The Shopping team 12:03 p.m., March 07, 2023

The PC is a very versatile video game platform and a gamepad is essential to make the most of its toy library.

Faced with a plethora of offers, we have tested and selected the best controllers for playing on PC.

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The editorial staff of Europe 1 did not participate in the production of this article 

Historically, the most popular gaming interface on PC has always been based on the famous keyboard-mouse pair... Until the arrival of Windows 10 which marks the merger of PC and Xbox.

Investing in a controller has now become a necessity if you regularly game on your computer.

But the offer is plethoric.

And often the first instinct is to go for the official Xbox controller.

It's certainly a good choice, but still very generic and basic.

Indeed, there are many alternatives that offer very advanced customization and configuration features.

Some even offer controls and buttons with faster reaction times than the official controller!

Differences of the order of a millisecond,

but who can make the difference between defeat and victory.

After hours and hours of games, we have selected the best controllers on the market for you.

This selection from our shopping guide shows you the best PC controllers on the market.

Summary

  • Trust GXT 1230 Muta Wireless Controller for PC and Nintendo Switch: for PC and Switch gamers

  • Turtle Beach RECON CONTROLLER: for “chatters”/for online play

  • Razer Wolverine V2 or V2 Pro: for the pros

  • Naco Revolution X Pro Controller: for small hands

  • Xbox Elite Series 2 Wireless Controller: for the most demanding/competitive

Which controller to choose to play on PC? 

Trust GXT 1230 Muta Wireless Controller for PC and Nintendo Switch: for PC and Switch gamers

This wireless controller is a small UFO in the PC universe.

It allows you to play both on a computer and on a Nintendo Switch.

A smart feature, because the game catalogs of the two machines are very different and often complementary.

It has a very sober design, offers a good grip, very well placed and above all responsive buttons.

We even have an effective Turbo Fire button available for continuous firing without getting tired.

It comes with three shells to adapt the pad to your preferences.

Switching to the Switch is very easy and on a daily basis it is more comfortable than the Joy Con.

Finally, it is wireless, with a battery life of a good ten hours.

In the event of a dry run, a 1.5 m cable is supplied with it, to continue playing and recharging it.

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Turtle Beach RECON CONTROLLER: for chatters/for online play

This wired controller (with a 3 meter cable!) has a slightly more aggressive design, while being a little more imposing than the official Microsoft controller.

It is therefore not the best friend of small hands... The positioning of the buttons, the Pad, the sticks (with configurable resistance) is efficient.

If they are responsive as desired, they are also a little noisier than average.

Note the presence of two additional buttons to customize.

On the sleeves we have special grips that help achieve an exemplary grip, while reducing the effects of sweating.

It incorporates two very intelligent audio functions.

One allows, when you play online, to fine tune the balance of sound between game and voice chat, the second modifies the audio mix to offer you a more complete immersion.

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Razer Wolverine V2 Chroma: for the pros

With its shorter sleeves and more compact lines than the official Microsoft controller, this wireless product offers an almost perfect grip.

Note the presence of LED strips, configurable, to bring a little color and dynamism.

The textured rubber grips provide real comfort and the controller should never slip out of your hands.

One of the strengths of this product is the mechanical design of its components, which provides record responsiveness and exceptional durability.

We also have six additional, customizable buttons and triggers through the Razer app.

The controller comes with two sets of sticks, one for offensive players and the other for more defensive ones.

The most nervous among you will succumb to the function which reduces the action distance of the triggers for even more speed.

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Nacon Pro Compact: for small hands

Visually, this wired controller (3 meters of cable too) seems smaller than the official controller and yet it is just as wide.

On the other hand, it is less high and offers slightly shorter sleeves.

The result is a product that will be much better suited to adults with small hands or children from 8/10 years old.

The positioning of the buttons is efficient and we appreciate that the D-pad is positioned a little lower than usual.

Once again, small hands are privileged and we are not going to complain about it!

The set reacts very well, you just have to get used to somewhat firm buttons.

As a bonus, you have access to Dolby Atmos for Headphones via the Dolby Access application, a function usually billed at 17 euros.

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Xbox Elite Series 2 Wireless Controller: for the most demanding/competitive

This high-end Microsoft wireless controller is designed for the most demanding gamers.

It takes the Xbox design, but in more generous dimensions and with a much higher quality of design.

We find the classic buttons, but here with a much greater than average responsiveness.

We also have four palettes placed under the joystick and fully configurable.

The desire for personalization goes so far as to offer a set of caps for the removable sticks.

Finally, it has (optional) a carrying case that can hold all the accessories and recharge the controller via USB.

If you have small hands, avoid it, but otherwise you will benefit from an excellent grip, accentuated by a grip which reinforces grip. 

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How to choose the right PC controller?

A good gamepad must meet certain rules and above all adapt to your gaming habits.

Ergonomics is an essential point, starting with dimensions compatible with the morphology of your hands.

It should also not be too heavy so as not to tire your wrists.

The choice of wireless technology is important, it gives you greater freedom of action, but the integrated battery often induces greater weight.

Choose models with batteries or think about investing in rechargeable batteries to limit the ecological impact.

Before investing, remember to check that your PC has a Bluetooth connection.

If you opt for a wired product, the cable must then be at least two meters long, three being much more comfortable.

Finally, if you are an avid gamer,

even competitive, you know that a good craftsman needs good tools... So don't hesitate to invest in a product that offers additional buttons, advanced key customization.

It's even better if you can adapt certain parts like the sticks or the travel distance of the buttons, trigger or the resistance of the sticks.

Can other XboX or PS5/PS4 controllers be connected to PC?

Since the PC and Xbox universes are now unified, any Xbox controller works on PC and vice versa.

On both platforms, you will have the same configuration of buttons, triggers and controls.

Also, if the templates have additional buttons, you can use an app to set them up.

Big brands like Razer or Microsoft offer software on PC and more exceptionally, also on Xbox.

Another possibility is to play on a PC with a PlayStation 5 controller. Connected via USB, the controller will be recognized as a "generic" product, so you will lose the haptic and light effects.

There are technical cheats to take advantage of it in part, but only if you are a Steam user.

Read also: Discover our Shopping Guide section

Prices are given for information only and are subject to change.

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