Xbox One May Be Getting Mouse Support

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Phil Spencer, current head of Microsoft's Xbox division, responded to a question on Twitter regarding the possibility of streaming your PC to the Xbox One console, and in doing so may have revealed a feature that is coming soon to Xbox One.

We've already known for some time that Xbox one is going to receive an OS update to bring the console into the Windows 10 ecosystem. At E3 in June, Microsoft announced that after Windows 10 launches, you'll be able to stream your Xbox One games to any Win10 PC or tablet that is on the same network via Game Streaming.

Because the Xbox itself will also be updated to Windows 10 later this year, it stands to reason that streaming your PC desktop to an Xbox One could be possible. A curious fan asked Phil Spencer about this possibility,

Phil replied, "Still Finishing Xbox to Win10 streaming right now. I like the idea of Win10->Xbox One streaming but don't have a plan yet," and another user quickly pointed out that mouse support would be required for this to happen. The reply to this comment is when Spencer let the detail slip.

Now, if you do a little bit of reading between the lines here, this becomes quite revealing. For one thing, keyboard support already exists on Xbox One. You can plug in a USB keyboard, and it will work in the browser. It is not, however, currently supported by any games. Secondly, Phil Spencer made it clear that the idea of streaming your PC to an Xbox One is not in the works, and therefore not the reason for supporting these input devices.

It's hard to imagine what use a mouse would have on a console -- unless it means that future games on Xbox One could be played with a keyboard and mouse. I guess we'll have to wait and see. 

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Kevin Carbotte

 Kevin Carbotte is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware who primarily covers VR and AR hardware. He has been writing for us for more than four years. 

27 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Kridian
    I always had the mindset that if they added keyboard & mouse to the console then it basically becomes a computer. Albeit, a closed shitty one. Just buy/build a real one ffs.
    Reply
  • gggplaya
    mouse users gonna dominate FPS games. But really, they needed mouse support to gain market share in MMOPRGS.
    Reply
  • kawininjazx
    I always had the mindset that if they added keyboard & mouse to the console then it basically becomes a computer. Albeit, a closed shitty one. Just buy/build a real one ffs.

    PCs don't have the first party games that the consoles get, that's why I like consoles.
    Reply
  • dstarr3
    I always had the mindset that if they added keyboard & mouse to the console then it basically becomes a computer. Albeit, a closed shitty one. Just buy/build a real one ffs.

    PCs don't have the first party games that the consoles get, that's why I like consoles.

    So you get Bloodborne and then two dozen really shitty, broken, or underwhelming games. Totally worth it.
    Reply
  • Larry Litmanen
    Adding a Keyboard and Mouse not only will make shooters better but more importantly it will allow XBOX players to play strategy games that are PC exclusives now, Age of Wonders, Pillars and such. These are not very demanding games to begin with.

    This is great, MS is really doing a good job.
    Reply
  • Dyseman
    Macro-bots will dominate all games now. Sad
    Reply
  • alidan
    I always had the mindset that if they added keyboard & mouse to the console then it basically becomes a computer. Albeit, a closed shitty one. Just buy/build a real one ffs.

    PCs don't have the first party games that the consoles get, that's why I like consoles.

    So you get Bloodborne and then two dozen really shitty, broken, or underwhelming games. Totally worth it.

    lets see here...

    uncharted
    uncharted 2
    uncharted 3
    little big planet
    disgaea 3
    disgaea 4
    till recently valkyria chronicles
    bayonetta
    demon souls
    dark souls till recently too
    mgs 4
    enslaved for a while too
    gran trismo

    now i want to go over to the 360,

    forza 4
    lost odyssey
    saints row
    red dead redemption

    and those are just the ones i have in my room for me to see, there are a ton more that are fantastic games that will never make their way to the pc.

    you want to go with the wiiu ps4 and xbone... right now only the wiiu is worth it due to its exclusives, the bone and ps4 still have some catch up work to do.
    Reply
  • oOSlushyOo
    mouse users gonna dominate FPS games. But really, they needed mouse support to gain market share in MMOPRGS.
    They already do via the use of products like the Ximm. It's patently obvious how advantageous it is to use a mouse in these sorts of games. First thing that comes to mind is Destiny's Trials of Osiris, a new competitive PvP mode that rewards players for wining 9 straight wins. Went up against a team using Ximms and mice...quite painful.
    Reply
  • Vlad Rose
    Saints Row series is on PC.

    Outside that, all systems (PC,PS,XB) have their strong and weak titles. Most titles end up released on all platforms; outside Nintendo's franchises (which may change someday).
    Reply
  • 10tacle
    I've been using a keyboard with my PS3 for years (albeit only for typing/texting), and use one for my PS4 to extend mapped buttons for Project Cars as my wheel doesn't have enough buttons. It's up to both the game developers and the console makers as to how much peripheral support they get.

    Nevertheless, representatives from both MS and Sony have stated that they have no intention of fully supporting the mouse and keyboard for gaming. They won't admit as to why, but it's common knowledge that using a mouse and keyboard is an advantage over a controller in shooters and RPGs in the PC gaming world.
    Reply