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padapada

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 20, 2010
132
16
Which specific models work fine with OSX and Portal2?
What additional software do I need?

Patrick
 

DanielCoffey

macrumors 65816
Nov 15, 2010
1,207
30
Edinburgh, UK
If you don't get a reply here form Mac Portal players, you could Search on the Steam Portal 2 Forums. I would assume any OSX Controller would be fine with Portal2 - after all it only has the movement, view, use, duck, zoom, blue and orange portal keys, all of which are mappable in Portal2.
 

Yumunum

macrumors 65816
Apr 24, 2011
1,452
0
U.S.
Curious why you are anti mouse/keyboard

He's probably like most console gamers, who prefer a real controller because they're actually optimized for gaming. I'm anti-keyboard + mouse too. Xbox 360 controllers all the way!
 

Yumunum

macrumors 65816
Apr 24, 2011
1,452
0
U.S.
A "real" controller, on a first person game.

Yeah. That makes a lot of sense. :rolleyes:

Are you even a gamer? Seriously? I prefer a console controller, but at least I'm open and I understand the benefits of both sides. The fact that the game is first-person changes nothing. Try and look through someone else's eyes and get a grip.
 

Alaerian

Guest
Jan 6, 2005
1,928
0
A barstool, Innis & Gunn in hand
I understand the benefits of a controller, but not for a first person game - albeit moreso for shooters where the requirement for quick reflexes are much greater. They cannot be executed with a controller as quickly as with a quickflip mouse jerk on muscle memory. That's not opinion - it's fact.

In Portal, it's much less necessary given the slower nature of the game. But in any FPS, I can't ever imagine using a controller. It's akin to being crippled. Leave the controllers to Mario.
 

Eric5h5

macrumors 68020
Dec 9, 2004
2,489
590
Which specific models work fine with OSX and Portal2?

Mouse+keyboard.

What additional software do I need?

None. Portal 2 seems to have support for Xbox360 controllers, but honestly, you're better off taking a few minutes to get used to mouse+keyboard control for first-person games.

--Eric
 

Yumunum

macrumors 65816
Apr 24, 2011
1,452
0
U.S.
I understand the benefits of a controller, but not for a first person game - albeit moreso for shooters where the requirement for quick reflexes are much greater. They cannot be executed with a controller as quickly as with a quickflip mouse jerk on muscle memory. That's not opinion - it's fact.

In Portal, it's much less necessary given the slower nature of the game. But in any FPS, I can't ever imagine using a controller. It's akin to being crippled. Leave the controllers to Mario.

Interesting point. Personally, I still find a controller to be the best (for me), and there are millions of others out there just like me. There are also millions of others like you. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion, and no controlling method is better than the other, it's personal preference. Maybe think about that next time
 

SuperMatt

Suspended
Mar 28, 2002
1,569
8,281
The original First Person Shooters were designed for mouse and keyboard control. In some way, that system of controls still feels the best for people that have been FPSing for a long time. Certainly a good gaming mouse feels much more precise that an analog stick you work with your thumb. Also, the keyboard has way more "buttons" than a controller does.
 

0098386

Suspended
Jan 18, 2005
21,574
2,908
He's probably like most console gamers, who prefer a real controller because they're actually optimized for gaming. I'm anti-keyboard + mouse too. Xbox 360 controllers all the way!

Game controllers are hardly optimised for gaming. They have a more intuitive layout but you can't perform as many actions at once.

"anti keyboard and mouse"... now I've heard it all :rolleyes:.

Controllers are great for some games though, but for the majority where precision and speed is necessary; keyboard+mouse is the best. But PC's (and by extension Macs) are the best gaming platform because you're able to use whatever you bloody like!
 

Alaerian

Guest
Jan 6, 2005
1,928
0
A barstool, Innis & Gunn in hand
Yum, it's funny that you asked earlier if I was a gamer. Considering that I know how to adapt to different control systems for different genres, and I've played everything from fighters in the bowling alley arcade to FPS on my PC, I'd consider myself a "gamer."

You may think that a controller works best for you, but until you try what will undeniably work better, you really are just crippling yourself and your ability. If you DO have any interest in first person games and have a PC to play them on, challenge yourself and give mouse/keyboard a try. I guarantee you'll play better than with any controller on the market.
 

Yumunum

macrumors 65816
Apr 24, 2011
1,452
0
U.S.
Yum, it's funny that you asked earlier if I was a gamer. Considering that I know how to adapt to different control systems for different genres, and I've played everything from fighters in the bowling alley arcade to FPS on my PC, I'd consider myself a "gamer."

You may think that a controller works best for you, but until you try what will undeniably work better, you really are just crippling yourself and your ability. If you DO have any interest in first person games and have a PC to play them on, challenge yourself and give mouse/keyboard a try. I guarantee you'll play better than with any controller on the market.

That's funny, it's the same for me too. I play first person shooters/other games on both too. I've adapted to both.

I prefer the console controller.

Is that a crime?
 

Yumunum

macrumors 65816
Apr 24, 2011
1,452
0
U.S.
Not a crime until ^that line referring to a first person game.

What exactly do you mean by that? Keyboards were not created for gaming. They were created for typing. That's the truth, they are not optimized for gaming. There is a flaw in my argument though, because even though they aren't "optimized", they were made in a way that would make many people still prefer it over a console controller, which would be said to be "optimized" for gaming. It doesn't really matter though, because guess what, we have choice and freedom to prefer whatever we want. So before you continue this argument, I would like to know what you're trying to accomplish here. Shove your opinion down my throat? Even after you "prove" that keyboard + mouse is better than a console controller, it really won't matter, because there will still be millions of people just like me who 1. Prefer the feel of a console controller, and 2. Play better with them. Use as many facts as you like, it really doesn't change anything.
 

VPrime

macrumors 68000
Dec 19, 2008
1,722
86
London Ontario
Any true FPS gamer knows mouse + keyboard is the only way to go.
Why do you think microsoft doesn't let Xbox live play with PC? It is not a technical issue. It is because PC gamers (with mouse and keyboard) would have the upper hand and make the game un fair.
 

Eric5h5

macrumors 68020
Dec 9, 2004
2,489
590
a console controller, which would be said to be "optimized" for gaming.

It's only "optimized" for certain limited types of games. I hope you're not going to start arguing that a gamepad is just as good as a steering wheel controller setup for racing games, for example, or a real joystick for flight simulators.

we have choice and freedom to prefer whatever we want.

Yes. Having preferences is one thing, claiming that any controller type is just as good as any other controller type, regardless of the game, is factually incorrect. Did you bother to read the link I posted? You should.

--Eric
 

chocolaterabbit

macrumors regular
Nov 2, 2008
243
56
Even after you "prove" that keyboard + mouse is better than a console controller, it really won't matter, because there will still be millions of people just like me who 1. Prefer the feel of a console controller, and 2. Play better with them. Use as many facts as you like, it really doesn't change anything.

Fact: A mouse is much more accurate than an analog stick.
Subjective: Your opinion of what's better. Sure you prefer controllers and that's your right, and you may do better on them because you have experience, but what we're telling you is that a mouse is more accurate than a controller and that's free of your preference.
 

bmb012

macrumors 6502
Jul 25, 2006
414
0
I've been gaming since I was like 6 and I'm terrible with a mouse and keyboard.

It's just straight up not fun. Pointing and clicking doesn't feel like I'm playing a game. And hell, it's Portal 2, you don't need quick movements and pixel accuracy. I beat the game with a 360 controller and it played wonderfully.

So yeah, 360 controller is the best for gaming on a Mac, looks like most (all?) of Valve's games support the 360 controller natively, without 3rd party drivers, though those are available for other games.
 

0098386

Suspended
Jan 18, 2005
21,574
2,908
I've been gaming since I was like 6 and I'm terrible with a mouse and keyboard.

Heh, me too. Spectrum (keyboard+controller) at 5, Amiga (keyboard+mouse+controller) at 6.
I believe they all have their place. Of course genres like FPS, RTS, Adventure all work best with keyboard and mouse. Platformers, Racing all play best with a controller.
But all the games I make are based around controllers even though I much prefer the precision, speed and dynamics of a keyboard+mouse.
 

Nightarchaon

macrumors 65816
Sep 1, 2010
1,393
30
Keyboard and mouse is the ONLY way an evolved person plays anything like portal 2 , or indeed any first person shooter, unless your a retarded console player, then whatever you feel most comfortable using with your under evolved paws :D
 

Nightarchaon

macrumors 65816
Sep 1, 2010
1,393
30
Any true FPS gamer knows mouse + keyboard is the only way to go.
Why do you think microsoft doesn't let Xbox live play with PC? It is not a technical issue. It is because PC gamers (with mouse and keyboard) would have the upper hand and make the game un fair.

Microsoft did toy with PC / Xbox cross over game play, was it Shadowrun (cant remember off the top of my head, but it might have been called that) , i remember edge doing an article with the developer team about how much of a headache it was to get the balance right because Keyboard/mouse players, even in the hands of a novice at gaming, could completely devastate even a professional gamer playing on the Xbox, the responsiveness of keyboard and mouse, and the precision completely overruled the console players skill.

They had to introduce all sort of auto aim features for the console version and add an artificial "lag" to the PC version to even things out.

Even now, FPS games on consoles have a large amount of "auto aim" going on in the background because of the massive inaccuracy and slow reaction a gamepad has when put against a mouse.

Now... looking to the future, the PS move , if they get the other controls right for being able to move and look around , will be as good ,if not better than a mouse for aiming... as your actually, aiming.

(Killzone 3 fails at the looking around mechanism sadly having to use the edges of the screen to turn around left when you want to be aiming at something on the right is annoying as hell , but gets so much more right)
 

0098386

Suspended
Jan 18, 2005
21,574
2,908
Microsoft did toy with PC / Xbox cross over game play, was it Shadowrun (cant remember off the top of my head, but it might have been called that) , i remember edge doing an article with the developer team about how much of a headache it was to get the balance right because Keyboard/mouse players, even in the hands of a novice at gaming, could completely devastate even a professional gamer playing on the Xbox, the responsiveness of keyboard and mouse, and the precision completely overruled the console players skill.

And the only modern example of cross console-PC gaming is Portal 2, which isn't competitive or reaction based (most of the time).
 
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