Microsoft says it's up to developers to decide whether mouse and keyboard adapters can be used on Xbox games

With the increasing popularity of competitive multiplayer shooters on Xbox One, especially with the recent release of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, some players were concerned about the advantages others could gain by using keyboard and mouse adapters to play games like these. When asked on Twitter regarding this, Xbox’s Mike Ybarra said that it’s up to developers to determine whether or not to allow this, Microsoft won’t block it.

Developers have the choice to use APIs that detect and not allow these. It’s up to them, but the capability is there. https://t.co/jE97R6oj0c

— Mike Ybarra (@Qwik) February 18, 2018

In a follow-up, Ybarra noted that Microsoft does not enforce a strict ban on these because the devices are helpful in various scenarios, specifically for the accessibility of people who would otherwise be unable to play. In addition, Microsoft wants to empower developers to handle their games as they see fit.

https://twitter.com/XboxQwik/status/965336663718178816

Games that have allowed cross-platform play between Xbox One and Windows 10 like Gears of War 4 have allowed console players the option of matchmaking with those using keyboard and mouse. If you felt that it was unfair, you could simply choose to not play against anyone on a computer.

Official keyboard and mouse support hasn’t been implemented on Xbox One yet, but it is a feature that Microsoft is working on. Choosing to block adapters would seem a little odd at this point.

In other news of “questions that need repeating,” no, Microsoft does not require parity between Xbox One S and Xbox One X. That is another decision left up to developers.

I’m not sure what you are saying. But we do not require any “parity” in terms of an S or X version of any developers games that I’m aware of. It’s developer choice what to do with graphics, etc. https://t.co/gB6jsF5lzm

— Mike Ybarra (@Qwik) February 19, 2018