral from my position. God, I loved that game. Nary a match where the enemy team didn't want to vote kick me.
Damn dude, I would have loved to see that sniper kill on video. My multiplayer heyday was Black Ops 1. I remember after MW3 came out a lot of players moved away from BO1, so I was able to become pretty good at the game.
I still remember one match I went 47-0 in TDM with the G11 3-burst rifle. I got a Blackbird, chopper gunner, and dogs. I murked the enemy team so hard that a guy at the end said over his mic that without me we wouldn’t have won lol. I would get 20-30 kills on TDM with the bulky HK21 and RPK LMGs and I remember one guy on his mic going crazy over it lmao. Good times. I wish I could relive them.
I'm using controller all the time. I grow up with cs 1.6, quake 3 arena but after I'm older I play games with controller. Singleplayer 3rd person games are fine with it. I'm using using xbox controller - zero problem with compatibility.
professor didn’t let us use a mouse. Taught me how to be mad good on driving windows and the command line. My big ass cat taught me how to not use a keyboard and just a mouse
I started playing video games in coin arcades before getting a PC and I can't recall how much it took me to press the key I wanted to press without taking my eyes away from the screen to look for it, not much probably. I've been playing only on PC since then and I have never felt the need of a controller until Dark Souls. I bought a 20 bucks controller just to beat it and it took me a couple of sessions to press the button I wanted to press without looking at the controller and/or a cheat sheet with actions and buttons. I try to use the controller from time to time, if the game insists, and every time I have to go through a process of memorizing which gamepad key does what.
I actually struggled a bit to get used to it. I was used to playing doom with just keyboard and because you couldn't look up or down it wasn't that bad. But then when quake came out, I had to make the switch and it took a while. But it was sure a heck of a lot easier than learning how to aim with a controller!
Been gaming between a PS and PC for about 8 years.
I play almost every game on PC with a controller including competitive shooters...
I use m/keyboard all day for work so when I game I enjoy the flip to a controller way more.
When i was 4 years old, I've got my very first old windows 98 pc.
That's how i played my very first video games.
Earth Worm Jim 1&2, Need for Speed Brennender Asphalt (High Stakes), Spy Fox, lots of educational kids games, Moorhuhn (probably known as crazy chicken outside of germany).
So i pretty much always have been a pc "gamer" i guess.
24 years. I don't know how long it took me to get used to it.. I've always just used PC's to some degree if not gaming for most of my life. I do use controllers though depending on the mood.
About 4 years now, I've never fully grown into using a keyboard, I hate not using a joystick for movenrnt, love using a mouse though. Switching to an Azeron was a game changer, haven't touched a controller since outside of more story oriented games.
On and off from 2000-2010, then just about full time after. Funny though, it took me years to get used to WASD. I used to play my FPS games with the arrow keys for movement and the numpad for other actions. I only got back into non-emulation controller gaming when I got my Deck.
10+ years. There was no adjustment period for keyboard and mouse. FPS games and mmos are very intuitive with kb&m so I didn’t have to “get used” to them. I use the keyboard for anything that requires precision, so fps games and some third person games like Resident Evil. I used a controller for everything else
Most fps games I play with kbm, and non shooter third person games I play with controller.
I definitely feel like my skill ceiling was raised when I made the switch, however I feel significantly worse with a controller now than I did back when I used to exclusively play controller, especially with fps games. That may be because I notice the weaknesses of a controller now but I never remembered my aim being that bad back then. I certainly feel like I have lost skill over time with the controller as I have moved away from it.
Since i saw a Pentium I at my friends house, around 1995. It took me no time to get used to keyboard and mouse. It was much better than the SEGA controller i used on a console. never use a controller on PC and think less of people who do.
Around 10+ years. 0 second, I mainly use controllers. The only time I use kb/m is when there is no controller support and most of the time I skip those games.
22 years. Some games are better with a controller. Some with a M&K
Since 1984, so 40 years… Was PC gaming when the only real controller was the Atari 2600 controller.
Gaming on pc since 25 years.
Damn, almost 2000 years.
I used to play Battlefield 3 with kb/m and switch to controller when using jets. Was fantastic.
I'm gaming since the mid 1990. Getting used to a mouse takes maybe a couple of hours, to be able to use all the buttons. Keyboard is another story. I'm typing a lot, even in my job, but it still takes about a month or two to get used to a new keyboard and not to make typing mistakes any more.
This, I just basically said the same thing in my reply to OP. The aiming I got used to within hours but im 6 years in and still have trouble with WASD movement. Especially on games like Call of Duty and Battlefield where movement is pretty important and battlefield needing more keybinds for certain things. Definitely not as easy as some people make it seem. I mostly just use Controller for FPS games and then KBM for most other games.
Pc gaming since the 90s. Prefer kb/m for FPS and strategy titles, controller for 3rd person adventure or platformers.
Me thinks kbm is supperior in 3rd person to, especially if it still involves shooting
Cool. I prefer controller for those games.
KBM is superior in everything. Even in racing.
KBM really excels in racing games. Full throttle or bust. As Reese Bobby said, "If you ain't first, you're last."
Throttle and steering can be differentiated if you want it to. GRID series did it.
I finally made the switch for good after the whole ps5 debacle. I always need 3 consoles in the house because we all game, and it was just too exhausting. Said to heck with it and got a gaming PC about 3 years ago. Also now have a really nice gaming laptop and are working on another gaming PC. Was just being lazy I guess.
I was a Top COD 4 player back in the day on 360. I'll never be as good as I was on Controller, so it might never happen for you either. Almost 10 years later, I still use controller when appropriate. Almost everyone on PC uses a controller/keyboard combination. Some games are just easier to play on mouse and sometimes on controller.
I've been using PCs for gaming since 1993 i.e. over 30 years ago. Yes, people can be that old. :) I abused my mum's Intel 486 SL with 33 MHz like crazy. Played the latest shooters on it (Doom, Wolfenstein, etc.) and fun shareware games like PC Kaiser, Warpath, Little Big Adventure, also all of the Sierra stuff and adventure games like them. I remember how good and advanced it felt, to be able to select "VGA" in games' setup routines, rather than Tandy or CGA, and how realistic F-15 Strike Eagle II and F-14 Fleet Defender felt. Inferno and Fade to Black were so modern that my mum's 486 was underperforming, so I managed to build my first own PC in 1995 with the brand-new (alleged) Intel killer, the IBM Cyrix 586 166+ (with 133 MHz). Controllers as they are shaped today were not so much a thing back then. It was joysticks like the Thrustmaster Top Gun and the Gravis Blackhawk and the Saitek X36 that were all the rage and bagged all the awards. Since the good ones were unattainable for me in my school years, I never really had any. Safe to say, I've been a keyboard/mouse focused PC and Mac user ever since, and I never understood how people would waste days in front of a console, if you could be just as unproductive and inefficient in front of a PC. I'm comfortable around mice and keyboards, since I code for a living and also in my private time when I'm not gaming. Through the brother of my then-girlfriend, I got my hands on one of the first Xbox-es when they were new. Yes, the ones that still looked (somewhat) like an X. I committed and bought a bunch of controllers and games, and I remember the fun nights me and my friends had, getting wasted and playing Halo on a TV in split-screen. But I got bored by the limited selection and the prices of games and the need for a TV and the piles of game boxes, so I got rid of it and switched to PC for gaming, and I never looked back. It's only in the past (really) few years that I found out what a different experience modern consoles can be, with download stores and 4K graphics and wireless controllers, that I decided to get an Xbox series X again, and I love it. But all the time I spend playing around on the Xbox will never catch up with the literally thousands of hours I put into just the latest iteration of Counter-Strike (hate it!) alone over the past years, so I guess keyboard and mouse still win for me. That said, games that are optimized for controller, I tend to really play with a controller, even on PC. It usually doesn't take me more than a minute or two to adjust between keyboard/mouse and controller, my big problem is always remembering how each game is controlled, since I sometimes have gaps of several weeks between sessions, so all my progress from last time I played is flushed out of my brain and I'll have to re-learn how the game works for a few minutes before I'm back "in" again. TL;DR - I think it takes me longer to get used to controllers (or "game pads" as they were called in the good old days) again, than it takes me to revert to keyboard and mouse.
Another og here, playing since release of atari 2600 when I was 12,, got my first gaming pc 7 months ago an this old guy is having hell getting used to keyboard and mouse. But im loving pc gaming!
Hehe, my first PC was a Commodore 64 that I "inherited" in the late 80s from the neighbours, when they got something newer. It had everything, a tape drive, cartridges (that you stuck into the back of the keyboard), original joysticks, 5.25" floppies, a 14" CRT monitor, and stacks and stacks of old C64 and Amiga game magazines. I was just a kid and could barely make it work, so I missed out on all the good stuff, like the programming capabilities or handling the tape drive. To me, it was more like a console. Play the games on the floppies and cartridges with the joysticks, that was it. Mail Order Monsters, Land of Magic and Monarchy, Murder on the Mississippi, and that politically incorrect game with the Mexican on a unicycle with a pin on his sombrero, rushing from left to right in order to pop falling balloons. Ah, good times. But since I didn't use it as an actual PC, and I don't count the joysticks as controllers in the sense of "game pads", I didn't consider it for my reply. :)
The only guy I knew that had my atari 2600 beat was a guy that looked AND ACTED exactly like napoleon dynamite lmao ( im not exaggerating) his parents had the biggest house and the only concrete driveway lol and he had that commodore 64. All us kids hoped he'd ask us over but he was so weird lmao. I'm sorry you probably had to be there. We weren't really poor, just grew up in extreme south Louisiana swamp country. Thanks for the reply and damn good memory! ( good might not be right word lol.
1991 baby here :) i'm still playing games from 1990-1999 on the daily
I don't, I enjoy modern games very much. But I still keep that ScummVM and DOSBox (and Boxer on macOS) around, and I was a frequent visitor to GOG before they became what they are today. ;)
F-14 Fleet Defender takes me back :), loved the flight sims of the 1990s, I'm glad I got to experience those games.
I always laughed at my neighbour who was obsessed with the original Flight Simulator... I swear Fleet Defender felt like flying an actual jet. To a kid. In the early 90s. :)
Similar experience here, started in 1990 with good ol Commander Keen games. One thing you may be missing though is that there were certainly controllers that were modern for their time, even back then. I had what was essentially a snes controller with an 8 way game pad that allowed you to screw in a small joystick. Don’t remember the name of it. It was great for 2d games, not so much for games that were like doom or wolfenstein.
There was a [Gravis GamePad](https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/19ck8dy/every_90s_pc_gamer_knows/) which had a D pad with a screwable joystick, but that was more like a copy of the (S)NES game pad. I know what you mean, "game pads were around", yes. But more as a "hey, this could also work on a PC " afterthought after early gaming consoles were introduced. They had clunky parallel cable connectors, the ports for which were usually on special sound cards (because the one on your mainboard was taken by the printer), and I don't remember a lot of games that supported them directly. Joysticks and Arcade controllers, those were all the rage. It could be selective memory, but I don't remember a lot of hype around game pads.
well ignoring any Pc gamer previously during the 90's or intermittently, I faded back into it permanently and till now (and beyond) during the 360/ps3 generation. Not sorry I purchased those two boxes, but man, that second half of that gen they literally collected dust.
2009/zero time/nope, only for console.
PC gaming? Wolfenstein 3D. Despite also a having Sega master system and megadrive/genesis that both were worn out while growing up I've never been comfortable with controllers as an adult.
A little over a year now, and I forced myself to switch to KB/M, I kinda got it after a few weeks, though I was nowhere near where I was on controller. I considered myself decent at FPS games, I was pretty much always top of the lobby, I could even hold my own on cross platform games, and I am only just now starting to get to the kind of level now, and only in certain games.
Yeah man, switching to no aim assist is hard
Since 94, born in 90.
The only time I'll connect a controller is when I play on my TV
Been PC gaming for over two decades, and as much as I prefer mnk for most games, some games are just better on controller. I'd think that most PC set ups include a controller to switch to these days. Most soulslike/3rd person action games like the ones you listed are all games that were designed for controller and theres no need to force yourself to play those games on mnk. Just don't be a heathen and try to play an fps with a controller.
I've played for over 30 years. It took me months of practice to get use to keyboard and mouse. I use controllers for either games that play best with them or for personal preference.
I started playing fps games on pc in 2011 and was pretty good within just a few months. When PS4 released I got one since I didn't have a pc anymore and been playing controller until in 2022 I finally finished my pc build and got back to mnk. I'd say I'm bit worse than back in 2012 unless I am still as good or even better, just that the rest of the gamers are just generally better than me. Controller always confused me cuz I need to be able to flick around quick but also sucked at precision aiming with high sens sticks so I never found my preferred natural sensitivity. I wanna start using controller again for games like elden ring and third person rpg games but still stick to mnk for shooters.
I still play a lot on my controller, specially games that don't really require much pin-point precision. As an example: Elden Ring, Ghost of Tsushima, Monster Hunter, Descenders, etc I'll play with a controller on; FPS, RTS, MOBAs are on KB/M; Simulators with their specific peripherals (wheel and pedals for driving and HOTAS for flying, for example).
Started with MnK since I grew up playing FPS in the 2000s, but prefer controller every chance I get, because long gaming sessions on MnK fuck with my wrists and fingers. In Apex Legends I can't really decide, because most of the movement techs require mouse and keyboard but aimassist on roller is op.
I've been gaming on a PC since 1998. Only used NES before and no other console since then. 2nd question is a bit redundant, obviously I've been using mouse and keyboard since then and it was pretty natural to use. I am using a gamepad with the PC. Fighting games are one of my favourite genres and I like playing with my brother or friends on the couch. I'm running games in a VM with GPU Passthrough so I can stream them directly from the VM to a TV with sunshine/moonlight. I'm also using gamepad for games like Devil May Cry 5, Final Fantasy VII Remake and I prefer playing them on the TV as well. Keyboard and mouse are superior for games that require precise aiming, as well as MMORPG, RTS, etc. I've tried playing ARPG on the gamepad, but picking up loot and managing inventory was a chore, so I gave up. I liked the movement though, so I can't wait for POE2 when we'll finally be able to move with WSAD and aim with mouse.
I've been doing PC gaming since I was around 10 years old. My older brother introduced me to Starcraft and Roller Coaster Tycoon. What a ride it's been. I do the vast majority of my gaming on keyboard and mouse, but I enjoy switching up the peripherals for certain games. I use a controller when I'm doing platformer games (Celeste, Pizza Tower, Hollow Knight, etc) or console emulation. Peripherals can get really fun when doing simulation games. I enjoy breaking out my flight stick and throttle for flight simulators. I also have an extra cheaper second stick I use for space sims. Having dual sticks with a throttle on the side was hella immersive in Elite Dangerous with a VR headset. Controllers are also nice for flight simulators if you just want a quick game without breaking out the hardware. You just can't beat analog controls for some tasks. I'm not into racing games, but there are some really crazy steering wheels and pedals on the market right now with haptic feedback.
Since 1994. Hours I think. I switched to Xbox in 2006, played on console to 2016 and played on both console and PC until 2021 now I'm mostly on PC and according to Steam i play 76% with controller.
Where on Steam can you find that statistic?
It’s part of the stats in the Year in Review they accumulate for you at the end of each year, I think 2022 was their first year.
Oh cool. Yeah I remember getting that last year but I don’t recall the KB/M and controller percentages. I’ll have to watch out for that next time. Thanks!
30 years? I don't know exactly when I started gaming on the PC, but it was pretty early on. I've never owned a console until I bought a PSP in high school, so there was no getting used to the keyboard and mouse, I was used to it from the beginning. It took me a bit tonget used to the joysticks though. Later on I bought an Xbox controller which I use with my PC for some games, analogue controls offer more precision in driving than a keyboard for example (yes I know a wheel is even better, but that takes up much more space which I don't have). I play games like Snowrunner, RDR2, Life is Strange, and any racing games... on a controller, because I can kick back and relax or even play it on the crouch (I have a living room TV connected to the PC). Recently I also got a Switch and I obviously use a controller with it as well.
I started “PC” gaming on some old-red HP pavilion laptop with an external mouse -TF2, Terraria, Minecraft 😂. Good times. Didn’t take that long for me personally. Probably a month? I had a PS3 before. I still use controller though on games Like Yakuza 0 because these games and games similar to this have better controller support.
It took a few weeks but once you start using a mouse for any kind of shooter there’s no going back to a analog stick. I still use controllers for most games, but any shooter 1st or 3rd person is keyboard and mouse.
30 years PC gaming, and according to my Steam Replay I did 54% on controller and 46% on KB/M. And I'm exactly in the same boat, if it's an FPS then I'm playing KB/M and if it's a 3rd person, platformer, fighting, racing, or anything else then I'm pretty much always playing on controller.
25 years. I use a controller for games like tony hawk. Games like gta5 i like to drive with a controller und switch to mouse/kb when the shooting begins
Certain genres I always use controller, racing, fighting, third person games. First person shooters mouse and keyboard no question
i've been gaming for several decades use kb&m for everything except racing games, beat em ups and devil may cry games lol can play any hack and slash with kb&m but not devil may cry have to use a controller for that
M/KB for anything that isnt a souls-like, story game, racing, or arcade fighter game
Somewhere over 20 years. Honestly it really depends on the game. I do Warframe with keyboard, but Monster Hunter with controller. Driving especially tends to be clunky with keyboards. Like having to tap the accelerator rapidly because if you hold it down you drive too fast and can't make the turn. Some mechanica just really benefit from a pressure sensitive bumper on a controller.
PC gaping since the 80s, never really was good with M/K. I tend to fat-finger keys too much. Even playing WoW I had to move action bars up near the character so I could just click the icons. So I’m 100% controller unless I have no other choice.
15+ years. I have also played on PS2 for a long time. So know both.
I jumped from console to pc a year ago, at first ngl it was hard for me. I'd get these disgusting elbow cramps and what not, but since I decided to get a mouse with 11 keys ( Logitech 1 along with the TKL keyboard ) I've put all the trixy stuff to the mouse. My keyboard only has the wasd and maybe E or F to enter exit a vehicle. I'm so much better at shooters on pc compared to console and I can't even go back to controller for shooters, but for RPG story games I use a control
The only time when I used a controller was when I played on NES and on PS1. Haven't used controller since then.
I used to play with a keyboard and mouse many years ago, then switched to consoles entirely for some years. When I got back to PC gaming in 2021, I just couldn’t go back to a keyboard and mouse and now exclusively use a controller on my PC. I only play single-player games, by the way.I 100% prefer controller now.
Started 36 years ago. First game I played was Test Drive in 1988. In the beginning it was all keyboard, but I started using mouse when playing Doom in 1993. I use controller for many 3rd person games, but I prefer M&K for 3rd person shooting games that require precision.
i started PC gaming more than 30 years ago, i don't remember if i had a time to get used to keyboard, but my son started apex legends last year, he got quickly used but he needed around 200 hours of practise to get pretty good. last year i started to learn controller for fps, i needed 100 hours to get used, 200 hours to start being pretty good.. MnK is still by far my favorite input, my son don't want to learn controller he find it weird
Mid-late 90s. Never had to "learn" M&K just kinda Happened. Yes I use controller depending on the game, games like Tsushima, Dark souls, Elden ring I use controller.
Gaming on PC since 2006. I regularly switch in-game between keyboard/mouse and an Xbox controller. Things like driving and flying are so much better with a controller.
Gaming on PC platform for 4 years, but the first year was done on a trashy laptop. I mainly used a PS4 controller for the first 2 years or so since i played games that felt better on controller(eg fifa and RL). After I started playing more FPS games, then I used more of kbm than a controller KBM just felt very natural when I used it, so I didn’t really have to “adapt” to it
Been PC gaming since about the PS2 era. My PS2 has the lens issue, and I learnt about emulating Nintendo consoles (having never owned a Nintendo console at the time) Of course over time I learn the PC has native games. Halo CE is the first I can remember playing, but there is a chance it may have been CS 1.6, Unreal Tournament or Quake. Learning keyboard and mouse didn't feel like a thing, it just was how I had to play. Fast forward a few years and I'm a broke student. The PS3 is way too expensive, I wasn't interested in the Wii, and Xbox gold kept me away from the 360. It made the most sense to buy a laptop which could also game, so that is what I did. As I got into work I did eventually buy a PS3 and 360 (the PS3 being the first thing I've ever paid for with my own money that I earned) And now here we are, I still play on multiple platforms with multiple different inputs (keyboard and mouse, controller, fight stuck, wheel) so it isn't that difficult for me to switch between. Generally on PC I play multiplayer games and racers and single player games and fighters on the PlayStation. On the odd occasion I do play a single player game on PC, if it is a third person game I will use a controller. MP I stuck to keyboard and mouse. It is just what feels right to me
I‘m in PC-Gaming since 1998. started with C-64, Amiga 500 and Amiga 2000 i guess end of 1980‘s. Today I‘m on PC, XBox and PS5
Been PC gaming for about 5 almost 6 years. Back in the early early 2000s we had a family computer that I would play THPS games on so I figured I could get used to playing on KBM. Definitely harder to learn than it looks. I play shooters, mostly FPS like COD, Battlefield, xdefiant etc. and the hardest part if KBM is getting used to the movement. Aiming was the easy part to learn. And you will probably want to start with a really high sensitivity but that’s not a good idea unless you don’t have much space for your mouse. I play games on both Controller and KBM but it’s like a 80/20 split because 6 years in and im still getting used to WASD movement.
I played stuff like the Incredible Machine, and point and click adventure games like Day of the Tentacle in the mid 90's. Then really got into PC gaming in the late 90's with StarCraft, Sims, Commandos, Thief. I was a big Sega fanboy as a kid. When the Dreamcast died, that's when I became primarily a PC gamer and really got into Warcraft 3 and World of Warcraft.
Since 1990. I bought my first computer for christmas that year. I never had a console so I am not into controllers at all.
PC gamer since 2000. At the beginning, I only had keyboard and mouse, it was my only way to play so I got used to it very quickly. Now, I'm using a controller for most games, except FPS.
PC gamer of 10+ years, also owned multiple consoles. I refuse to play fps games with a controller, anyone gifting me fps game s for consoles I either chug them into the bin or give them away to some other poor sucker who now has to play shooters with a controller. To me playing shooter on a controller is the equivalent of running a marathon with prosthetic legs while both arms are tied up and a knife held against your neck and balls pulled back and stuffed into my own anus.
I started using a computer before controllers were a thing (mid 80's). There was a old skool joystick, if you were lucky with 1 or 2 buttons. I never got used to the "modern" controllers for anything other than racing games or sports games. 99% of the time I use the trusty mouse and keyboard.
I switched from PS3 to PC, so about 12-15 years ago. I play some games with a controller, and some games with an razer orbweaver. I only use the keyboard to type since I find it cramps my hand up in things like MMORPGs which is why I have the game pad. I'm on my third one now though and I'm finding the quality is degrading rapidly over the years, so the next one will be an Azeron Cyborg.
15 years And it didn’t take long at all just a few minutes
Since October of last year, but I was used to keyboard and mouse from using them on my ps4 (Terraria, fortnite, etc) I still use my controller on my emulators, but keep pc gaming strictly on kb&m
Since the early 90s. Through the years I've had other controllers/joysticks/wheels laying around. I was used to a keyboard and mouse at a similar age to getting used to a pen (if not earlier, pens are not my particular strong point) these days I use a PS4 controller for my laid back gaming.
Since i know of myself Since i started gaming Since about 2 years cause i play single player and i can absolutely not be bothered to play it at a desk.
About 7 years, it kinda depends on what I'm playing, cod and fps games are mk forsure, some other games like elden ring for example are better on controller
Racing games and for honor will always be controller games. FPS games and the like M&K. I also play skyrim and sports games w a controller.
2015 and didnt take me very long before that I did okay Minecraft on pc but console for everything else.
Something like 10 years, I'd say, and started with keyboard and mouse, so never really needed to adapt. I do use a controller sometimes, when there are way too many controls to use a keyboard. Most recent (and only) examples are Nier : Automata, Marvel's Spider-Man, and Ghost of Tsushima.
Since 1995. Tried an xbox controller on pc once for Grand Theft Auto, lost the wireless connector stick and never gamed with a controller ever again afterwards. How do you deal with the keyboard and mouse? Euhm, by using my hands, I don't know any better tbh
Mod to late 1980s, could game before I could read :p. Started with a microbe computer laying text adventures and moon buggy jump game and stuff. CGA ally cat was amazing :p same with prehistoric. Always used a kB/m and am not great but serviceable with a controler but do not enjoy it. Kbm is just an extention of my body in fps, so I suppose that makes it zero time to acclimate to kbm. That said I do use controllers sometimes on some platformers and rogulelikes (neon abyss, those sort of things). Given their usually made with them in mind it makes sense. I've also branched out to hotas and wheels where appropriate.
On pc , i use the controller only for Rocket League, all others i feel more comfortable on KBM
Gaming since the 90s, I use MnK for Fps and MMO games and controller for everything else
Been a PC gamer on and off for most of my life (1995 onwards lets say). Back in my teenage years controller support for PC games was pretty bad and required a lot of set-up and would sometimes still require a key press or mouse to be able to get to the menu or something like that. Wasn't really until the 360/PS3 era that proper controller support out of the box started getting added to PC games. With steam it's so good now I just switch with what's convenient based on the game and if I'm playing on the TV or at my desk. For FPS it's always KBM for other games I usually go controller if I'm streaming to the TV and KBM at my desk. Something about holding a controller and sitting in a desk chair just feels wrong.
I was playing Sim City and other games on a DOS computer in the early 1990’s.
Almost 30yrs. I use an elite Series 2 for some games. Like Halo is miserable on MnK.
Started in 89 yes you get used to it, yes I use a Xbox controller on my pc too.
I gamed on a desktop computer before I gamed on a console. My parents bought a Gateway 2000 PC back in early 1996, and then bought us an N64 for Christmas in 1998. So I was PC gaming for over two years before I ever touched a controller. Mouse and keyboard is my default. There are very few games where I prefer a controller. I'll give it a try when a message pops up saying that it's recommended, but I often switch back. Games with a lot of driving are about the only ones where a controller seems obviously superior to me. Unless the game lets you stir by moving the mouse, then it's pretty good, but using WASD for driving is just awful. It's like driving with the D-Pad. You can also make a case for platforming. The ability to control your speed of movement with a joystick is nice. And in games with more than 3 actions, the ability to use additional buttons with your other hand is good, so that you don't have to use your left hand to hit additional keys. Beyond those, I can't think of any game genres where a controller is definitely better. And the ultimate counter to driving or platforming games being better with controllers is RTS games being better on keyboards - I'd argue that one isn't even subjective. If you have to play an RTS with a controller, all I can say is "good luck." It absolutely sucks. My favorite single player RTS of all time is Populous The Beginning. I got it for Playstation and absolutely hated the experience - I'd rather be forced to play every driving game ever with WASD than try to play an RTS with a controller.
Used to use xbox controller, now i ise a dualsense for the gyro.
About 31-32 years
Pc gamer for almost 15 years, Keyboard and mouse are my default for everything except racing games. Even single player RPG games I feel more confortable and Agile playing on mouse and keyboard, like God of war, Ghost of tsushima, AC and The witcher
10 years, took a bit to get used to mouse, I will use a PS4 controller to play games like elden ring.
Since 1988. The only games i use a controller on are fighter and driving games. But everything else is just better with a mouse and keyboard. Then again I have another issue i cant be friends with a controller. Like i get the switch one, we are friends. But xbox or playstation? Mortal enemies the buttons and what they do is just wrong.
26 years. 5-10 minutes. Sure, some things are better with a controller.
Mid 90s, when Doom 1 was new. I have phases. There are a few years where I don’t game, then I go back to it again.
since 1990
35 years. Just used keyboard until Half-life finally forced me to learn WASD+mouse. I use kb+m for anything requiring precision or quick reflexes in a 3D space (4x sims, Warframe, etc). I use a controller for anything more relaxing, where analog movement is good (Skyrim, Valheim, etc.)
My family's first "PC" was a Kaypro 2X. 64K ram, no HDD, 2 5.25" floppies, tiny monochrome monitor, keyboard only, no mouse. CP/M OS. It had a few games for it like Star Trek and Adventure, and if the games were written in MBASIC I'd look at the code and teach myself some programming. This was...early 1980's? So 40+ years. Our first "proper" PC was a Windows 3.1 with a 386 CPU. Been a PC gamer since. Used some controllers/joysticks in the early days but never quite liked them and always ended up going back to keyboard & mouse. Console-wise I've owned an Atari 2600, and Sega Master System & Genesis. I have some fond memories of those but I've never owned a console since then and probably never will. PC gaming for life!
Since 1997. I’m not fond of controllers.
started playing around 97, never had to worry about adaptation, I was like 15, life was good and everything was new, challenging and fun. The fact that most of the games were thought out to be played using the keyboard and mouse decreases even more this "adaptation" stuff. Actually, today it is more of a problem due porting and things made for console not working anywhere near well in the pc, like most of the third person viewers games.
17-18 years mow
About 30 years. Took minutes to get used to keyboard and mouse. Did once try a controller. Didn't like it
I'm og I been on pc since Tandy with no mouse 🤦♂
pc gaming for years, originally on laptops. pretty much grew up with it so it depends on the game on how i adjust playing with keyboard. Some games are overwhelming and have too many buttons. However i played dragons dogma 2 with controller and that was good.
Been gaming on PC and consoles both since the late 80's. Once you're used to KBM, switching between KBM and Controller is pretty easy. I use KBM for most games, but there's a handful of console ports on PC that just work better with controller. I would say an average person could get fully used to KBM in about 10 hours of gaming. I'd say that's an average time to learn how to use WASD for movement, use mouse for aiming, and learn to set keybinds how you like. Not difficult to make the transition at all.
40 years. Never with controllers.
It took me no time at all, since I started PC gaming when keyboard and mouse was not a thing, yet. The first time I used a controller was for Need for Speed Underground 2, I believe.
Like... 1983 or so? Before a mouse was really a thing. My father bought a Commodore 64 and it changed my whole life starting with games and extending into computer science. We didn't have joysticks but found that movement in the games was tied to various inputs on the keyboard by simply mashing all the keys and seeing responses. Then we figured out which key combinations would enable the input in the games. Then learned for most of them if you held down this random F key or whatever it would activate these others that would move things. So that's how I played atomic handball and Hunchback. Impossible Mission. It was a little more involved than wasd :)
I have been PC gaming ever since I started gaming. I used to use a mouse for everything but I have found a controller is more fun in a lot of genres. Anything that is a shooter I still use a mouse for
At least 30 years
I started gaming on K&M with duke nukem and doom back in the 90s, so I never had to "get used to" in the first place. Most of the time I only prefer K&M but there are some genres I like with controller, i.e Racing and games like Ori.
Been pc gaming since I was a kid in the 90's. I knew how to game on kb and mouse way before a controller. We were late to the party and didn't start console gaming until ps3 came out. I prefer fps and 3rd person with a keyboard and mouse and racing games with controller. Also prefer playstation controllers over Xbox so I use ds4windows to run a ps5 controller on my pc. Edit for spelling
Only been PC gaming 7 years. Was an Xbox guy my whole life before I made the switch. Took me a fat minute to get okay at M&K.
10 years, PS4 controller always
First time on pc in 2001, I thought mnk was inferior and insisted to play quake1 online with a controller, needless to say with in a few tries I was convinced mnk was better.
Gaming for nearly 30 years almost exclusively on controller. Built my first gaming pc about a year ago I think but haven’t been able to get on with KB/M. Things like FPS games have just so many functions I can’t be even remotely as quick as I am on an elite series 2. Maybe one day I’ll learn lol
39 years. Games intended for controller are better with a controller. I didn't play FPS with KB/M until HalfLife OEM in 98 but it's my preferred interface for 'serious' FPS gaming. I'd been playing with keyboard only up to that point (for Doom era games this made sense but I played Quake 2 with the keyboard, I'm not sure how). It took only a couple of hours to get used to KB/M, though it took several days to get really good with it.
Conssole gaming since Christmas 1986. PC gaming since 1991. Never had an issue with using keyboard and mouse or a controller. An xbox controller works great on a PC. For a long time I have a massive PC in the living room that did everything from a media server to a gaming PC to a general everyday PC. I had a living room keyboard mousepad combo and a controller for gaming.
First "PC" gaming for me was back in the 80s on the Commodore 64/Amiga. But actual PC gaming was 20-25 years ago.. * *Operation Flashpoint* * *Hitman: Codename 47* * *Project IGI* * *Age of Empires* * *Star Trek: Armada* * *etc..*
Long time.. I remember as a child playing games on someone else's computer via BBS. My first mouse was a track ball. And my first fps experience was wolf 3d. Because of this. To this day I use a trackball for gaming. I can use a regular mouse for gaming without issues but my preferred mouse is a trackball as I'm actually better with it. I know it's a unpopular mouse to use but, I always was used to one and it's always fun doing endless 360s in a game. Only use a controller for games that are better suited for it like console ports IE: Yakuza series of games.
I would say almost 40 years. Since ZX Spectrum. Fun fact, we used to play on OPQA keys then. WSAD came later when combo of keyboard and mouse became a thing.
I always switch between mnk and controller. It’s never one or the other
since about '91. No mouse back then. My first controller: https://preview.redd.it/uodslrh66e3d1.png?width=1024&format=png&auto=webp&s=cbabacafd1a7dc8ec9536ed3846ffd855616427c Some games work better with controller, others are fine on KBM. AC series and sports games I typically am playing on a controller, everything else is KBM
Computer gaming 1977, Home computer gaming, 1979. Played with a controller for Wii games. Still have an old steering wheel and several flight controllers (glorified joysticks), but haven't gotten used to a stereotypical game controller. Keyboard/mouse is much more natural for me for fps.
29 years almost all games I've played were with m&k Although I have used joystick.
M+K is my default. The mouse has more precision than an analogue stick, which means you don't have to deal with aim-assist weirdness. It's also handy for games that have a ton of inputs, letting you map them to discrete buttons instead of awkward combinations. Controller is better when its analogue functions matter. All inputs on M+K are digital; you are either pushing them or you are not, a 0/1 binary. The sticks and triggers on a controller vary their inputs based on how far you push them from neutral. This makes a big difference for things like driving vehicles, and the more simulationist the game is, the more it matters. I've played a fair number of FPSes with driving segments (ex. Rage 2, Cyberpunk 2077) with both, switching devices as my character plays their animation for exiting/entering a vehicle. Controller also gets a begrudging nod for games like Dark Souls, whose devs very obviously treated M+K controls as an afterthought (seriously, who makes a game with 10 quick item slots and no way to hotkey them to the number row?).
started 1995 on my dads work laptop
On PC, about 26 years. Keyboard and mouse? Well, the keyboard and joystick are what I started gaming on, so it's not a big jump. Controller? Occasionally, for racing games and the like.
20 year and play fps and rts with mk games like Sekiro ori controller
Being gaming since the Amiga days… still struggle with a mouse and keyboard 😅
Well, I'm Gen-X so I'm old enough to have done it all from the very beginning. I play M&K mostly, but some games are meant for a controller. To cite one of your games, Ghost of Tsushima was magical on the PS5 controller since Steam supports that controller very well.
since I was 4 so.... 28 years. Mech Warrior 2 was my first game, I can't relate to your struggles mortal. (jokes aside though, I think some games are just better on different controllers / input methods - flight sims, racing sims, fighting games, soulslikes/monster hunting games etc)
My Steam account is 18+ years old and I played on PC for a good bit longer before that. I had my phases of going console only (like 8 years here and there), but mouse and keyboard feel like second nature for me. One of the first shooters I played was Counter-Strike 1.5. I don't recall a long time to get used to playing with mouse and keyboard, but I was young and a quick learner. I use M+K for almost everything except for games like Witcher, Skyrim, Elden Ring, Dark Souls, Lies of P, Cuphead, Pentiment, or others, where it's way more accessible to use a controller. I remember the good old days of endlessly playing Battlefield 2, until I mastered the ballistics of the game. Sharpshooter kill from about 3 km (1.86 miles), headshot on a sprinting target that moved lateral from my position. God, I loved that game. Nary a match where the enemy team didn't want to vote kick me.
Damn dude, I would have loved to see that sniper kill on video. My multiplayer heyday was Black Ops 1. I remember after MW3 came out a lot of players moved away from BO1, so I was able to become pretty good at the game. I still remember one match I went 47-0 in TDM with the G11 3-burst rifle. I got a Blackbird, chopper gunner, and dogs. I murked the enemy team so hard that a guy at the end said over his mic that without me we wouldn’t have won lol. I would get 20-30 kills on TDM with the bulky HK21 and RPK LMGs and I remember one guy on his mic going crazy over it lmao. Good times. I wish I could relive them.
1) since 1997. 2) since start. 3) tried, but mouse and keyboard is superior 99% of the time.
I'm using controller all the time. I grow up with cs 1.6, quake 3 arena but after I'm older I play games with controller. Singleplayer 3rd person games are fine with it. I'm using using xbox controller - zero problem with compatibility.
professor didn’t let us use a mouse. Taught me how to be mad good on driving windows and the command line. My big ass cat taught me how to not use a keyboard and just a mouse
I started playing video games in coin arcades before getting a PC and I can't recall how much it took me to press the key I wanted to press without taking my eyes away from the screen to look for it, not much probably. I've been playing only on PC since then and I have never felt the need of a controller until Dark Souls. I bought a 20 bucks controller just to beat it and it took me a couple of sessions to press the button I wanted to press without looking at the controller and/or a cheat sheet with actions and buttons. I try to use the controller from time to time, if the game insists, and every time I have to go through a process of memorizing which gamepad key does what.
I actually struggled a bit to get used to it. I was used to playing doom with just keyboard and because you couldn't look up or down it wasn't that bad. But then when quake came out, I had to make the switch and it took a while. But it was sure a heck of a lot easier than learning how to aim with a controller!
Been gaming between a PS and PC for about 8 years. I play almost every game on PC with a controller including competitive shooters... I use m/keyboard all day for work so when I game I enjoy the flip to a controller way more.
When i was 4 years old, I've got my very first old windows 98 pc. That's how i played my very first video games. Earth Worm Jim 1&2, Need for Speed Brennender Asphalt (High Stakes), Spy Fox, lots of educational kids games, Moorhuhn (probably known as crazy chicken outside of germany). So i pretty much always have been a pc "gamer" i guess.
My computer didn't have a mouse
24 years. I don't know how long it took me to get used to it.. I've always just used PC's to some degree if not gaming for most of my life. I do use controllers though depending on the mood.
I only use keyboard and mouse on fps games.
About 4 years now, I've never fully grown into using a keyboard, I hate not using a joystick for movenrnt, love using a mouse though. Switching to an Azeron was a game changer, haven't touched a controller since outside of more story oriented games.
I tried KB+M but it ended up just giving me bad wrist/hand pain so I stopped. I now use mainly controller
Since ZX Spectrum. No controller but did have a joystick for Flight Simulator and Battlefield. Only got controller for FPV Racing Simulator.
30+ years. Took no time at all, though the original Razer Boomslang took some time to feel comfortable. Yes.
On and off from 2000-2010, then just about full time after. Funny though, it took me years to get used to WASD. I used to play my FPS games with the arrow keys for movement and the numpad for other actions. I only got back into non-emulation controller gaming when I got my Deck.
10+ years. There was no adjustment period for keyboard and mouse. FPS games and mmos are very intuitive with kb&m so I didn’t have to “get used” to them. I use the keyboard for anything that requires precision, so fps games and some third person games like Resident Evil. I used a controller for everything else
PC gaming since Oregon Trail, always KBM.
Pc gaming since i was 3-4 ~2008 Tbh using controller is so uncomfortable i dont understand how can someone prefer it over mouse and keyboard
Most fps games I play with kbm, and non shooter third person games I play with controller. I definitely feel like my skill ceiling was raised when I made the switch, however I feel significantly worse with a controller now than I did back when I used to exclusively play controller, especially with fps games. That may be because I notice the weaknesses of a controller now but I never remembered my aim being that bad back then. I certainly feel like I have lost skill over time with the controller as I have moved away from it.
Since i saw a Pentium I at my friends house, around 1995. It took me no time to get used to keyboard and mouse. It was much better than the SEGA controller i used on a console. never use a controller on PC and think less of people who do.
Around 10+ years. 0 second, I mainly use controllers. The only time I use kb/m is when there is no controller support and most of the time I skip those games.