Reader’s Feature: Xbox One Mouse & Keyboard Support: The Potential

Written by Gaz Be Rotten

The recent announcement of Keyboard and Mouse Support for the Xbox One is great news for Xbox One users and does now open the doors and potential for many newer games to be developed for Xbox One and also allow the user to utilise the capabilities of the Xbox One a lot more and will pave the way for next generation and will ensure many high quality games in the future as well as encouraging developers to produce more titles and newer games. Here are my reasons as to how I feel this will benefit gamers.

 

Keyboard

Every gamer on pc will tell you that the keyboard has a wide variety of uses including the many keys available as well as it being used as an essential communication device. The keyboard has 100 keys on average and some have more keys. This allows developers to utilise these keys as additional controls to allow the player to be able to do more things in a game like moves or combos or for things like accessing inventory or quick keys to accessing an item quickly. This being supported on consoles gives these developers more creative ways to utilise what is available on a keyboard which allows games to have extra controls. This can also be used with apps like Google Plus which could now be supported on the Xbox One along with mouse support. Also, many games that have live in-game chat would benefit with this on Xbox One and would allow developers of PC games to consider bringing some of these titles to the Xbox One and newer games as well.

 

Mouse

This being supported now allows developers to use this with shoot em up games, point and click games as well as other games in the past that have used mouses. Also, mouse support will allow better dashboard functionality and can use various mouse based features with apps and games as well as other games developers would consider allowing mouse usage. This would also encourage indie developers and new I.ps to appear on the Xbox One that would greatly utilise the mouse function that has appeared on Pc and not Xbox One. This would increase the number of new games including those from developers of AAA titles as well as Indie Developers and those who are looking to create newer I.PS.

 

Games

This announcement of supporting both mouse and keyboard ensures that developers have more reason to increase the number of games they produce for the Xbox One as well as indie games. Previously the mouse and keyboard were not supported, particularly the keyboard not having much support discouraged developers further from making new games because of this. The announcement of the mouse and keyboard support will ensure more newer games are made giving Xbox One owners a better line up and a larger selection of titles as well as other advantages.

 

Additional Apps & Dashboard Functionality

The support of the above-mentioned devices will now interest app developers to consider making their versions of apps that are available on pc but not games consoles. Google +, for example, requires a mouse and keyboard and with Xbox One having a usb port web cameras can be supported which would allow better usage of social media apps as well as multimedia applications which could also be used on Xbox One. Also, indie software could then be offered to use the Xbox One for interesting features that the pc offered including but not limited to video editing, graphics design etc, other apps can then appear on the console for those who would be interested in utilising them.

Shortcuts to apps or launching a game can also be added as well as the ability to be able access features of the dashboard faster without having to browse the dashboard sections and instead have an instant key to load specific apps or features saving time. Also, Microsoft because the Xbox One runs a specific version of windows could include some classic Windows OS games as a way to celebrate the Mouse and Keyboard support like Solitare Spider, Minesweeper and apps for those on Xbox One and to give those who have used Windows a nostalgia feeling for those who own a PC.

These are the reasons why I feel this will benefit Xbox One gamers and the Xbox One as a whole.