How come console FPS games don't include Mouse and Keyboard support?

[Allthingsspectacular]

Ever since reading up on the fact that the upcoming CCP shooter Dust 514 (Which, I might add, is PS3 exclusive) will include full support for Mouse and Keyboard controls, it really begs the question: Why not offer a mouse and keyboard control scheme for console shooters?

Are we really going to dismiss preferences? Almost everyone I know has a mouse and keyboard. No reason not to offer one really.

 

[Allthingsspectacular]

I know it isn't the first PS3 game to use it, (Unreal Tournament 3 comes to mind) that's just the game that got me thinking about it.

But given my experience with MGO and how, with the addition of keyboard support for chatting, I think most people have USB mouse and keyboard. Since everyone I knew could talk in that game.

Which also begs the question of, given the success of using text chat as an alternative in MGO since most PS3 players don't own a mic, why keyboard chatting isn't supported in most games.

In Dust 514's case, it's basically necessary to have a USB keyboard since you need to co-ordinate with EVE Online players.

Yes. We're going to have a game where the console FPS crowd and the PC careful thinking and spreadsheet managing crowd are going to have to talk to each other. This won't end in disaster, not at all.

 

[Smooth Operator]

How come they offer near no options at all... because it's cheaper to make games that way and you all still buy them regardless.

 

[him over there]

Well, because in most cases they don't want to include a control option that would allow some people to dominate others who don't use it.

Thank you kind sir. This is also the reason the complaint that " I like a controller compared to a mouse and keyboard" holds water despite you being able to hook one up. If you do use one you will lose 90% of the time when playing against mouse and keyboard players. So a mouse and keyboard becomes necessary regardless.

 

[nu1mlock]

Well, because in most cases they don't want to include a control option that would allow some people to dominate others who don't use it.

You might be right about "dominating with mouse and keyboard", I personally would never use a controller when playing FPS.

However, your argument itself does not hold as most developers which release multiplatform games on PC (obviously) include mouse and keyboard support but ALSO support a controller. I know a lot of people that use an Xbox 360 controller on PC.

So they DO include a control option that would allow some people to dominate others who don't use it. Just not on consoles for some reason. Perhaps there's another reason?

 

[The_Blue_Rider]

Well, because in most cases they don't want to include a control option that would allow some people to dominate others who don't use it.

You might be right about "dominating with mouse and keyboard", I personally would never use a controller when playing FPS.

However, your argument itself does not hold as most developers which release multiplatform games on PC (obviously) include mouse and keyboard support but ALSO support a controller. I know a lot of people that use an Xbox 360 controller on PC.

So they DO include a control option that would allow some people to dominate others who don't use it. Just not on consoles for some reason. Perhaps there's another reason?

Well, on a PC, they generally expect people to be using... you know PC controls.

 

[More Fun To Compute]

Mouse and keyboard players would have to play with a large handicap or play on separate servers to controller players. Developers would also have to tweak and test their gameplay code so it felt reasonable with mouse and kb and add lots of new configuration menus. Then there are probably platform holder development guides that describe how input devices have to be used to be certified.

It's more work than you might first think for a feature that it seems like people will actually hate and resist.

 

[Dryk]

You might be right about "dominating with mouse and keyboard", I personally would never use a controller when playing FPS.

However, your argument itself does not hold as most developers which release multiplatform games on PC (obviously) include mouse and keyboard support but ALSO support a controller. I know a lot of people that use an Xbox 360 controller on PC.

So they DO include a control option that would allow some people to dominate others who don't use it. Just not on consoles for some reason. Perhaps there's another reason?

I think FPS developers are fine with people going out of their way to gimp themselves, but would rather they didn't go out of their way to give themselves a god-like advantage.

 

[GoaThief]

Well, on a PC, they generally expect people to be using... you know PC controls.

PC gamers have always used joysticks and control pads, they are just as much "PC controls" as a mouse and keyboard. Thankfully PC developers are starting to remember this again and allow different input methods. Games I've recently played with a 360 controller;

Tribes: Ascend
Metro 2033
The Walking Dead
Dead Island
Serious Sam HD
Red Faction: Guerilla
Racettear
Rage
Deux Ex: Human Revolution

All offer native support too. Sure, I'm not going to use one in Quake Live or Nexuiz unless I want a pasting but this stupid PC snobbishness that's risen to the fore in recent years needs to end.

PC is different to consoles because no one goes into PC gaming with the mindset that he gets a closed platform where he never has to buy additional stuff.

I agree with the sentiment but listening to a lot of PC gamers you'd think that a mouse and keyboard is the best and only solution for everything.

On consoles there is the opposite: A lot of people don't have the mindset that they might have to buy other control devices. And this is the crowd that developers don't want to alienate.

Very much this. Although this could be remedied somewhat by official "console" mouse and keyboard products and promotion pushes.

 

[Woodsey]

Because the people on pads would be slaughtered, like little piglets in the face of a nuclear bomb. Or something.

 

[paislyabmj]

The mouse and keyboard guys would have a MASSIVE advantage over the console guys.

 

[HavoK 09]

unreal tournament had mouse+kb support and so will CSGO. Many devs avoid it because the controller players would be outmached very easly

What was that one multiplayer game again, the FPS that ran cross platform?

Can't remember, point is: actual pros (and by that I mean people who play Halo and such for a living, not xXSolidSnakeSnipezzzXxMLGPRO420XXX) got destroyed by casual PC gamers. Mouse and keyboard is very accurate.

wasnt it shadowrun?

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

Even tho you can connect a mouse and keyboard to the PS360 they won't really let you. Its not supported enough and they worry about skill gaps between M/KB and game pad...and they want people to buy more game pads.

 

[Iron Criterion]

Well, because in most cases they don't want to include a control option that would allow some people to dominate others who don't use it.

Thank you kind sir. This is also the reason the complaint that " I like a controller compared to a mouse and keyboard" holds water despite you being able to hook one up. If you do use one you will lose 90% of the time when playing against mouse and keyboard players. So a mouse and keyboard becomes necessary regardless.

Yawn.

And there was me thinking skill actually mattered. But thank you for confirming that it's actually the equipment that determines whether you'll win or not. It's not like some people are better at using a controller.

 

[Aprilgold]

Because they would get pub-stomped, similair to if you had PC Starcraft 2 vs Starcraft 2 on Consoles the console guys would lose.

Well, on a PC, they generally expect people to be using... you know PC controls.

PC gamers have always used joysticks and control pads, they are just as much "PC controls" as a mouse and keyboard. Thankfully PC developers are starting to remember this again and allow different input methods. Games I've recently played with a 360 controller;

Tribes: Ascend
Metro 2033
The Walking Dead
Dead Island
Serious Sam HD
Red Faction: Guerilla
Racettear
Rage
Deux Ex: Human Revolution

All offer native support too. Sure, I'm not going to use one in Quake Live or Nexuiz unless I want a pasting but this stupid PC snobbishness that's risen to the fore in recent years needs to end.

On the subject that there exist no-such-thing there is a reason why extra-things for consoles such as different controllers such as joysticks died off because they became to niche, similar for PC's.

To put it bluntly, you want to always sell your game to someone who owns the machine and the things that come with it. In a PC's case its a keyboard and mouse, I doubt that someone who just bought their first PC would buy a joystick and USB controller.

Theres a reason why theres been a drought and thats because of how big gaming is now compared to how it was back then. Now you want to cover at least the most basic things the person could have and not everything they might have.

Well, because in most cases they don't want to include a control option that would allow some people to dominate others who don't use it.

Thank you kind sir. This is also the reason the complaint that " I like a controller compared to a mouse and keyboard" holds water despite you being able to hook one up. If you do use one you will lose 90% of the time when playing against mouse and keyboard players. So a mouse and keyboard becomes necessary regardless.

Yawn.

And there was me thinking skill actually mattered. But thank you for confirming that it's actually the equipment that determines whether you'll win or not. It's not like some people are better at using a controller.

Go play a FPS on the PC then on the Console, the first difference is turning speed, next would be stopping time. You'll be less likely to precisely hit a spot on console because of the stick having to recenter after being pushed in a direction, while on PC you'll be more precise because of how quick the mouse is to stop.

If you want to argue that controllers are better for FPS then your wrong, just outright. If you want to argue controller preference then thats your preference, but that doesn't automatically make it instantly better.

 

[Bad Jim]

listening to a lot of PC gamers you'd think that a mouse and keyboard is the best and only solution for everything.

Since the major publishers decided that every single frikkin game from now on would be an FPS, I'd say that was kind of accurate.

Being serious, controllers are good for driving games, fighting games and maybe flight sims. But they also suck for strategy games, typing, inventory management, and the limited number of buttons means that games like RPGs, space sims, military sims etc have to be dumbed down to work with the controller.

I do have some hope for the Wii-U though. I think a standard controller with touchscreen and motion controls added will be a big leap forward. The touchscreen should compensate for the lack of buttons while the motion controls allow for precise aiming.

 

[Lilani]

Ever since reading up on the fact that the upcoming CCP shooter Dust 514 (Which, I might add, is PS3 exclusive) will include full support for Mouse and Keyboard controls, it really begs the question: Why not offer a mouse and keyboard control scheme for console shooters?

Are we really going to dismiss preferences? Almost everyone I know has a mouse and keyboard. No reason not to offer one really.

Eh, it's extra work, and extra work means extra development time and extra cost. Not only in getting the codes in to make the support work, but also in the game programming itself. See, the reason console FPS's have auto-aim and aim assist functions and PC games don't is because it's much easier to get precise aim with a keyboard and mouse than with a controller. So they also have to factor in balance--adjusting the keyboard/mouse gameplay to have fewer handicaps so they don't have they superior aiming system AND aim assist.

 

[MortifiedPenguin]

I have to agree that it would be unfair to implement this in most FPS titles on consoles since most players would be using a pad anyway and it would give people using a keyboard and mouse an unfair advantage. Maybe if there was some way to detact who's playing with what and slpit up the servers that way, but that would proabaly need a bit of honesty from the player about what input devices they're using. However to a lot of people honesty doesn't seem matter as long as they can get a high K/D ration, albeit unfairly.

Even tho you can connect a mouse and keyboard to the PS360 they won't really let you. Its not supported enough and they worry about skill gaps between M/KB and game pad...and they want people to buy more game pads.

Actually the PS3 has native support for mouse and keybaord as it's not as closed down as the 360, there are a few games on the system that do let you use it, but I think it's mostly for easier navigation of the browser.

 

[baconmaster]

oh god. I have NO IDEA. If they're worried about balancing MP, why don't they just include the option to make controller-only and keyboard-only games? UT3 did this. Counter-Strike will probably do this when it's released. The lack of keyboard/mouse support on consoles is so stupid it hurts me.

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

Well, because in most cases they don't want to include a control option that would allow some people to dominate others who don't use it.

You might be right about "dominating with mouse and keyboard", I personally would never use a controller when playing FPS.

However, your argument itself does not hold as most developers which release multiplatform games on PC (obviously) include mouse and keyboard support but ALSO support a controller. I know a lot of people that use an Xbox 360 controller on PC.

So they DO include a control option that would allow some people to dominate others who don't use it. Just not on consoles for some reason. Perhaps there's another reason?

PC gamers like options console gamers like stuff to work as is.

OT: Some console gamers don't have the set up required to use keyboard and mouse and people are generally all expected to use the same stuff. Also it would require the complete removeall of auto aim like they did on the PC years ago.