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Forums - Gaming - Why Won't Console Manufacturers Support KB/Mouse?

I think traditionally the reason why Nintendo and Microsoft have not used mice and keyboards on their consoles for gaming is because it would then become a computer. Nintendo and Microsoft have both said their consoles are video game units, sure Microsoft has gone further to calling the 360 an home entertainment unit but both want to distinguish their consoles from PC's.

Reason Sony has Keyboard Mouse support is simple. Sony marketed the PS3 as a PC to begin with. I remember Ken Kuteragi saying that the PS3 was the next generation in PC gaming and that for the first time in Sony's history they were releasing a competitor to the PC. So if the PS3 is marketed as a high powered PC it seems obvious that key board and mouse would be used.

However as I said Nintendo for example has gone great lengths to ensure gamers that the Wii is not a PC. Iwata and Miyamoto both talked at length that the Wii was supposed to be something revolutionary and not your standard control schimatic's. Iwata and Miyamoto even went as far as saying the Wii is not a home entertainment unit its a games console.

So their you have it, Microsoft already makes PC's so why make the X-Box into another PC? Nintendo doesn't want to make a home entertainment platform they want a games console.

Aren't they right ? If you wanted a PC you should buy a PC if you want a games dedicated system you should buy a console!

Plain and simple if you want a keyboard and mouse go play on your PC.



-JC7

"In God We Trust - In Games We Play " - Joel Reimer

 

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Garnett said:

Controllers are best for fast FPS such as CoD and Halo.


You have it backwards. Call of Duty and Halo do work pretty well with a controller, but they're almost sluggish as FPSs go. Fast-paced FPSs like Quake and Unreal Tournament require a mouse to play properly. Honestly though, the market for such FPSs has largely died out.

As for the original post, there just isn't much of a market for keyboard/mouse support on consoles. If there was, developers would make the effort to support them. Personally, I have no interest in using mice for my consoles; they're just not comfortable to use from a couch. I use my desktop PC for that.



I don't like that console shooters have aimbots to make up for the clunky controls. I only want the best of both worlds, a nearly cheater free online and the best control method there is.



some games on ps3 support mouse and keyboard soo dno watcha saying lol (games like CoD and unreal tourney and many others)



Sony wand can easily be a good mouse substitute so maybe we'll see more key/wand support since it could increase wand sales.



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@ Smidlee )

you can't use it in a fps like you would use a mouse ..

in a PC fps you control the screen with your mouse (the reticle is fixed in the center of the screen)

but in wand games this won't be possible because after a fraction of a turn you will point outside your TV with the wand and shoot .. that's not intuitive

with the wand you want to point at what you are shooting, so you have to control the reticle, but now how do you control where you look? 

In Wii fps games afaik you control your view by moving your reticle to the sides and then the screen begins moving, which in my opinion doesn't feel that good ...



Before TrackIR head tracking was use as a mouse substitute for the handicap. Later they realize this could be uses in games like flight sims as a second mouse. The Wand could as easily be used as a mouse sub just like TrackIR and maybe even better. They could even program a button on the Wand to simulate "picking up the mouse off the pad".  The thing with the wii mote is the camera is in the controller so you have to aim at the IR light Bar where with the wand you only have to face toward a stationary camera like TrackIR.