Can I use my Xbox 360 controller to play PC games?

If you have a wired Xbox 360 Controller, it can be used by both Windows and your Xbox 360. You should install the software: http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/gaming/productdetails.aspx?pid=091 As far as I know, you don't need the specific "PC" version of the Xbox 360 controller--they're actually the same hardware. Then either play a game that supports the controller directly (many of the newer games stamped with "Games for Windows") or you will need to install a 3rd party program to "emulate" a typical joystick from your Xbox 360 controller, such as http://pinnaclegameprofiler.com/. Check out a guide here: http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Your-Xbox-360-Controller-for-Windows

There are drivers available from Microsoft that allow 360 controller use, but I dont know how this has to interface with the games. For more information on using the 360 controller with games see http://gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/2178/can-i-use-an-xbox-controller-to-play-steam-games post. Also, there is an Xbox style control, built by Microsoft that is made for PC. That is more than likely easier to set up for this purpose, but again I have never personally used one to know for sure. See http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/gaming/productdetails.aspx?pid=090 for more info.

You can use a regular xbox controller if you splice the wires at the end and wire up a usb end to plug into the pc. You also need to download software to make the pc recognize the controller.