If a game is made with gamepad in mind, then absolutely gamepad is the first pick. Mine is an XboxOne wireless controller. I don't think I have any particular brand loyalty, but I like the layout.

Most games I play are mouse and keyboard though. I'm using a wired mouse with a 60% mechanical keyboard. The keyboard took a bit of adjustment, I used to use a full-size board and thought I'd be miss having some of the keys, but for gaming it doesn't come up too often.

The biggest game changer for me was a desk mat. Upgrading from a mousepad gives you far more real estate, and using a smaller keyboard helps there too.

The mouse is a Cougar Minos X3. I used to use a lot of Razer products, but honestly I've been disappointed with their build quality. This one's a lot like the Deathadder series, and half the price. I like a mouse that has M4/5 on the thumb, they're handy for binding a couple of keys to.

I play almost exclusively handheld so definitely gamepads.

My favourite controller is the Stadia controller, and followed by the Razer Kishi v1. I like soft buttons instead of clicky ones.

The Xbox controller is too clicky for me, the Stadia controller is perfect and comfortable to hold.

When I play on the PC, I use a
trackball instead of mouse.

Depends on the game. If I need to aim, mouse and keyboard. But if it's a game like elden ring or a single player game, then controller.

Nethack with vi-keys

As much as I love my mouse on my desktop, I like using a wired switch controller because it's my only controller with a headphone jack in it. Useful for when my bluetooth headphones are charging or in the future if I ever can find and buy a good quality cord with the jack at both ends.

Though I do like my trackball mouse for games/moments where I have to be quicker because there ain't no way I can set the sensitivity of the controller joysticks to be good enough for me. I'm falling things like Danganronpa V3's Mass Panic Debates. They're really not super fast, more medium speed IIRC, but they're fast enough I prefer a mouse. Especially for any V-shots.

For fighting games, I have a custom built stick I put together two years ago.

For almost everything else, 8BitDo Pro 2.

I really like hotkeys, I don't even always use them, but when I'm playing certain games where I'm making a lot of the same actions over and over, it can be really handy to automate some of the boring stuff. Like in Grim Dawn I'll hotkey my spam skills or in mmos for buffs / instant casts. Because of rhat I usually run one of those mice that has the big grid of extra buttons on the side. They look silly as hell, but once you get ised to incorporating it into your workflow, it's really handy.

I'm a weirdo who couch games with keyboard and mouse. Logitech k830 for my media pc, with a g502x for gaming. I use an old tribes 2 themed ratzpad hard mousepad.

It depends on the game, I'm not an absolutist either way. If the game has precision aiming or heavy and lots of menuing I'm playing KB/M, if the game is third person and with fewer keybinds I use controller.

My favourite mouse by far thus far has been my Logitech G604 Lightspeed. It's pretty large, but I guess I have big hands because it fits me perfectly and I don't mind the heft - it's not like I'm a competitive FPS player. Very good build quality too. I have used MMO mice before with way more buttons, but six programmable thumb buttons feels like just the right amount. I don't think I could ever go back to just M4+M5, and I try to setup every game to delegate as many frequent keybinds I can to the mouse side buttons.

For controller I've always preferred Xbox controllers for comfort. I have a trusty X360 one that I've been using for like 13 years and it's still holding up. Having tried my friend's PS5 I must say I'm very jealous of the adaptive triggers though. I really wish the technology wasn't proprietary.

Desktop I use a wireless Logitech 5 button mouse and one of my favourite keyboards, the Wooting Two HE. Magnetic ANALOG switches. It's great for tinkering and the macro king. Nothing else comes even close. Plus, every key can be xinput joystick if desired. There's a lot to this one.

Living Room is also a PC. I have the only good trackpad keyboard combo by Logitech for casual usage. Then another 5 button mouse and a Royal RK...I can't remember model not at home. 96% form factor anyways, with a DIY sound deadening moleskin mod. This with a comfy lap desk. Works well but I usually use controllers in the living room.

8bitdo, we have four Pro 2 controllers and two Arcade Sticks. Lots of couch gaming and MAME usage in this house.

All of this is Linux friendly.

Ducky One 3 with tactile Gateron Baby Kangaroo switches and a Razer Viper v3 Hyperspeed with a AAA Li-Ion battery in an adapter for less weight.

For those few games, I rather play with a gamepad, I have an 8BitDo Pro 2.

K&B all the way (since 96), but I play genres where K&B makes more sense (city-builder, tycoon games, strategy games). You also need a monitor to see charts and smaller details.

I don't play as much FPS these days (mostly TF2 and occasional replays of HL/HL2 and expansions), but to this date I don't really understand how people play FPS games on controller (I played GoldenEye and the OG Halo at friends' homes when they came out).

Never been into this much. I like a clicky keyboard and a mouse that halfway tracks, that's all.

But with my venerable Logitech G400s rarely double clicking, I got a ROG Harpie Ace on a firesale. I'd never pay full price for such a mouse, but I played though its calibration suite and do love it now.

When I was younger I would prefer a mouse and keyboard but these days I would much rather use a controller. I currently use an Xbox One controller and always use controllers wired. I don't have a desk setup any more so all my gaming is done sitting on a sofa which definitely forces my choice more towards the controller.

I have been playing Noita recently and after 15 hours of struggling with a controller I started using a mouse and keyboard setup and it is far superior, my back however is not keen on this setup at all so this is probably another reason I try to avoid m+kb.

Xbox 360 controller for action games and a Red Dragon K568 mechanical keyboard for fighting games and shmups.

I actively avoid any game with a mouse, so I don't use any when I'm gaming. Only controller or keyboard.

M&KB for anything aiming-centric. I have been playing some PS games recently like that, but getting back on M&KB is like a breath of fresh air.

3rd person action games (souls-likes, platformers, etc) or games with heavy driving, I heavily prefer controller. The PS5 controller with trigger feedback feels excellent for games that support it, but if I'm using a controller on PC it's almost always an Xbox Elite. The back paddles are great for weird button combination presses, like double stick clicks. Tangentially related, but inverted look for life.

Mobile, I use the GameSir X2. Feels a little smaller than steam deck, but it works with no latency and has a charging pass-through. Good for emulators, ported games, etc. Otherwise, some games can be hard to play, especially if they use shoulder buttons.

I play anything except racing sims on mouse and keyboard. I use a Logicool G600t which i just received today after my Logitech G600 died and a Corsair K70 MK2. My hands are weird because when i use a gamepad my hands cramp up but i can play with m&kb indefinitely. I guess it's because i grew up with pc gaming.