14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has already announced that it wants to bring mouse and keyboard support to the Xbox gaming console, but up to this point, work in this regard has advanced rather slowly.
Or at least, this is what the company let everyone think, as internally, the Xbox team might already be planning in advance the next step towards this goal.
This step could involve teaming up with Razer for the development of peripherals compatible with Xbox, and now Microsoft is briefing other companies that might be interested in such a project about it.
Recent reports show that Razer’s Turret keyboard and mouse currently support the Xbox One, and work in this regard could also involve other models. Slides revealed during a private presentation indicate that mouse on the Xbox One would support up to 5 buttons and wheel movement, while also adding capabilities like querying for mouse features, reporting absolute pointer location, and relative pointer movement.
What this means for console gaming
While at first glance this might not seem to be a big announcement, bringing mouse and keyboard to the Xbox is breaking news for console gaming.
Not only that it reduces the gap between consoles and PCs, but it also improves the gaming experience in games like first-person shooters or strategies, where precision input is critical.
There are issues, however, that need to be resolved in this regard. As the cited source mentions, mice and keyboards connected to the Xbox One could give gamers a substantial advantage in multiplayer mode over those sticking with a traditional controller, and Microsoft and its partners must find a way to address it.
For the time being, however, Microsoft hasn’t provided a timing as to when this feature could become available to all, but with the next Xbox expected to land in a couple of years, it shouldn’t take too long before the debut happens.