Cheap Logitech Gamepad F310

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $24.99
Sale Price: $19.99
Today's Bonus: 20% Off

-Nov 2012 update below-

EDIT: I have now acquired a F710 and will also do a brief review on that which will add on to this a bit further in the future.

I mean that title in a good way really. The Logitech F310 is actually a pretty nifty controller at a price of $25 or less. The best way to sum it up is an Xbox 360 controller meets a PS3 controller and yeah... things happen. You have the familiar shape and layout of the PS controllers with the exact face buttons of the 360 controller. Also, the little Logitech logo is actually a home button reminiscent of the 360 controller's.

The F310 (and 510 and 710) literally function like a 360 controller in games that accept 360 controllers (which are many these days.) If you play a game that accepts 360 controller layouts they are immediately adapted to the F controller series. But what about games that don't want to recognize 360 controllers you might wonder. The brilliant thing about this controller is that it can use X-input (the 360's interface) or direct input (the input of standard PC controllers and even the PS3!), this is adjusted by a slider on the back. X-input is standard for modern games but if you need customization then direct input (particularly for older games) helps in some cases. The F controllers come with a software that allows you to create and use profiles to map button layouts to do other things (similar to Logitech's gameboards like the G13) which can come in handy if you choose to learn the software.

It's worth noting that if you wanted to you could also use this controller on your 360 or PS3, not just your PC. On the PS3 the Logitech button sadly doesn't work like the PS button (because you're in direct input mode and the PS button doesn't exist to this thing) so that's the only con for using it on the PS3. For the 360 in X-input, I imagine you'd be right at home.

Of course I do see one flaw that is a bit annoying in all the greatness. The triggers on the controller aren't the most comfortable due to feeling like they need a little more forced input from the user to depress inward. I'm not sure if this is something one would adjust to over time or would "break in" over time but it's worth noting since it's made me a bit uncomfortable in a few titles.

For $25 the cons are very small on this controller. I took off a star for those triggers but they're really not a total deal breaker and Logitech really did try doing a lot for your $25. The ability to function as a 360 controller without the $40+ expense (including the wireless adapter in some cases), the ability to switch input modes on the fly, a profile button mapping tool and a fairly solid build all push this thing a long way. If you're not vouching for the 360 controller on your PC then the Logitech F series is a solid way to go. The 310 mainly ditches the rumble and wireless features but for $25 or less those losses don't feel glaring one bit. If there was a way to rate it 4.5 it'd be totally accurate because it's close to excellence. Overall it's classic quality Logitech.

Update: So it's been a a few days over a year since I wrote this review and I can safely say I stand by it still. The controller's functioning well as ever still and it's versatility has come in handy in a myriad of different PC titles from several genres here's just a sample list of a few titles it works great on:

Assassin's Creed 1, 2, Brotherhood

Bastion

Batman: Arkham Asylum

BlazBlue -Calamity Trigger-

Blur

Burnout Paradise

Cave Story+

Darksiders

Devil May Cry 4

Guilty Gear XX #Reload & Isuka

Gundemonium Collection

Hunted: The Demon's Forge

Jamestown

Lara Croft & the Guardian of Light

Prince of Persia (2009)

RefRain -Prism Memories-

Saints Row: The Third

Sonic CD & Generations

Super Meat Boy

Ys Origin

Pros:

Familiar shape and design

2 modes of input cover the gamete of modern and classic PC games

Very versatile controller capable of functioning almost flawlessly on 3 platforms (PC, 360, PS3)

Solid build quality and very price efficient, you're not giving up absolutely significant features by not going for the 510 or 710

Excellent D-Pad, beats out the 360 and PS3 ones with ease

Cons:

Trigger buttons are a little odd and seemingly require a little more force feedback

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

I was looking to grab a second controller for my computer, as I had just ordered my dream laptop. I'm a pretty big fan of Logitech's gamepads, so I looked into that before anything else.

I have a Dual Action from them at the moment, and I really enjoy it, the only problem being that the analogs are surrounded by a square instead of a circular shape, making going completely straight take a bit more effort. I saw the F310, and noticed it was essentially the same, with circular surroundings for the analogs. So, I decided to take it for a spin.

I received the product, and ripped open the box, and after noticing the switch on the back (I'd forgotten about 'game' modes while waiting on the product to ship), I read through the directions. I apparently, it seems to be that 'Xinput' mode is useless on XP. In fact, the controller is essentially not recognized in Xinput mode at all. Took me about an hour to actually realize that was the problem, and thought it was just a faulty driver issue.

After that however, I tried out a few games I've got on my computer, seeing as I'm waiting on the laptop, and: It works great.

It's extremely responsive aside from 2 buttons. I've had no issues doing combos or whatnot in any of the fighting games I regularly play. My only gripe is that the L2/R2 Buttons are actually triggers. Well, not that they are triggers, but rather, triggers that require a bit more effort to push. Other than that, it's a great product, with a good, simple design, a nice, responsive d-pad and face buttons, but a little bit more info should be put into that instruction manual about Xinput/Direct Input Modes.

Overall, a great buy, and I really suggest reading this before purchasing just so you aren't wasting time trying to get it to work.

Best Deals for Logitech Gamepad F310

What initially sold me on purchasing this controller was the fact that all games that have Xbox 360 controller support will also support this gamepad out of the box. However once I received it I discovered a whole host of problems. Read on below

The good:

XInput compatible (plug it in and functions as an Xbox360 controller)

Action buttons

D-Pad that is actually better than the god awful 360 d-pad.

Start, Select, home, & Mode Button (which allows you to swap the d-pad and left analog stick)

PS3 layout (which I personally prefer over the 360 layout)

The average:

The feel of this gamepad is less comfortable than the one it emulates: The PS3 gamepad.

But even with that said the overall feel of the controller is comfortable enough, and I can

reach all the buttons fine without problems.

The Bad:

Analog stick deadzones have an absolutely enormous deadzone (20-25% of entire sticks movement) making aiming in games and precision steering almost impossible. It feels like its somewhere in between an analog and d-pad.

Analog triggers also have a large deadzone, but it doesn't cripple gameplay as much as the analog stick deadzones. The triggers also function on a single axis instead of two, which might hinder some players. Also bit stiff and clunky feeling but not something that bothers me much; might bother others more.

Shoulder bumpers will disengage if you aren't holding them down hard enough, even after you've clicked them in. The bumpers will engage fine if your only pressing and letting go for a quick action, but for any game that requires you to hold down the bumpers you will constantly have to be conscious about holding them down hard enough.

Analog sticks clicking function also suffer the same problem as the bumpers; it will disengage if not pressed down hard enough, even with the button "clicked in".

most other reviewers of this appear to be smoking some type of crack based product, which is

bad for their health

Note: Logitech has stated the poor analog controls are intentional, and that they have absolutely no intention on fixing them via a firmware update. There is a very long thread about this problem on the Logitech forum that's been going on for nearly a year. Unfortunately it seems that if the problems are ever fixed it will likely be in a new product they want people to purchase.

Avoid this product.

Honest reviews on Logitech Gamepad F310

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Most of the time that I play PC games I'm playing games that were designed to only use a keyboard and mouse. However, there are some games that practically demand a console gaming pad. Many of the PC games that were originally developed for consoles like the Playstation 3 or XBox 360 are simply difficult to play unless you're using a console gaming pad. Likewise, if you're playing "ports" of older console games on your PC or Mac then chances are you need a gamepad.

The Logitech Gamepad F310 feels like a hybrid of the PS3 and XBox 360 controllers with a little bit of Logitech flare thrown in for a hint of style. Like most USB game pads, the F310 is automatically recognized by most PC games that are compatible with USB game pads. The buttons are automatically mapped out by default in most cases, but you have the option of customizing each button according to your gaming preferences.

The buttons and direction pad all feel quite durable and I'm not really concerned about this controller breaking from strenuous gaming. My only minor complaint about the buttons is that the left and right trigger buttons are "hinged" at the top and "swing" in when pressed rather than being plain buttons. I'd rather have plain buttons that press inward rather than swing in on a hinge/pivot, but some people like that type of action on the trigger keys.

Bottom line, the F310 is a simple and fun gaming pad that gets the job done at a fair price. If you just need a basic console gaming pad for your PC then this one is probably a very good choice.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Logitech Gamepad F310

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program There isn't much really to say about this controller. It has two analog sticks and buttons that mimic the layout of the current gen console systems. It doesn't have fans, has an affordable price, and works out of the box. What more could you really ask for?

Although I've only had a chance to really use this recently I'm noticing no signs of stickiness or wear down on the controller from some tough usage over the past few weeks.

If you're in the market for a high quality, low priced generic usb game controller then this is a safe bet.