The introduction of cross-platform play this generation has allowed Xbox One and PC players to enjoy their favorite games together, but this doesn’t always lead to the fairest matches. Those on PC have a noticeable advantage in shooters because of their mouse and keyboard controls, but the latest Xbox One update has leveled the playing field by adding support for the peripherals.
Thecontent update hitting Xbox Onesystems on Wednesday, November 14, gives players the option to plug in a mouse and keyboard in order to play some of their favorite games. Thus far, you can use it forFortniteandWarframe. Later this month, support will be added forBomber Crew,Deep Rock Galactic,Strange Brigade,Vermintide 2,War Thunder, andX-Morph Defense. In December,Children of Morta,DayZ,Minion Master,Moonlighter,Vigor,Warface, andWargroovewill also be added.
Fortniteis obviously the big pickup here, as it should help Xbox One players to compete on a more even playing field with PC players, but the game list won’t stpo expanding anytime soon. Microsoft said it is now giving developers the choice to includemouse and keyboard controls on gamesmoving forward, and the company also partnered with Razer to create a “Designed for Xbox” mouse and keyboard. It even comes with a special Xbox key and is fully functional with Windows 10, as well.
We have heard that keyboard support would be coming to the Xbox One for some time, though we didn’t expect it to be to this extent. In 2017, Microsoft’s Andrew Parson said that theXbox Live Creators Program would enable developersto use more Windows features on the Xbox One. Given the Xbox Play Anywhere program’s success, this could make the experience of going from console to PC and back again less jarring.
The inclusion of mouse and keyboard support puts the Xbox One more in line with the PlayStation 4, whichalready had the feature. That system pairs those using the setup with PC players rather than other console players, ensuring those using a gamepad aren’t completely overwhelmed. If you’re on a mobile device, however, you can probably still expect to get destroyed.
