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Xbox One may include support for mouse and keyboard in the future, Microsoft has revealed, saying that if it’s something developers are interested in using, “we’ll certainly help them do that”.
Talking to Newegg TV about the possibility of including mouse and keyboard support in the upcoming console, Microsoft’s director of programming for Xbox Live Larry Hryb said:
“We’ll certainly have this great SDK for developers to do what they like. If that’s something they’re interested in doing, we’ll certainly help them do that. You pointed out, as a lot of people forget, designing for a 2-foot gaming experience versus perhaps a nine or ten-foot experience is a little bit different. So they have to be really focused on what is that like and they’re maximising for the largest possible audience.
“Certainly it’s possible, but we don’t have anything to announce at this time.”
The Xbox 360 currently lets players input text via a keyboard, but does not include support for mice. And though it may be possible on Xbox One, Hryb appears reserved about whether using a mouse and keyboard would be ideal on a console.
“We kind of have this concept of when you’re playing a PC game you’re leaning forward,” continued Hryb. “With an Xbox [controller], sometimes you lean back. You’re just kinda having fun.
“And I don’t want to incite the religious debate that will ensue, [but] we want to provide a gaming experience that people enjoy, certainly with Windows – that’s our other large gaming platform at Microsoft. So there’s something there, but right now we’re really focussed on the console space.”
Xbox One launches in the UK on November 22.
Source: YouTube, Newegg Arcade
