Overwatch director Kaplan opposes mouse and keyboard use on consoles

Jeff Kaplan, Overwatch’s game director, has spoken out against using a mouse and keyboard when playing Overwatch on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Kaplan has approached Microsoft and Sony about this, urging console users to voice their concerns as well. .

Kaplan is not against the use of a mouse or keyboard on principle. According to the game maker, it is about maintaining the fairest possible playing field, both financially and competitively. He wants either mouse and keyboard to be banned altogether, or the use of the peripherals to be openly and well supported for everyone. This is what Kaplan said on Blizzard’s Battle.net forum.

Kaplan is particularly concerned that it is now possible to use a mouse and keyboard through relatively expensive USB hubs. That means that people who are financially able to buy the XIM4, for example, can use a mouse in shooters. The XIM4 is a USB hub that costs 117 euros. This allows gamers to gain a competitive advantage because the mouse allows for faster targeting than the analog sticks of console controllers. Kaplan finds this situation undesirable. A comparable USB hub is the Iogear Keymander. The claim here is that it can even make the peripherals work with all console games.

In addition to these unofficial USB hubs from third parties, it seems only a matter of time before Sony and Microsoft officially and broadly support the use of mouse and keyboard. Back in June, Microsoft’s Phil Spencer said it would be a few more months before mouse and keyboard use would be officially supported, but by then it was already working on a developer version of the Xbox One.

The PlayStation 4 already supports mice and keyboards via Bluetooth or USB, but game developers still have to add this support to the games. In 2013, for example, this already happened with the game War Thunder, which supports the use of mouse and keyboard on the PlayStation 4. In addition, the Tactical Assault Commander Pro is already supported by Sony for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3. This is a mechanical keyboard with a mouse that, according to the makers, is specifically designed for first person shooters.