One of the big reasons why I didn't get into DCUO sooner was that I could not decide on which platform to play it on. Until this week, the $50-60 fee for the box effectively locked you into a single platform. Now that the barrier is gone and I'm trying both systems, my indecision is not entirely resolved.
While the keyboard/mouse controls on the PC are not as bad as I expected, I definitely find the core gameplay - especially the camera - feels more natural on the controller. Perhaps that is just because I am familiar with using the right analog stick for this purpose. Unfortunately, all of the secondary functions, including access to menus and especially any concept of using chat for anything, are painful when you have to hold down one button, move the stick, open a virtual keyboard, etc - checking the map for reference, for example, is a substantial irritant.
Meanwhile, the game is almost certainly cheaper on the PC. I don't remember the last time I heard of a sale on PSN point cards, but Station Cash goes on double bonus sale every other month or so. Those of us who play EQ2 can also earn free station cash by canceling our subscriptions so that SOE will pay us to reactivate them at the next "winback" promotion. Finally, if you pay for other SOE games, it's possible that a $5 upgrade for rental access to the DLC content packs might make sense for you..
I suppose the best solution to this problem would be to use the money I didn't spend on a game box to purchase some sort of game pad for my computer. Win all around?
Logitech makes the best PC gamepads, at least for the price (imo). The Logitech Dual Action is perfectly serviceable and cheap as dirt (Amazon lists them at $13). Apart from the 4 way pad, I'd compare it favorably to a PS3 pad. I prefer the imbedded 4 separate buttons of the dual shock to the logitech 4 way pad.
ReplyDeleteHowever, that's a quibble. I have played several consolish games on my PC and found the Logitech game pad to be fine. Better pads are available (I'm sure the PC X-box 360 pad is excellent based on my experience with their console pads, and Logitech has some higher end pads), but you will pay double or triple for something that is only marginally better imo.
The Xbox360 gamepad is compatible with so many games it is hard to recommend anything else. Mind you make sure Sony support it.
ReplyDelete"Support" is a strong word, but yes, DCUO supports the 360 gamepad. In fact, because Sony's PS division won't release Windows drivers, the way you play DCUO PC with a Dual Shock 3 is to download third party drivers and tell them to use the DS3 to emulate a 360 controller.
ReplyDeleteNow that I've figured out how to set this thing up, it actually works fine with DCUO and the existing controller from my PS3 (with the caveat that pushing the PS button turns the console on downstairs). I'm willing to put up with this in the short term while I try to figure out whether I'm going to stick with DCUO long enough to spend money on hardware - the advantage to another DS3 is that I could also use it with the console (whereas I don't own an XBox).