Keyboard and mouse support is coming to Xbox One "soon"

[Shawn Knight]

PC gamers have long enjoyed the competitive advantage that a keyboard and mouse afford. In fact, it’s why Microsoft killed its cross-platform push in 2010 (PC gamers wrecked console players every time).

Despite the mismatch, gamers haven’t given up on the idea and neither has Microsoft.

Mike Ybarra, corporate vice president for the Xbox and Windows platforms at Microsoft, confirmed during a recent panel at PAX West that keyboard and mouse support for the Xbox One is definitely coming (it already exists as part of Minecraft’s Better Together beta).

Mouse and Keyboard are still coming... pic.twitter.com/jbzcQvAsyS

— Xbox E3 Fans (@XboxE3Fans) September 2, 2017

This time around, however, they’re going to take a slightly different approach.

Ybarra said they have to be smart in how they implement it and leave a lot of choice up to developers. In the case of a competitive multiplayer game, Microsoft will encourage devs to offer gamers the option of playing with other keyboard and mouse users or only those that use a controller (or, if you’re feeling adventurous, anyone).

Ybarra said we’ll see the first Xbox One games supporting keyboard and mouse soon but declined to mention any by name or provide an exact release date. Nevertheless, it’s an exciting prospect, especially if you’ve got extensive experience with PC gaming.

Would a keyboard and mouse-equipped Xbox One be enough to sway you over to the console realm or are your roots firmly planted in the PC? Chime in with your thoughts in the comments section below.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/70837-keyboard-mouse-support-coming-xbox-one-soon.html

 

[Kenrick]

Add a computer table and computer chair, you will scratch your head why you bought a xbox.

 

[spydercanopus]

Set your PC monitor to 30hz and game with your keyboard/mouse.

Sounds awful, eh?

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

Consoles should've thrown in the towel years ago. It's always going to be a one sided affair in favour of the PC in everything except when it comes to price.

 

[CrazyDave]

I've been wanting this since I first played Halo 3 on Xbox360. This will make playing fps's on console much more appealing... to me at least.

 

[Nobina]

Isn't it weird that consoles exist for so long alongside PC and they still didn't get keyboard and mouse support? What would be the reason not to include them up until now? PC already supports gamepads.

 

[alabama man]

Isn't it weird that consoles exist for so long alongside PC and they still didn't get keyboard and mouse support? What would be the reason not to include them up until now? PC already supports gamepads.

Snes, playstation and megadrive had mice. Dreamcast had mouse and keyboard. I remember using keyboard and mouse on ps3 for web browsing when my PC broke. So yeah the supports been almost as long as consoles existed.

 

[alabama man]

It's just a crappy PC so why not. Just wondering why anyone would buy this, it's just more restricted than PC, games cost more and you need entirely new device instead of just upgrading graphics card every now and then. If microsoft manages to get away with disabling steam support in windows then maybe but I really wish they would focus on making great OS instead of all these schemes to take over the world with crappy consoles and phones.

 

[JaredTheDragon]

I could be wrong, but every Playstation had support for keyboards/mice since the PS2. And why is it just now coming? How is support for simple USB input devices not built into Microsoft's allegedly awesome console, just out of the box? Even all modern mobos use a mouse-enabled GUI BIOS, so I find it rather pathetic. Why is it "coming" at all? Can't they just, you know, turn it on?

 

[EClyde]

I wouldn't have minded a console but I can't use the controller. I was pathetic on a playstation.

 

[Edito]

Consoles should've thrown in the towel years ago. It's always going to be a one sided affair in favour of the PC in everything except when it comes to price.

Please understand this one thing people buy consoles because they want the games that are only available there and it's not and will never be one sided in favor of PC and as time goes and you grow up as a man of the house a console suits better than a PC because you can enjoy with your kids wife and friend... in that sense the PC will never be superior to a game console...

 

[Humza]

Hmm I wonder how they customize (RGB lighting, macros etc) the hardware once it's attached to the console.

 

[Boilerhog146]

Its my turn.

I have an xBox 360 elite ,rarely used.and a ps3 with the blueray drive dead.even more rarely used.

GIMMICKS. I use my NVidia 3D vision more often than either console.and K/B mouse will not change that.

console gaming will never catch pc gaming.mainly because there will never be as powerful a console as a desktop pc,,,NEVER!

the only advantages I see console gaming is a bunch of guys sitting around the big screen playing sports games ,ie :golf ,hockey,football,etc.which was the only reason I have consoles ,group gaming.
the exclusives ,I guess if the exclusive is a must have,I wouldn't buy a console just for a couple of exclusive games . oh I also have a kinnect,now that's a bit of fun,activity, until I stepped on the missus ,

The grandkids .that's the main reason for the consoles, need to keep some kids occupied for a while,kickup the 65" and the xbox.a little junkfood,and I'm a GOD! then its worth all the pc's I've ever owned.lol.

 

[XRavishX]

It's just a crappy PC so why not. Just wondering why anyone would buy this, it's just more restricted than PC, games cost more and you need entirely new device instead of just upgrading graphics card every now and then. If microsoft manages to get away with disabling steam support in windows then maybe but I really wish they would focus on making great OS instead of all these schemes to take over the world with crappy consoles and phones.

It's not necessarily more restricted, but it's definitely more controlled. Having a closed system network is makes things more stable and less prone to hacking. I don't have to worry nearly as much about people botting or cheating because networks like Xbox Live prevent that. I'd rather play on a console than a PC because of this even though the PC is more powerful. The only problem is that when the system goes down, it goes down hard. Fortunately, it's a very rare thing.

Also, the division that works on Windows is different than the one that works on Xbox and the one that works on their phones, etc. In other words, they have teams specifically dedicated to focusing on their individual projects. They just want to be able to unify all the devices together with the same glue, which I believe they're doing very well.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

Hmm I wonder how they customize (RGB lighting, macros etc) the hardware once it's attached to the console.

You don't have to worry about that, they'll have it all figured out. If it doesn't have RGB lighting, they may as well throw the whole project in the bin.

 

[psycros]

Funny, I just commented on this a couple days ago..I certainly didn't expect to hear this was in the works so soon. The only possible downside to k/b and mouse being fully supported on console games would be PC versions becoming even more "console-ized" in order to improve cross-platform compatibility. Ideally the consoles would up *their* game instead.

 

[GeforcerFX]

I Have my xbone at my desk and that's where I game the most. I usually have no issue switching between console and PC as far as controls go, I adapt pretty quick. Console is more casual so the people I run into aren't as gung ho and focused on the game compared to the same game on PC. On console I prob have a advantage being as close to the screen as I am. I have noticed when it comes to shooters if you move around a map in say BF4 on xbox like I have to on PC to survive you will be in the top positions on your team. We learn how to move through the maps to take objectives while not exposing ourselves to the higher accuracy and better I guess vision for lack of a better word PC gamers tend to show. Basically I would rather play a shooter multiplayer on consoles since the casuals make it fun, I like playing shooters with KB & M though so it will be nice to have the option to play them that way if I want. Microsoft did bring up KB & M at E3 2016 after they revealed the play anywhere system, and here we are at the end of 2017 and they are still saying soon, so I am not holding my breathe on the arrival.