Overwatch 2 reveals permanent ban wave for console players using mouse and keyboard

The Overwatch 2 devs have finally announced imminent action will be taken against console players who have been abusing third-party peripherals to compete with a mouse and keyboard.

For years, the Overwatch 2 console community has been plagued by nefarious users who use mouse and keyboard adapters such as XIMs to get an unfair advantage.

With more precise aim than a standard controller, these M&K players have been able to dominate, even taking advantage of the console version’s built-in aim assist for an extra edge. For months now, the devs have teased action, but nothing has been implemented… until now.

In an April 18 blog post, it was announced that the team had been gathering intel for the past few seasons and are now ready to strike.

“While we won’t go into specific detail on exactly how we detect these devices, we can say that our detection has already been in place for multiple seasons, passively gathering data for us to analyze,” the devs revealed.

They explained that unapproved peripherals are often used at the highest levels of console play and over the next few weeks, the most severe abusers will be hit with permanent account bans.

Blizzard Entertainment

Blizzard says that anyone who wants to avoid a ban would need to cease using third-party apps right away and that there won’t be any other warnings.

Once Season 11 kicks off in a few months, a new detection system will go into effect. When a player is caught using a mouse and keyboard, they will be banned from Competitive for a week. However, if the abuse continues, they will not be able to compete in ranked for the rest of the season and only have access to Quick Play matches with other mouse and keyboard players.

The devs also say the team is discussing the possibility of adding official mouse and keyboard support and letting console players compete in ranked with PC users without any extra aim assist help.

We’ll have to wait and see how the new detection and ban systems pan out, especially with so much controversy over OW2 suspensions at the moment. There have been a series of controversies surrounding players being unfairly banned as of late, but if these changes prove to be effective, they could restore some of the faith players have lost.