Gamepads.

I use dual shock 3 controller with a BT dongle and xbox 360 settings.

I've used PS3, PS4. x360 and an Xbox mini controller.
The PS4 one is probably my favorite, but for games that weren't implemented all that well they'll have Xbox prompts.

I have Switch, PS4, Xbox One and 360 controllers.

Xbox One is by far the best. Both in build quality and the overall feel.

I've got a wired xbox 360 controller. Still works fine.
I also have an off brand xbox one controller hooked up to a steam link I hardly use. It worked, but I didn't care too much for the feel of the analog sticks.
I'd stick with either the xbox 360 or xbox one controller, offical or decent off brand. Some other controllers can require more set up than they're worth.

Go with whatever is most comfortable for you, I recently changed to a xbox one controller after years of a 360 one and both are great

I still use my Xbox 360 controller and it works just fine!
I guess that depends where you like the analogs as Xbox and PS controllers have them on different places

I used a steam controller, it's free when you good at managing your steam wallet.

Sometimes there are sales on the Xbox One controller at the Microsoft store, it often retails for $40. There's no better choice at the moment. The Dualshock 4 is a valid option too, but rarely some games might have compatibility issues.

I can't think why a gamepad could stop being relevant!

If you like the XBOX 360's layout, then I can't see why you should look anywhere else. It's all about the layout (for me at least).

I use a generic, wired Logitech Xbox 360 style controller. It works fine for everything I need it to do. Unless you have some kind of motor impairment and need something specialized, go with something simple like that.

The Xbone one is a nice improvement over the 360 one in all areas so I greatly recommend it, especially given you liked the 360 one.

I use my dualshock 3 but I had to download a little program to make it work fine.

i have all 3, xbox one, steam controller and dualshock 4, for PC games for me its easy the Steam Controller, its comfortable well build, certainly better that the xbox one controller, and all its features are well thought out to play PC games.

For example, both the dual shock 4 and the steam controller have a gyro, which steam allows you to use for aim for example, but thanks to the dual stage triggers, on the steam controller you can set it to activate after you half pressed the trigger, and enter aim in GTAV for example, and then shot when you pull it all the way. you can set the dual shock to also gyro aim, but you have to press two buttons, in order to do the same thing the sc allows you to do with one.

Xbox 360 controller still works fine. XBone controller doesn't add much in terms of features, does feel a bit more responsive overall though.
Dualshock 4's should work with PC too, but Playstation controllers never have been a very good fit for my freakishly large hands.

And I still have a Street Fighter IV Mad Catz fight pad, which still works fine and which I use for more retro stuff. Those were surprisingly well built, and I still use it regularly for figthing games, shmups and other stuff that expects only a single d-pad.

PS4 Controller: Great option, great quality and supposedly has the least input lag (over Bluetooth) compared to any other option. If you already have Bluetooth on your computer, you won't need to purchase a dongle for wireless support. Different analog stick layout than Xbox.

Xbox One Controller: My personal favorite. Great quality and the most officially supported option on a Windows OS. Some controllers feature Bluetooth support and some don't, if you don't get a Bluetooth controller you will have to purchase a separate dongle for wireless support. A Bluetooth controller will have a separate piece of plastic around the home button. Different analog stick layout than PlayStation.

Steam Controller: Questionable quality and either loved or hated, instead of an analog stick you get a touchpad. Very versatile and capable of playing games that only support Keyboard and Mouse, perfect for using Steam in Big Picture mode in the living room. Comes with a tiny dongle you should make sure not to lose.

PS3 Controller: Great quality, requires a Bluetooth dongle and some messing around with 3rd party software but works like a charm afterwards.

Xbox 360 Controller: Great quality, not the best option for wireless support. You will need a special dongle and there are a lot of knock off versions of it on the market.

Everything else: There are some decent ones like the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller I don't have any knowledge to talk about, but I'd stay away from off-brand. Cheaply made analog sticks and short life expectancy are not worth the change you'll save.

From handling Xbox 360 one is the best. quality wise they did go down alot recently. had 2 that did go down pretty fast. like if you press a it will randomly rapid fire it, if you press lb it will often recognize at pressing it double, and so on. the ones i had before always hold years, but the last 2 ones did start to malfunction already after a few months.

Gamepad, or controller?

I use an Xbox One controller, have both a regular one and an elite one (oooooh, the feel of the elite one... amazing, but expensive). I also have an Ideazone Fang gamepad that I like very much, but it is perhaps getting a bit old these days.

There is a common opinion Xbox 360 controller is the best.

Been using an Xbox 360 controller for a while now, best game controller I've ever had in the past 30 years
Also thanks for the GA 😁

Another Xbox 360 Controller :D Went for wireless.. But depending on the usage.. It eats a lot of batteries :(

I use a PS4 controller, and before that used a PS2 controller. The main downside is most PC games that support controllers only have button prompts for XBOX. I also normally use the 3rd party software DS4Windows to get it to work since I never had good luck with Steams built in DS4 support. But overall its a very comfortable controller and I like using it.

If you decide to go with an XBox controller though, I've heard the 360 one has somewhat better compatibility then XBone, but at the same time the XBones d-pad is much better then on 360.

I recommend the Logitech Dual Action Gamepad. I've been using the same one for 15 years and it hasn't let me down yet. It's durable and reliable. It has many buttons, is easy to use and good to grasp.

I have 2 wired Xbox 360 controllers (a very generous amount of wire) and a Logitech F310. The first one was the F310 (Dualshock layout, Xbox buttons) but I couldn't go back when I tried an Xbox 360. X360 is still incredible to this day. I have 2 because the internal wiring in the first one were tearing and it started disconnecting every once in a while. That one was a "Pc and Xbox360" official controller, one of the more recent build qualities. A colleague of mine sold me his one for 20€ (Official Xbox Controller from his former Xbox 360) and this one is still working good after at least a decade of abuses.
That's just to say that probably they degraded build quality throughout the years and I'd recommend buying an older Xbox 360 controller, maybe a used one, more than a new and more recent one.

I just use the standard XBox 360 controller. I've tried a bunch over the years, and it's the most comfortable and the most durable, in my opinion (it also works with the most games). If anything, my next will be an XBox One controller.

Do yourself a favor and don't get a knock-off brand. Tried a few of those as well, and they aren't typically very good.

The wired 360 controllers are fantastic. Afterglow offers a solid 3rd party option for 360 and Xbox One controllers. I personally shelled out the cash for an Xbox Elite controller and love it. I've yet to try a Dualshock 4 on PC but use one for mobile games often and can recommend them if you have normal-small sized hands. I'm a large man and my fingers touch (and then some) with the DS4.