Xbox announces future mouse and keyboard support

Xbox boss Phil Spencer explained how Xbox will support mouse and keyboard on the Xbox One during an Inside Xbox live stream.

Spencer said mouse and keyboard support would be coming in October, and that Warframe would be the first game it would be tested out on.

Mouse and Keyboard support will be an option for game developers, but it won’t be forced on any game that isn’t designed for it or if developers don’t want it included.

Some games just work better with a mouse and keyboard and “if we put this capability in the hands of developers, we’ll get more of those games,” Spencer told viewers in the announcement.

Matchmaking support, and whether or not console players will suddenly find swarms of keyboard and mouse-using opponents in their ranked games of choice, will be left up to the developer.

“I think when we increase the creative canvas that our developers have to use in order to create games, we always get amazing things,” Spencer explained as he talked about why he was excited for the changes.

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Xbox is already getting feedback from developers on the change and will have more games to showcase featuring mouse and keyboard support at the Xbox One Fan Event in November.

Keyboard and mouse are supported on the PS4, but are only recommended for use in navigating menus, chat, and browsing the web. Playing games on the PS4 using a keyboard and mouse is still hit or miss.

With this change, Xbox is hoping to expand the number of games, and the number of players, that choose to utilize the Xbox One as their primary gaming system. Whether or not this will work and set the trend for consoles going forward remains to be seen.