OW2 may support MKB for console officially in the future!

This is from the Director’s Take that just got published:

The Future of Mouse and Keyboard for Console

We recognize that many players use unapproved peripherals to enable input devices they simply prefer overall. So, we have started discussing whether we can add official mouse-and-keyboard support to consoles in a way that doesn’t give these players an unfair advantage over their controller counterparts. Right now, for Competitive, console players play in a separate pool from PC. So, in order to allow console players who would like to use a mouse and keyboard legitimately, we would make sure they would be able to play in Competitive matches only with other mouse-and-keyboard users and without the benefit of aim assist.

This would be absolutely huge for me as a PS5 gamer who prefers to use MKB if possible because I find the use of a controller to be very uncomfortable!

:partying_face:

3 Likes

Hopefully when matched in the PC pool they’ll also change the FOV to match the normal PC FOV as that would be a disadvantage otherwise - and I’d also like to see them offer an option to disable VSync on console because that can add input lag that you feel more with a mouse and keyboard - that was my experience with MKB on Fortnite on PS5 at least heh…

:heartpulse:

hell yea I’ll drink to that (I’ll drink to anything)

2 Likes

very good news, the controller is inconvenient to play with…

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I would say that a controller really does limit what you can really do with a hero in terms of precise aiming, and most importantly movement.

However, I am glad that Blizzard is doing something about XIM user

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Are you sure?

Thumbstick gives you good movement control vs WASD?

:thinking:

Subjective opinion.

I’ve always found wasd more precice than a thumbstick.
The fact that we disagree shows that it’s not a fact.

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IDK that’s why I’m asking…

Would’ve thought 360° analogue > 4 keys?

WASD = speed > precision maybe?

:wink:

Idk, do a really difficult minecraft jumping puzzle and tell me the results of which control scheme feels better.

Some people swear on controllers when playing racing games, meanwhile i find keyboards more precise to stay on the road with.

Might be a practice issue, but apart from the ye olde gamecube controllers, controllers have always felt awkward in shape and badly sized.

WASD is still superior for FPS because is digital. This means you are already at max speed every time you press a button.
It is beneficial even for aiming while moving because the movement speed is consonant.

You don’t want your character to be accelerating in a game like this.

Yeah so it’s speed > precision?

Could also be this since I do better with a keyboard as well, but objectively speaking full directional control gives more control than WASD doesn’t it?

:nerd_face:

It is not a platformer game so you don’t benefit from precision movement. It actually slows you down and makes you an easier target to track.

But isn’t it possible to do more unpredictable movement with a thumbstick?

Since you can go fast left right, and sometimes slow left right and control the movement more precisely?

:point_up_2:

Not really.
WASD makes your movement more choppy and harder to track. With the thumbstick there is always gradient when slowing down and accelerating which is what makes it easier to react to.

There are some situations where you can benefit from the better control I think!

Here’s something interesting: I found myself landing more Reinhardt pins on my ROG and Steam Deck and it felt easier to land them because I could slowly control my trajectory heh…

:stuck_out_tongue:

I still do better on all games with a keyboard. You have 8 precise directions of movement and the rest are doable (if a bit jankier) with several buttons.

With a thumbstick, you won’t be going to follow a straight line forward without micro adjustments all the time.

It’s like playing with a joystick in many cases. Good for some game systems (like flying planes and space ships) but not so good on flat ground or platforming.

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Maybe but the downsides are way too many.

to give an example, remember when ppl ask for movement acceleration to be added to the game so ppl can’t just spam AD? This is why - to make the targets easier to track. Since thumbstick already work with acceleration, you are handicapping yourself if you try to dodge with it compared to WASD

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Could be a practice issue like you said?

:face_with_monocle:

Could be, but i find it more precise.

I’ve only found a single game in 29 years of gaming that played better with a controller than a keyboard, and that’s plate up.

I don’t think it’s clear cut though?

Like what if you took the top controller player and put them against WASD I think the thumbstick would win out in some situations!

Look at Rocket League…

There has to be a reason that they recommend a controller and not a keyboard and mouse and the best players use controller?

:astonished: