The promise of home video game consoles has always been one of convenience. Plug the console in to the wall, then to the TV, and turn it on — video games!
But there’s a whole subset of gamers who are willing to sacrifice a bit of that convenience for more control: PC gamers are the type of folks who are happy to trade an easy-to-use gamepad for a cumbersome, albeit more precise, keyboard and mouse setup.
So the logic goes: Using a mouse to aim is far more accurate than using a thumbstick, and using a keyboard enables far more options than the few buttons on a standard gamepad.
As such, some folks are going to be especially excited to hear that Microsoft is adding full-on keyboard and mouse support — on a system level — to the Xbox One family of game consoles.
What that means for the tens of millions of Xbox One owners in practical use is that some Xbox One games will offer support for keyboard and mouse controls. To be all the way clear: Xbox One gamepads will still be the default control method for all Xbox One games.
Microsoft is careful about this distinction in its announcement. “Mouse and keyboard support for games is added on a title-by-title basis, entirely at developers’ discretion,” the post on Xbox Newswire reads. “Mouse and keyboard input is not enabled by default for games.”
The first such game to offer support is “Warframe,” a free-to-play third-person shooter; no other games have announced support thus far, but there are plenty that make sense.
Will your favorite keyboard and mouse be supported? That remains to be seen. Microsoft says that, “most wired or wireless USB keyboards and mice will work.” Additionally, the company is partnering with gaming peripheral maker Razer to create something purpose-built for use with the Xbox One — presumably something with a couch in mind, as opposed to a traditional desk setup for PC gaming.
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