'Overwatch' News: Director Jeff Kaplan Objects the Use of Mouse & Keyboard in Consoles

Using the mouse and keyboard is the most common setup when playing multiplayer competitive shooter games such as "Call of Duty", "Battlefield" and "Overwatch." However, players of "Overwatch" are crying foul over other gamers who use the combo instead of conventional controllers on consoles, especially on the PS4 and Xbox One, by means of input conversion devices.

Game director for "Overwatch" Jeff Kaplan objects the use of the mouse and keyboard on gaming consoles, reports PC Gamer. He said this in a statement when asked by players who feels the competitive imbalance what was Blizzard's official stand on the current matter.

There is currently no native support for the mouse and keyboard for the PS4 and Xbox one. "Overwatch" players who want this kind of support ultimately turn towards third party "input conversion" devices. This is why Kaplan is also calling for major console makers such as Sony and Microsoft to either ban, or to openly and easily support mouse and keyboard setup for all players; not just for "Overwatch" but for other games as that offer multiplayer as well.

These "input conversion" devices, such as the XIM4 to name one, technically emulate a standard controller, reports Ars Technica. Developers of "Overwatch" have difficulty detecting this setting because the device is setup through a combination of software and hardware settings that basically camouflages the mouse and keyboard input.  

The usage of "input conversion" devices is where solid players of "Overwatch" on consoles feel the "competitive imbalance." Technically because those who use input conversion devices play the game better as their aims are now faster and accurate, compared to those using conventional analog stick controllers.

Ultimately, "Overwatch" game director Jeff Kaplan encourages players to reach out directly to hardware manufacturers to express concerns. But he insists it should be done in a productive and respectful way.