Microsoft Looks To Razer For Xbox One Keyboard And Mouse Support
It might not be much longer before we see actual keyboard and mouse support for the Xbox One. Gamers, of course, have been asking for mouse and keyboard support on the console for quite some time, and a new leak suggests that Microsoft has at least been entertaining the idea. It's teamed up with Razer to explore the possibilities too, something that suggests mouse and keyboard compatibility could actually happen.
To be clear, this leak doesn't mean that keyboard and mouse functionality for Xbox One is a sure thing. However, it does show that it's something Microsoft has been thinking about, going so far as to tap Razer to come up with living room solutions for a mouse and keyboard layout. The leak comes by way of Windows Central, and centers around a number of slides from a Microsoft presentation to developers earlier in this year.
Apparently, Microsoft held this presentation to talk about the potential for keyboard and mouse support on Xbox One. Razer was in attendance during the presentation, showing off its Turret keyboard and mouse (which was designed for the living room) and explaining how its Chroma technology could be enabled on Xbox to provide visual cues at a glance. Of course, you wouldn't be limited to just the peripherals Razer makes, as Microsoft revealed that the Xbox One will be compatible with all USB mice that are supported by Windows, though there wouldn't be support for custom drivers or Bluetooth.
Microsoft outlined how developers would be able to balance their games for mouse and keyboard as well. Essentially, the company is leaving balance entirely up to developers, but for those who want to tweak multiplayer for keyboard and mouse, they'll be able to detect the presence of such peripherals. This, by extension, means that developers could place mouse and keyboard players into their own queues, so that they don't encounter people playing with a gamepad.
That could be important functionality, as mouse and keyboard are widely accepted as the more accurate control method over gamepads. In fact, that's a big reason why we haven't seen widespread mouse and keyboard support in consoles before, as the worry is that those using mouse and keyboard will have an advantage over competitors on a gamepad.
As for when mouse and keyboard support might launch on Xbox One, we're in the dark. At one point, it seems Microsoft intended to add this functionality to the Xbox Developer Kit in April, with a larger plan to launch it in the fall. Windows Central, however, is unsure if developers actually have access to this functionality yet, so we'll need to wait for more information on whether or not Microsoft is on track to release keyboard and mouse support later this year. Hopefully those details come around the bend before long, so stay tuned.