Help me not suck at (controlling) games
 

I finally bought a new PC that is capable of playing games on, and as happens to so many, Steam now has control of my wallet. I got all 3 Bioshocks, New Vegas, and Farcry 3.

But here's the problem. I suck. I mean REALLY suck. I've been playing console games for so long that I can hardly get past the first enemy encounters using a keyboard and mouse.

The question is, should I invest in a good keyboard and mouse combo, hoping to get used to it over time or get an X-box/PS3 style controller?

What are you folks using?

The keyboard/mouse combo gives you much greater control, imo. With greater control, now you have much more to master - so it's also harder.. at first.

Any old keyboard/mouse will do. The higher the DPI on the mouse the better typically.

Perhaps I'm just so used to the slow and smooth "turning" of the console controller. Every little move I make with the mouse has me looking in all directions. I keep imagining that my character is Michael J. Fox after an all-nighter of banging down espressos.

You can change the sensitivity of the mouse in 99% of video games.

Find what works for you.

As long as you're using a modern mouse (not roller ball, or track ball) you should be fine. A better mouse will make an improvement, but none you will see as you've just started.
You'll get a hang of it and find that you love it much more than the slow limited speed of a controller. Play on easy if it helps.

Sounds like you have the sensitivity/dpi too high. It's something you will have to fine tune. If you don't already, get a good quality mouse with on the fly adjustable dpi buttons. It's very handy being able to adjust that without going into menus in windows. Just keep at it, you'll get better and soon it will be second nature. I would MUCH prefer mouse and keyboard over controller.

I never pc gamed until I built my pc laster year. Even after getting the dpi where I wanted and using in game settings to fine tune, it was still tough. It took me a solid month to really get comfortable. Keep at, it's a new skill set that has to develop.