is there an easy and reliable way to use my PS3 controller on my HTPC?

No. There are drivers for PS3 pads but they don't work very well. Just get a wireless 360 pad and PC receiver and be done with it.

^^^ If he plans to use the D-Pad for action games, that may not work well enough for him.

I use a PS2 controller with my PC setup. I have a couple of Elecom 201 adapters from Japan for the least amount of lag in the conversion and it works great. I've seen info from time to time about Bluetooth functionality with PS3 controllers but never felt the need to try it out since the PS2 pads work well. Maybe someone has more info on that for you, but here's one recent tutorial I found on the 'net.

You're making it overly complicated. I have a PS3 and frankly all the solutions to get the pads working on a PC are poor at best. 360 pad support is standard in virtually every single game. It's easier and they just work.

The 360's d-pad is just fine. The PS3 doesn't have the best d-pad either. It's not like we're talking about a (jpn)Saturn d-pad here. I play plenty of games with my 360 controller and never have an issue.

Logitech controllers used to be great for PC gaming. But the standard went from direct input (old Xbox & Logitech controllers) to X-input (360 controller). Most games since the GFWL era began don't support the d-input standard any longer. It's dumb in my opinion but it's the way it is now. Plus the Logitech design doesn't have analog triggers, which hurts with racing/sandbox driving games.

Both Mass Effects on the PC do not have controller support of any kind, only the console versions do.

in order to use your ps3's dual shock wirelessly with your pc, first you will need a bluetooth 2.0 dongle and then follow these instructions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojb5Ry9I-oQ

it's going to look daunting at first but it's not too bad if you follow the instructions closely.

It doesn't have to be the all-time best to be considered extremely good. People have won regional national fighting game tournies in games like Tekken on a PS2/PS3 game pad playing against opponents with sticks, and that requires many precise inputs measured in tenths of a second.

OP, if you can test out different pads that friends might have it could help a lot, especially if you aren't sure if the 360 pad is for you. However if you still want the DualShock feel on PC like me, getting a USB-->PS2 adapter works perfectly. I'm happy with my Elecom 201s, but here's a page with a ton of others reviewed by gamers.

Nice, but once again you are making things too complicated. I think the OP just wants a gamepad that works, and right now the 360 pad is the one that works on pretty much everything. No need to configure, etc, etc.

I have a sense that people object to the 360 pad (like everything else) just because it's Microsoft. Don't. It's the defacto goto gamepad for gaming. If there was something better I'm sure people would be recommending that.

Skilled players can overcome many hurdles when playing. I don't necessary consider subjective analysis to be worth much but I will respect your opinion on the matter. I do agree that the PS3 d-pad is superior to the 360 version. I just don't think it's night and day to be honest. I've never liked the PS d-pad personally and always preferred to play fighters on the Saturn over the PSX. Only once the screw up that was the Dreamcast d-pad came out did I switch my preference to the PS2 d-pad.

They aren't "overcoming hurdles" though. The Playstation pad simply works well enough for a ton of serious players to have used them for over a decade. They literally choose not to play with specialized sticks because what they use works and works well.

With Tekken as an example, I personally know people who have their light wave dash down, as well as the Korean back dash, just-frame attack execution (1-2 frame shifts) and much more. There is zero chance they'd continue use the pads if precise execution were ever a problem. In fact, when the American version of Tekken 5 came out in the arcade, Namco added PS2 Dual Shock ports to the machines themselves since a ton of gamers preferred the pad over true arcade sticks going back to Tekken 3 and TTT.

That is not the case for the most part with the 360 pad; it has its own feel that not many care for when it comes to fighters. It is shunned by the vast majority of the fighting game community. I'm not saying there isn't anyone that uses it, but this is not even a debate among the core gamers who make fighters their #1 genre. Most serious fighting players use sticks, many will use the Playstation pad (mostly with 3D fighters), and very, very few use anything else.

It's not just fighting fans who feel this way, but just the genre where precision is most noticeable. Type "360 d-pad" into Google search and you get pages and pages of either complaints or mods to fix it.

I have played both ME and ME2 on PC using Logitech Wireless Rumblepad 2.

I had 0 issues. If you go that route and if you want, I can upload the gamepad profile/config files I used for those games.

By the way, I used a PS3 controller on PC and it's extremely simple to do. You just need a bluetooth dongle and there is an app called "WinDS3" that makes it very easy to configure and use it on PC. The only reason I continue to prefer the Logitech is because of its SHIFT functionality. You can chose a button (I use L2) as a shift button that changes the functions of all other buttons. With Logitech, SHIFT is just like on keyboard (active while held down). WinDS3 has that too but it's like CAPS LOCK.

Could be. I was just never interested in it because I don't like the layout.

Once again, it's not the standard for PC gaming and there is no rumble support which there is on the 360 pad on PC games. The 360 pad is the go-to pad for PC gaming. It comes as the default configuration for all new PC games that support gamepads.

As for ME and ME2 on gamepads, it wasn't set up that way. There is no gamepad support at all on the PC versions and what you are talking about is just mapping the key controls to your gamepad. You'd be better off just using the keyboard/mouse as that's the way the games were meant to be played on the PC.

Seriously, use a mouse and keyboard. It's half the reason to game on a PC.

I'll use a 360 pad on some games but for fps there's no reasonable alternative to the kbm. The sloooooow turn speed of the analog stick is the killer, along with the lack of precision in aiming movement. The only "fps" game I've played on my pc that I will use the controller for is Fallout 3. It seems to work well enough although still even in that case the kbm works better.

Fallout 3 isn't a "FPS", it's a 3rd person RPG that can be played as an action game (although I don't know a single person who does that- everyone uses VATS). But I also play it with the 360 controller.

Hey RocShemp, this option might be a nice compromise for you. Logitech has a line of gamepads for the PC that use a design similar to the DualShock. Rumble is built in, and they have a wired and wireless version. Check it out here.

Can one use PS3 controller when playing MW2 in Multiplayer match Online?

I missed that somehow, sorry. Enjoy your purchase!