F710 is the wireless one, right? At least F310 (the wired version) has always been fully plug'n'play in all Windows 7 and Windows 10 PCs I've tried it with. I haven't separately installed any drivers for them, either the drivers are there already in Windows or it automatically installs them if you connect a F310.

I am unsure what you mean by XBox (XBox360?) controllers not hosting analog R2 and L2 triggers. They do have them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_360_controller#Layout

The Logitech F310 (and I presume F710) have them too. If you set your F310 to XInput mode, those two triggers work as analog triggers like in the Xbox360 gamepad, good for e.g. racing games as the gas pedal and the brake. If you set your F310 in the legacy DirectInput mode, then those triggers are not considered as analog triggers anymore, but digital (on/off), like on the Sony PS2 gamepad. There are some other differences between the XInput and DirectInput modes as well, IIRC.

I am unsure what are the problems you've seen with "Vostok" and "Blacksea Odyssey", I don't think I have either game. But with all other PC games that have supported the XBox360 gamepad, my F310 seems to have worked flawlessly with them in the XInput mode, recognized as a XBox360 gamepad by the game. This includes both AAA games and indie games.

I recall some claiming that e.g. Darksiders 1-2 or Dark Souls have some compatibility problems with F310, but I have tested them and didn't see any issues whatsoever. Turned out one such person who claimed that about the Darksiders games was only repeating some hearsay, not having tested it himself.

I had a F310, and I thought it was awful. The buttons were weird. It was like they had to be pressed down too far, or were too springy or something. They also made noticeable noises when pressed. Have you guys spent a good amount time with a 360 controller, or a Dual Shock 4? I'm not trying to be a jerk here or anything. Maybe its just me. Maybe Im just too used to first party controllers, and only disliked the F310 because I was different. Maybe something was wrong with my controller. Maybe they fixed the things I didn't like about it at some point. Im genuinely curious. If you have used the F310 AND a 360/DS4 controller I would like to hear why you liked the F310 more.

Xbox360 controller is quite good, I use one when I need a controller and not yet hit any compatibility issues. Had a Logitech for a long time and towards the end started having comparability issues. I can't speak for the ones which can switch between input types, maybe they have better comparability.

Anyways I always try to use wired ones. Wireless items are better now than they were, however unless there is a real reason for a wireless the batteries or charging, and drivers and poor connection have always been turn offs.

Saying that though, I just got myself a tiny travel gamecontroller from steelseries - it is tiny! Still need to try it out, it build quality is there, and steel series are a great firm, I have mouse and keyboard also from them now.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sZTht185TzE

Certainly they do. Logitech has made lots of different PC gamepads over the years, and apparently you are referring to some older DirectInput-only gamepad. Those older DirectInput-only gamepads (from Logitech and others) certainly will have compatibility issues with newer games that are expecting a new XInput gamepad with analog triggers etc., like the XBox 360 gamepad or the Logitech F-series gamepads (which, as said, have both the legacy DirectInput mode (for older games) and a newer XInput mode (for newer games which are expecting a XInput gamepad, like a XBox 360 pad).

However, I personally don't think nowadays that the DirectInput mode is that important anymore, even for older games. Reason being that older games (for which the DirectInput mode is meant) usually were fully playable with e.g. a mouse and keyboard too, so that's how you probably should play them anyway unless you are some kind of gamepad nut that wants to play everything with a gamepad. So in that sense the XBox gamepads are fine even without full DirectInput support, IMHO.

Of course there are flight combat and space combat simulations and old racing games which you don't want to play with a mouse and keyboard... but for those you should have a proper flightstick anyway, not a gamepad. Especially the flight/space combat sims expect you constantly to access the keyboard too with your left hand, so having both of your hands on a gamepad is a no-no.

First I have to admit that I use a gamepad only with certain genres where I feel it makes sense. Racing games, some GTA clones (at least for their driving parts, not necessarily for the on-foot shooting parts), some 3rd person beat'em up games (usually console ports), some 3D platform jumping games, and so on.

For most PC game genres, I prefer and use keyboard + mouse, and a proper flightstick for flight/space combat games of course. So my PC gamepad usage is occasional at best.

While I don't like the XBox360 button and stick layout that much (I prefer the Sony PS-like symmetrical design more, and Logitech F310 has that too), in general I don't necessarily feel F310 is superior to the 360 gamepad, even if it has the optional legacy DirectInput-mode (which IMHO isn't really that much needed, as long as you don't oppose playing games with mouse+keyboard, as I explained in the earlier message).

The main advantage of the F310 gamepad is... *drum roll* PRICE. At least down here the F310 controller is considerably cheaper than a XBox360 gamepad, maybe even half the price. So for that reason, I feel the F310 offers a better value for its price, I feel one is paying extra price on the XBox gamepad partly for its brand, more than its (real or imagined) higher quality.

But if money is no objection and you are ready to play your older PC games mostly with a keyboard + mouse (or a proper flightstick for certain genres), then I guess the Xbox360 gamepad is a fine and safe choice. However, since Microsoft has already moved from XBox360 to XBoxOne a long time ago... I am unsure if PC gamers are nowadays supposed to buy XBoxOne controllers instead, not XBox360 gamepads? Is MS even manufacturing new XBox360 gamepads anymore?

But that's how e.g. the Playstation owners always played it.

I once configured Tomb Raider (GOG version) to use my F310 gamepad. It took some time to cram all the different controls to suitable buttons and triggers on the gamepad and I think I possibly had to do it through DOSBox configuration (not sure if DOS Tomb Raider supported any gamepads out of the box)... but after it was done, it was marvellous. That game really is designed for a gamepad, which is not surprising considering it was also a Playstation game.

But it is fine to play also with a keyboard, a gamepad is not a must on the PC version.

After 4 a controller is great but the early ones seemed too exact for a controller because everything was on a grid. You had to be a certain about of steps to make a certain jump and a controller always made it hard to get that exact right distance. With the keyboard you push forward once, and get exactly one step, with a controller, you might get a step, step and a half, two steps.

Good point. I don't know why that didn't occur to me.

Don't forget, the original Playstation controller didn't have analogue sticks so people would have been playing it with the d-pad. Also, Sony's d-pads are four separate buttons on the surface, not all that different from using cursor keys.

Never thought of that. Good call Sir.

*doffs hat, walks into sunset*

I'm not sure but perhaps the most recent Xbox has added the analogue option to it's game pads, the previous ones only had digital buttons and the games on PC are coded for the original wired pads (for the first or second XBox).

Bioshock was a huge culprit but the developers have since patched out the issue.

Kain & Lynch & Mini Ninjas won't work with the F710 because developers at that time didn't think that wireless pads would get used with a PC (there's a naming hack you can use in the registry however that fixes that issue for those two games).

With Vostok and Black Sea I can only warn to stay clear of those games unless you don't mind playing with WASD and mouse...frankly i wouldn't even trust them with a Bill Brand game pad; the development seems to be packed with political agenda concerning keeping PC games mouse / keyboard exclusive.

The original Darksiders auto-detected whatever you were using and shut off all other devices. I'm not sure if that has been patched but if DS auto detected your F310 it would turn off your keyboard and the F310 would be just as useless because it's not Bill Brand.

The only issue that I have nowadays is when the games have game pad support hard-coded that you can't shut off in the game's options menu; otherwise I can opt for mouse and keyboard and map with Pinnacle.

I already linked to the XBox360 gamepad Wikipedia article. The left and right triggers are analog. just like they are on the Logitech F-gamepads (when it is in the XInput-mode; in the DirectInput mode the triggers are regarded as digital "buttons" on the Logitech F-series).

The very first XBox gamepad had analog triggers too, but no digital shoulder buttons above them like the XBox360 (and Logitech F-series) gamepad has. Anyway that's irrelevant to this discussion as it was exclusively used with the XBox (black) console, not PC games.

I have no idea what is the "original Darksiders". All I know is that my Logitech F310 gamepad works just fine with my Steam and GOG versions of Darksiders 1-2, out of the box.

Somehow I feel people who have reported about that issue have either misunderstood something, or have accidentally tried to use their Logitech F310 in the DirectInput mode. I have yet to see any game where it wouldn't work just as well as a XBox360 gamepad. Sure I hear these rumors that there used to be such game, but nothing concrete, nothing that can be proved or disproved anymore. like the "original Darksiders".

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Yup, some games have been patched since and also the pad issue might've been relevant only to a version tailored to Steam to accommodate all of it's strings and wires.

When a game doesn't immediately work with my F710 I make sure Steam's Big Picture game pad settings haven't been accidentally bumped on (those make a big big mess! ) and try both d-input and x-input modes. If the prior fail then I check to see if there's an option for mouse, WASD only and use Pinnacle.

Black Sea and Vostok have hard-coded Bill Brand so you can't switch it off - if you try mapping your profile just jumbles with their screwy configuration ( out of the 4k + games I have there's only about several more like Vostok and Black Sea...most games are salvageable).