joysticks

[ROMMELL2004]

im new to gamming but i was wondering if i get a joystick can you play it with every game or do you have to use the keyboard to play the games cause if you do i dont see no fun in playing a game from the keyboard but what else can you use to play game like one person shooters or all those battle games like halo 2 just wondering before i buy one.

[grasshopperbe]

A joystick will work on most pc games, it depends on if the makers of the game implemented this possibility. but they are meant mostly for racing/flight games and so on

to play first person shooters like halo, far cry and the likes, the keyboard- mouse combo is pretty much the "only" good one i am afraid. Certainly on multiplayer you'll have not much fun with anything else, joysticks and gamepads are way to slow in movement and such to play properly .
i have seen lots of "beginning" pc gamers object to the keyboard and mouse, but none of them will use anyting else by now.

off course for games like battlefield a gamepad or joystick can be very handy for when you're driving a vehicle or flying . but everyone i know switches to the keyboard and mouse on the moment they get out of the vehicle

[ROMMELL2004]

thanks man i was gonna get one but ima thnk twice now

[Fibre Optix]

When it comes to gaming I prefer shooter games so I'm pretty comfortable with using keyboard and a mouse. It does'nt take long to get use to. I was a console gamer years ago and in the 80's I used a joystick with my commodore 64.

I felt the same way as you do. Now you could'nt get me back. The first PC game I played was Soldier of Fortune. The only reason why I had the game was because it came with my Video Card. So I installed it one day just to try it out. It took me a few days to understand what all the keys did not to mention another couple of days getting use to them.

I sold my console (DreamCast) few days after that cause i knew i would never touch it again.

I still use a "GamePad" for Sport games like NHL 2004, Madden 2004, driving games (Not Vice City)...etc..

If you do want a gamepad I recommend... The Wingman by Logitech http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/pr...CONTENTID=5022

[Hi Ho]

Mouse/keyboard is defienetly the best and only way in my opinion to play FPS games. I remember playing Doom 1 with a joystick and I thought it was great. Now I wouldn't use one on an FPS game for a million bucks. There are certain games like Splinter Cell and Midtown Madness 3 that I like with a game pad. I have those type of games on Xbox. As for a joystick recommendation, the only ones I feel I can recommend are the Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback joysticks and wheels. However, they sadly seem to have been discontinued. I don't get why. They were the only game controllers that I have seen that were of good quality. All others I have seen just feel substandard, flimsy, and cheap.

[AndyM]

Hey Rommel,
I'm and older guy so I like using joysticks for my gaming-mainly FPS. I just get too wound up to be accurate on a keyboard. There are websites run by joystick players. The main genre is the joystick/trackball combo.
And excellent joystick is the CH Products Fighterstick USB. Very sturdy, and lots of buttons.
A website I'd recommend:
http://boards.gamers.com/messages/ov...ame=panther_xl
Since most of the newer games no longer support joystick play you will have to find help with configuring the game's files to accept your setup. It's a bit of work, but enjoy the experience more with the joystick, I feel that I am more "in the game".
Good luck.