Keyboard and mouse or gamepad? It seems like a very simple question for players on paper, but at the same time it has a lot of complexity. That’s probably why all of our editors are pided on the topic – creating a huge debate here at Jugo Mobile Towers!
You see, a good gaming keyboard and mouse almost feels like a match made in heaven when paired with first-person shooters or strategy games, but for racing or fighting titles, the controller reigns supreme. If you had to choose and stick with one, there is a balanced list of benefits and trade-offs, so what would it be?
The IT team at Jugo Mobile has reviewed hundreds of gaming keyboards, mice, and some of the best PC controllers money can buy. With this hive mind of gaming prowess, we set out to solve this question, with different perspectives to help you decide which one is best for you.
A gamepad will suit you better
I’ve been a console gamer since the late ’80s, and for me, gaming is synonymous with game controllers, and I’ve owned a ton of them over the years. I usually end up with at least six game controllers per console by the end of a generation (I currently have three PS5 controllers and three Xbox Series X controllers). Yeah, I also enjoy occasionally playing with joysticks to bash some heads in Street Fighter 6, but that’s rare. The games are meant to be played with a controller… and not at all with a mouse and keyboard!
Maybe I shouldn’t admit it, since I’m a computer writer who has tested and reviewed the best gaming mice and keyboards. I honestly love these peripherals, especially the best mechanical keyboards, which have become an obsession of mine. And when I review gaming keyboards in the best gaming PCs, I often test games with a mouse and keyboard. However, the experience doesn’t match what I get with a gamepad.
This is mainly due to the fact that I don’t play the genres that are more suited to the mouse and keyboard. I don’t like real-time strategies (RTS) and I don’t play many first-person shooters (FPS). My favorite genres are action adventures, side-scrollers, racing games, and Japanese RPGs, all of which are terrible to play with a mouse and keyboard. Yes, those peripherals may offer greater accuracy and precision for two genders, but not for the majority. And certainly not the ones I enjoy.
I want to end my part here with a public service announcement of sorts. I’ve met plenty of people who are curious about PC gaming but are hesitant to sit at a desk all day playing with a mouse and keyboard. I fell into that camp myself until I made the PC gaming experience similar to the console experience. I have my PC connected to my LG CX OLED and use a wireless Xbox controller, all away from my desk.
PC games are amazing and I encourage everyone to try them if you can. Just know that you’re not stuck playing with a mouse and keyboard. A gamepad will be better for you.
I prefer WASD
My first introduction to video games was in the early ’80s, as a small child, watching my father play Space Invaders and, later, Asteroids on his Atari 2600. I also remember being captivated by watching Bart Play a boxing game in one of the first episodes of The Simpsons, smashing controller and punching your dad.
However, my first real passion for gaming didn’t come until I discovered Sid Meier’s iconic world-conquest game Civilization for my Amiga 600 in the early ’90s. This began a love affair with not only the Civilization franchise, but also with keyboard-based games.
That’s not to say I haven’t tried moving forward with controllers or joysticks over the years. I’ve owned most of the Sega consoles and my dad even picked up the Phillips CD-i at one point, but I never developed the dexterity or ability to handle a controller. I always felt more luck than skill: pressing random buttons hoping for the best.
On the other hand, I could type by the time I was eight and found the precision of a keyboard and mouse while playing Civilization, or even the most irritating game of its time, Paperboy, more satisfying and manageable. Even now, when I play Fortnite with my kids during our semi-regular gaming nights, I prefer the WASD keys to the admittedly more impressive modern controllers.
“Don’t use a keyboard, idiot.”
Okay, I know that sounds a little rage-inducing, but I never actually said that. In fact, since my first gaming system was my parents’ Commodore 64 and family computer, a keyboard and mouse were my gaming devices of choice for the first decade of my gaming life.
The accuracy of these devices when playing too many hours of Halo mods with the kids couldn’t be matched by a gamepad, and don’t get me started on the hassle of trying to use a controller to play strategy games. But then I went to college, and when my friend came over for a drink (translation: a lot) before a night out, he looked at my setup and said that incendiary quote you saw above.
While I strongly disagreed with him (and still do to this day), it got me thinking about the gray areas between a keyboard and a controller that can be boiled down to one question: do you go for the method that’s great for two? keys? genres but pretty poor in others (have you ever tried playing a racing game with a keyboard?), or do you choose the option that is good enough in all genres?
It is at this point that I moved on to the latter. Not only because it is much more versatile in different types of games, but also because of the ways to play. I no longer have to be chained to a desk that makes me subconsciously worry about all the work I’m putting off to play (sorry, boss). Instead, I could curl up on the couch with a good game and play all night.
Sure, there are portable keyboard and mouse stands you can use instead, but I’ll never look back after eliminating this complexity. As my friend Ben said, “don’t use a keyboard, idiot.”
Keyboards are no longer just a PC thing
When it comes to gaming, there really is no wrong way to play. While some console gamers are okay with simply using the standard gamepad that comes with their system, others may need or even just want the additional functionality that comes with a pro controller. Meanwhile, some people may even long for the Wii’s heyday when motion controls were all the rage. Then we have PC gaming, where keyboard and mouse versus gamepad is a big debate over whether or not it’s worth upgrading to a mechanical keyboard.
It wasn’t that long ago when keyboard and mouse were the standard on the PC and many games didn’t even support gamepads. Of course, that all changed with the release of the Steam Controller, which laid the foundation for the Steam Deck and was one of the reasons it was so successful overall. However, nowadays there are some PC games that actually require a controller to play, and my favorite is skateboarding simSession.
As someone who plays on both PC and console, I’ve switched between keyboard and mouse and used a gamepad a few times. 15 years ago, when I built my first gaming PC, I was determined to learn and maybe even master using a mouse and keyboard. There was a bit of a learning curve, but by the end of my first playthrough of Half-Life 2, using a keyboard and mouse felt as natural as using a controller. One of the reasons you may want to invest in a good gaming keyboard is that, unlike a controller, it can do double duty as a tool for both work and play.
After that, I played on PC with a keyboard and mouse for many years, but it was Rocket League that got me back into playing with a controller. From there, the Nintendo Switch and all of 8BitDo’s different retro controllers sent me down a rabbit hole before I ran into another one trying to find the perfect pro controller.
One of my favorite things about this generation of consoles is that the keyboard and mouse are no longer limited to just the PC. Now, you can connect a keyboard and mouse to your PS5 or Xbox Series X and get the same PC gaming experience on the console without having to shell out a lot of cash for an adapter to make it possible.
However, at the end of the day, it’s really up to you how you want to play and this is one of the best qualities of gaming. I may prefer to use a gamepad these days, but I always feel a pang of nostalgia when I play for a while with the keyboard and mouse.
- Best PC game controllers
- The best gaming keyboards
- The best gaming mouse
