Which is the best controller for playing PC/Steam games?

I'm not sure which one is the best, I avoid using gamepad while playing if I can use kb+m, but I do have Logitech f310 (supports both x-input and d-input, which was nice before steam made an abstraction layer for gamepads) and am happy with it.

I use a modded 360 controller (evil d-pad and larger analogs) that I love. I got a xbone controller but its not as good imo.

The switch pro controllers seem pretty sweet tho

Bought Steam controller when it was released and I would say that I wasted my money on it. The fact that one analog stick is traded for haptic pad is not really helpful when it comes to precision aiming.

Finally, settled with PS4 controller that works wirelessly with Bluetooth adapter on my PC and Steam Big Screen recognizes it easily. I just think that Xbox controllers are too bulky.

• many of my friends own PS4, so there is a possibility of bringing my own controller as well.

my favourite one is a ps4 gamepad but the fact that xbox gamepad is supported by most games on steam makes it the "best"

I use PS4, as I dislike shape of XboX One gamepad.

I think it's down to preferences, but many people still think that setting up DS4 is a lot of hassle. And as MS owns both XboX gamepads and Windows OS, it made sure gamepads work out of the box years ago. That's why many get used to XboX controllers and do not want to try and switch.

The XBOX ONE S controller (specifically the S version, as it's a much better revised version) is the best one, hands down, not just because of compatibility, it's also really solid and well made and super comfortable. You do need W10 and bluetooth to use it wirelessly (unless you get the adapter too) and then I'd also recommend getting some rechargeable batteries.

Wired Xbox One, for sure. I used to love the Xbox 360 controller, until I decided to give the One a go. At first it felt weird, but now it's just comfortable as fuck.

Xbox One S Controller, but let me elaborate:

I've tried a lot of controllers, and while the Xbox One controller isn't perfect, I feel it's the best of what's available for PC.

Xbox 360 controllers are really comfortable to hold (my hands love them), have great support, work great wirelessly with a wireless dongle (4 per dongle), and you can use rechargeable batteries. Unfortunately the d-pad is pretty poor which makes it problematic for precision platformers and fighting games, and the thumb-sticks tend to develop drift over time - I have 5 360 controllers and all of them have thumbstick drift to varying degrees (most games compensate for this by having an inherent dead-zone, but when you encounter a game that doesn't - like Metal Gear Rising Revengeance - you get constant camera spin or constant character movement which makes playing the game a huge pain). The buttons are really hard and round - playing something like Thumper will have your thumb hurting in no time. The thumbstick material also wears out over time.

PS3 controllers have relatively poor support, don't feel comfortable to hold, the triggers feel weird, and you have to be wired - which I really dislike with a controller. The PS4 controller is better in every way.

PS4 controllers have great d-pads and nice, flat, soft buttons that are a joy to use. I think they're the most comfortable controller to hold after the X360 controller. Unfortunate, they have poor support outside Steam, and even their Steam support is not where it should be - I only tried a few games with it, but one of the games refuses to recognize the R1 button. Many games are coded for Xbox controllers, and thus will display Xbox button prompts. Ergonomically, they're best suited for platformers and fighting games because their layout puts your left thumb over the d-pad instead of the thumbstick. I also find their thumbsticks and triggers less comfortable to use than the Xbox controllers. I'm not even sure if you can connect two DS4 controllers at the same time.

Every third-party controller I've tried felt cheap and inferior to the offerings from Microsoft and Sony.

So lastly we come to the XB1 controller. It's pretty comfortable to hold, it has great support, it can work wired or wireless (via bluetooth or a USB wireless dongle), the d-pad is good, the thumbsticks don't drift and don't wear out quickly, the buttons are flatter and more comfortable than the 360's, the layout puts your left thumb over the thumb-stick which makes it ideal for every game that isn't a platformer or fighting game, the shoulder buttons are designed such that you don't have to take your fingers off the triggers to press them (something I found useful in Just Cause 3 and Nier: Automata), and it uses replaceable batteries so you can use rechargable AA batteries and never worry about having to plug it in to charge. If you go the wireless dongle route, you can connect 4 (or is it 8?) controllers to a single dongle.

In summary, the XB1 controller has a better d-pad, thumbsticks, and buttons than the 360 controller, while having better support and layout than the PS4 controller. My ideal controller would be an XB1 with the shape of the 360 and the buttons of a DS4, but the XB1 controller is the best of what's currently available.

As for wired vs wireless, I find wireless much more comfortable for a controller. I use a wireless USB dongle (supports multiple controllers, and has great range) and haven't had a single issue.

if you need to aim with the steam controller, look for a gyro configuration, or configuration it yourself, i can play cs go with the steam controller.

Logitech Gamepad F310 works fine with PC for me and is quite cheaper, than XBox controller, that it's compatible with.

The best controller is the one you own! But seriously, to the people who dualshock 4s are detected as xbox 360 controllers, maybe on a game level they are, but not on the steam api level, so I consider the data to be quite accurate. Honestly, controller support on pc games before xinput was very much lacking.

i use ds3 with scp server and everything is ok

wired XBOX one controller, never had a single problem.. they tend to drain out the batteries quite fast (bluetooth) so I use them wired and it's perfect with windows 10

All the cool kids are using Gravis Gamepads!

Xbox One wireless controller, Xbox wireless usb adapter, Panasonic Eneloop AA rechargeable batteries 4 pack, La Crosse Technology Alpha Power Battery Charger

I'm playing with a wireless 360 controller from GameSir. It's cheap and very comfortable and it works great. I've had other controllers before and they weren't great so I actually even bought another one for couch co-op.

Most important thing is that you are comfortable with the controller, so test a few different ones.
Different controllers do have different strengths though. The 360 controller is easy to set up, has good sticks and good buttons, but it also has one of the worst d-pads I've encountered. It's just awful. I've got a Logitech F710, and while it does not have a stellar d-pad, it's miles above that of a 360, but on the flipside the sticks are a bit worse on it. As someone who uses the d-pad more than the sticks, this is a good tradeoff, but if you hardly ever use the d-pad it would not be worth it.

I'm not sure about what's actually the best ones but I've been using my wired xbox 360 one for a few years now and it's been compatible for nearly every single game I've played besides a couple tiny indie ones. I like how it feels and it's been responsive/held up so far, so it's been good for me.

From experience:
I have xbox one controller, 8bitdo N30 2.4G(works on PC through usb cable) and Hori Fighting Commander.

So far I like the N30 the most but it doesn't have many buttons, just arrows and A B with turbo variants of them.
Hori one is really comfy for me but the arrows sometimes fail in diagonal inputs.
And about the xbox one, I can't get used to it, I keep trying but it feels strange, perhaps the shape doesn't really fit my hands. Also the sticks have awkward placement.

As far as choice goes, I ignore sticks on controllers as the games that need them are better played with keyboard and mouse. So it basically depends on what games you want to play and how many buttons you need. The N30 I use is great for games that need only 2 buttons(retro games, racing games), Hori is for fighting games, platformers etc.

Xbox controllers are the best imo. Never had any issue with mine.

easily xb1 controller. i used an xb360 controller for a while until i bought an xb1 to play destiny years ago. i ended up selling the console, but kept the controller. it feels much more sturdy than the xb360, and fits my hands a lot better. also the sticks are wayyy better quality, the rubber bits don't wear down, and the sticks themselves stay centered forever. i've had mine for years and it still feels and looks almost brand new. i was recently made aware of this controller. you can move around the sticks/buttons however you want which i thought was pretty neat. it's a ps4 controller but i assume it would work with pc as well.

8BitDo controllers.
I'm so happy they exist, I was uncomfortable with my PS3 controller before, because over time controllers get bigger and bigger, but not my hands.
At least now I can play without having cramps and a kid would be able to handle it as well as mine is super light.
Here is mine if you're curious :

View attached image.

Keyboard. Controllers are for consoles.