Fighting Over Control – Kotaku Article on Overwatch & Keyboard/Mouse vs. Controller

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The idea of playing shooters using mouse & keyboard vs. console controller is a battle that many have over the years. On PC you have the option to use one over the other but consoles normally only support controllers and NOT PC’s Keyboard & Mouse. That has changed a bit in recent years through unofficial means of using Mouse and Keyboard in console games, one being Overwatch. People have been coming out voicing anger over this, feeling keyboard & mouse users have the advantage.

Since last weekend, Overwatch console players have flooded forums with denunciations of so-called “cheaters” who play with a mouse and keyboard set-up. That way, they’ll nail the headshots and swift movements that console players must work hard to master. Players stuck with the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 controllers call mouse and keyboard conversion devices an unfair advantage. But gamers with disabilities call it a crucial tool.
On Battle.net, Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan posted an unusually terse message rejecting the use of mouse and keyboard on console. He called for a full stop on Xbox and PlayStation’s recognition of input conversion devices or, equivocating, open and easy support for all console players choosing mouse and keyboard. A vocal majority of Overwatch fans rallied behind him. But, for America’s several million gamers with disabilities, the input conversion technology that allows for mouse and keyboard console play is what makes their favorite games accessible. Steve Spohn, CEO of AbleGamers, told me that a block on these devices would prove “disastrous for gamers with disabilities.” He added that “Such a system-wide ban would not only eliminate mouse and keyboard, it would also block out almost all of the assistive technologies we give to people with disabilities to be able to play on consoles.”

You can read the full article from Kotaku by clicking the following link and I highly recommend doing so; it’s an interesting story that covers a topic still ongoing today. 

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