Microsoft says full support for Xbox One mouse and keyboard is coming soon

Microsoft said the Xbox One console would fully support the mouse and keyboard since June 2016, although this feature has long been ephemeral beyond third-party unsupported workarounds. According to an article published Tuesday on the company's blog, they are actually doing it this time and a preliminary version of this feature will be available "for some Xbox Insiders in the coming weeks".

However, there is a problem to solve: the feature is entirely optional for game developers. This means that if you are officially able to play a specific game on the mouse and keyboard on Xbox One, it depends on the whims of the company that created it. Microsoft wrote:

It's important to note that mouse and keyboard support for games is added to each title at the discretion of the developers. For all other titles, nothing changes. Mouse and keyboard input is not enabled by default for games. Each development team knows their titles best and we help them create the right experience for their games, at their convenience, to ensure an optimal and fair gaming experience. Warframe will be one of the first mouse and keyboard test entries when the feature comes to Insider in the coming weeks.

Presumably, the opt-in clause was inserted for one of the reasons why mouse and keyboard compatibility was desperately needed: cross-platform gaming between Xbox One and PC players. It has long been emphasized that the use of a mouse and a keyboard offers a level of finesse and considerable precision compared to a controller Eve players using third-party adapters to dominate those using the latter). However, Ars Technica noted that Microsoft has undergone extensive testing of console / PC matches Gears of War 4 in 2016, concluding that after "associating fan comments and large-scale data collection", cross-play was no problem.

That said, Weapons of war the series is the third person, so maybe there will be more problems with first-person shooters. Where the opt-in: If it's impossible or too difficult to balance a title, developers can simply give up the support completely.

In their blog post, Microsoft noted that there is greater availability of keyboard and mouse configurations than with controllers, so it partners with premium manufacturer Razer to offer the best possible experience. The company added that players will likely be able to use most configurations, although it is certain that Razer equipment will be tough.

Whether or not you suspect that it will ruin or at least lessen your console experience, Microsoft seems determined to achieve it. According to the blog post, more details will be published in the November 10 edition of Inside the Xbox.