Microsoft Will “Coach” Developers On Using It Responsibly
They’re sounding a bit like a broken record but Microsoft has assured fans that keyboard and mouse support for games on Xbox One is “definitely coming.”
Over the weekend at Major Nelson’s Xbox PAX Panel, Microsoft’s Mike Ybarra was asked by a fan when keyboard and mouse support was coming. You can check out the clip on Twitter (thanks, Xbox E3 Fans!). You can hear Mike Ybarra’s response to the question as well as how the company will handle support.
Mouse and Keyboard are still coming… pic.twitter.com/jbzcQvAsyS
— Xbox E3 Fans (@XboxE3Fans) September 2, 2017
Ybarra was quick to point out that the decision to implement keyboard and mouse support in games will still be up to the developers and that Microsoft will have to “coach” studios about how to use the feature responsibly. What this all comes down to are multiplayer-centric games, particularly first-person shooters. Playing with a keyboard and mouse provides a serious advantage over players who prefer the Xbox controller. Based on Ybarra’s comments, it appears that those who want to play with keyboard and mouse will be matched online with other players with the same controller setup. This way, controller-only players won’t be at an obvious disadvantage.
Ybarra did mention that we’ll be seeing “our first games supporting keyboard and mouse soon” but didn’t disclose any titles. After that, it will be up to developer interest whether they want to add the feature in their games.
We can safely predict that first-party games like Gears of War 4 and Halo Wars 2 will offer support and will most likely split the online community depending on their control preference. We’ll just have to wait and see until the feature eventually launches. Hopefully, we won’t be waiting much longer.
What are your thoughts on how Microsoft is handling keyboard and mouse support on Xbox One? Does this sound like a feature you’d use? Please let us know in the comments below.