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Pc gaming on the couch

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Puer Aeternus

Puer Aeternus

Member
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Joined
Sep 23, 2001
Location
In your head (Ottawa.Canada)
Do any of you "PC" game in the living room? Can you show me your set up or describe it. I am looking for some ideas to make PC gaming on the couch a bit easier.

I've got 2 PS3's and hardly use either for gaming, i've considered the PS4 and the New Shield Tablet but decided what I really enjoy are my PC games.

I figure the money spent to create a PC experience in the living room would be a lot cheaper than getting either of the above or buying a steam box.

What I have:
The office where my pc resides is beside the living room. The HDI cable reaches the t.v no problem.
I have a separate Wireless KB/M but the mouse is not great for gaming

Issues:
The 5.1 speakers are set up for my office and im not gonna move them for the occasional couch gaming session. Bluetooth headphones?

I need a decent wireless K/M for gaming. The Microsoft Bluetrack K/M I have is ok but the mouse is NOT good for FPS gaming. Suggestions? Controller Alternative?
 
I only play games on the family room PC that I can play with a controller. For that I use my wired xbox 360 controller. You can also use a PS4 or XboxOne controller if you have one of them.

My HTPC is fitted with one of my 290xx so when it isn't mining/playing movies/etc I can game with it.
 
I concur, controller for couch gaming.
And with Steam In-Home Streaming it's getting easier to do this anywhere in the house.
 
I tried the PS3 controller but (at the time) it was so difficult to configure. Seems the xbox controller is more windows friendly.
I'd prefer to use the PS3 controller if anyone knows of software thats ironed out the kinks for use on the PS3.
 
i made a simple lap desk that holds my keyboard / mouse it just lays over your legs shaped kinda like |----| it doesnt actually sit on your legs it sits on either side, and has arm rests.


EDIT: to clarify it goes over your legs but doesn't actually sit on them its like a foot tall desk that sits over your lap with arm rests
 
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Puer Aeternus said:
Thank you!!! Gonna test her out now :)
Click to expand...

I never had much success with MotionJoy as it didn't work with the two triggers (L2/R2), but for other things it worked okay. I was more than happy after spending $30 on a wired 360 controller, as games are actually made to support it instead of using an emulator to make a controller seem like a 360 controller.
 
Xbox 360 wired controller+couch+PC+1080P large TV+snack=good times

Or you can get a lap desk if you want to play with a mouse and keyboard.

LD-45190-ES_Bamboo-Rt-300x203.jpg


I tried this for a while and found it horrible and uncomfortable though so stick with the 360 controller.
 
For the past year or more, my gaming has been 100% PC couch gaming.

Logitech G13 has been ideal for me in games like battlefield 3 on the couch. Works awesome in combination with a mouse.

But I also use a PS3 style controller from logitech, which served me well in both Metro games but it was a chore to learn their software and use it efficiently enough to get all the buttons you need. I'd recommend getting 3rd party software that will let you use your left bumper as a shift/function effectively doubling all other buttons. I downloaded a trial of "pinnacle" controller software but never got around to trying it.
 
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wireless xbox 360 remote with the wireless usb adapter for PC for games that are good with a controller. Steam Big Picture mode helped steam also have a gaming section for controller optimized games. I couldn't tell you what to do for audio as I myself plan to run my pc into my receiver so my 5.1 home theater surround setup gets utilized. However, Logitech makes a GREAT wireless 5.1 (maybe 7.1) surround headset that would be perfect. Its the G930 headset I believe. Some decent Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse would probably work good for gaming too I believe, for FPS games or RTS or point and click games. A TV dinner table thing or lapdesk would probably be the best surface for something like that.
 
You can use a mouse on the couch, been doing it for a long time. If you thought you needed a flat surface or mouse mat, you'll be surprised. I don't use anything like that, just mouse to couch.
 
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I know I've been toying around with the idea for years. Almost 2 years ago I finally got a suitable TV near my PC. Course usually having a movie playing in the background so really never set it up to the PC. Well that is about to change, just got a 40' HDMI cable to connect to my TV. Paired with a wireless keyboard and a wireless mouse it should work out great for when I want to chill on the couch.

Course on my desk I should be upgrading to a newer 1440p monitor soon so it will be hard pressed to sit on the couch all the time, but either way it beats sitting at the desk constantly.
 
No no no do not use that program for your PS3 controller, use this.

http://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-XInput-Wrapper-for-DS3-and-Play-com-USB-Dual-DS2-Controller


I occasionally couch game, I use my tablet and Steam's In Home Streaming to stream the game from my desktop. I also use my PS4 controller, while others use their xbox controller connected to my wireless receiver.

My recommendation, get a PS4 controller. Really comfortable, but the best part, it has a touchpad! So even if you need to do something really quick you don't need to get up from your seat. I don't even need to use Big Picture Mode either.

http://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-DS4-To-XInput-Wrapper
 
Glad I saw this thread. Steam In Home Streaming looks awesome. I'm going to have to get a controller and check this out.
Thanks for asking this question, OP.
 
Can anyone give me a definitive answer whether or not any 2nd party Xbox style controllers (Scuff, Razor Sabertooth etc) allow their extra buttons to be programmed on PC as additional buttons? Or are they redundant.
 
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