Is it better to play Rocket League with a Keyboard + Mouse or with a Controller?
If you were about to ask this question five years ago, the answer would be straightforward – Controller is the best weapon for Rocket League.
However, as we’ve seen a ton of great competitions and championships, we’ve also witnessed a couple of world-class pros beating their way using a KBM.
So answering this question is far more complicated than it seems. Of course, it would be easy to say that it’s a matter of personal preference, but that wouldn’t be a real answer.
Instead, we’re going to break down the topic in detail and come up with the augmented answer in the end.
What does the majority say?
Rocket League has been initially made as a controller game built for consoles – PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. Yet because of the market’s needs, the game was also adapted for PC and was released on Steam. Plus, the Rocket League’s originator, Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars (SARPB), was made solely for PlayStation 3. So even if you wanted to play the game using a keyboard, that simply wasn’t possible.
Therefore, it comes with no surprise that the vast majority of Rocket League players use a controller to play this game. According to the unofficial data, over 91% of eSports pros favor a controller instead of a keyboard + mouse combination.
Yet, as we mentioned in the introduction, a few players are proving that you don’t need a controller to dominate the world champ leagues.
The KBM players behind gold medals
A perfect example of a KBM pro is an Australian Rocket League veteran, Maurice ‘Yukeo’ Weihs. Yukeo managed to win a gold medal with his team Dignitas during DreamHack Pro Circuit in Leipzig in 2019.
He started playing Rocket League just for fun and didn’t even have aspirations to become a pro. “I didn’t have a controller at the time, so I basically was forced to play keyboard. After a few months, I started to play more and got better at the game until I did not feel the need to switch,” he added during the interview with Red Bull.
Once he climbed the pro ladders, he was aware that almost none of his teammates or opponents were playing with KBM, but for him, it would be pointless to make a switch and adapt the mechanics once more.
YUKEOOOOOOOOOOO!
— Rocket League Esports (@RLEsports) October 7, 2018
@YukeoRL with the opening goal in style! @FlipSid3Tactics takes the series 3-2!#RLCS6
📺https://t.co/PpKjSDWZR1
🚀https://t.co/YaSObt9CJg pic.twitter.com/ffD2X41wOW
Another great KBM ambassador is a Danish Rocket League pro Emil “fruity” Moselund. He said that before he started professionally competing, he didn’t even know that the majority is using a controller.
According to Fruity, there are minor advantages of using a controller, but at the same time, they are so minor that one shouldn’t even bother with the difference. “You can’t really tell the difference between a KBM player and controller user. Most players believe there are some slight edges to using KBM over controller when it comes to fast aerials or half-flips, but honestly, it’s identical and you wouldn’t be able to identify the differences.”
Rocket League – Keyboard VS Controller
Although we’ve concluded that the difference is tight, there’s still an ongoing battle. So right now, we’ll walk you through the advantages and disadvantages of both – KBM and Controller.
Keyboard (KBM) pros and cons
As the keyboard is the obvious underdog in this battle, let’s start with this one.
Pro – Endless customization options
The opposite of a controller, a keyboard offers a radically higher number of customization options. You can use it to create macros, set up bindings and customize the entire button layout.
Also, in addition to the hundred-something keys on a keyboard, you have a mouse that you can customize as well.
Pro – Stable connection
Every Rocket League player’s biggest fear is a disconnected controller. Unfortunately for controller players and their teammates, this happens too often.
You might forget to charge your batteries, or if you’re too far from the console, you might easily disconnect the cable.
With a keyboard, these scenarios are almost impossible. Although, in theory, they could happen, yet in reality, it’s not the case – unless your keyboard simply dies.
Con – No throttle
The most important keys on a Rocket League controller are trigger buttons. You can control how much throttle to use by pressuring the trigger buttons. When you’re on your keyboard, there’s no such thing as a pressure-sensitive button, and the signal either is or isn’t sent to the game.
Although the players are mostly using a full throttle, which is equal to a pressed key on a keyboard, sometimes you might need to make small adjustments to your car, and it might be tricky with a keyboard setting.
Con – Limited steering and aerial controls
A keyboard and mouse definitely have more options and keys. However, they lack the fine movement control that you’re getting from your analog stick on a controller.
On a keyboard, you can pick one out of eight directions – W, A, S, D, plus four more that are made as a combination of two tasters.
Analog sticks are much more sensitive; thus, they are generally better for all driving and racing games’ steering performances.
Another disadvantage comes in with aerial maneuvering. As W and A keys control both throttle and aerial pitch, it might be easy to mess these, resulting in poorly executed aerial movement.
Controller pros and cons
A controller is an obvious choice in both consoles and racing games; thus, we should give him a handicap with this one. Yet as the input device is a player’s choice, that won’t happen this time.
Pro – Aerial advantage
The possibilities with a controller while doing aerial are limitless. With a keyboard, you’re limited to 8 moves, and in some high-end plays, this might not be enough. Maybe you want to steer just a tiny bit so that the ball passes the enemy player’s car but still hits the goal.
Also, opposingly to the keyboard, you’re not using the same button for throttle and direction. While executing an aerial movement, the separation of these two might show the difference between an average player or a good one.
Pro – Compact design
A controller might have just a few buttons, yet the ergonomy and positioning of these few buttons are much more Rocket League-friendly than the keyboard buttons.
As the reaction time is crucial for a successful play, this comes as a noticeable advantage. With a controller, you can control the camera, boost, jumps and sliding almost at the same time, which is not the case with a keyboard.
Con – Connection issues
A wireless controller is a no-no when playing Rocket League on the pro level. Despite that fact, lots of people still love the convenience of a controller they can take anywhere without those long and disturbing cables.
It’s true that you’ll have the comfort, yet you’ll sacrifice that precious response rate, and not to mention, you’re always at risk of disconnecting. Even the most precautionary players happen to have their controller disconnected in the middle of the game just because of a dead battery.
Con – Typing is not an option
Rocket League is not World of Warcraft, where you want to chat with your friends a bit. However, you might want to throw a word or two from time to time.
Unfortunately for players using a controller, this is almost impossible. With a keyboard, you can type and send a message without losing more than one or two seconds while in-game.
Conclusion
If we had to pick the winner of this debate, it would certainly be the controller. However, the difference is so minor that you shouldn’t be bothered with picking any of those two.
If you’re a PC gamer that’s on a keyboard and mouse setup for a lifetime, there’s really no need for an extra controller. It might be even worse for you if you’re not used to playing games on a controller.
On the other hand, console players are at a slight advantage, as the controller offers a bit more maneuverability and better aerial control.
At the end of the day, we quoted the words from world-class professionals using a KBM for Rocket League. They are the perfect example and the proof that you can still achieve great success without that widely-adored Rocket League controller.
