New Overwatch 2 Initiative is Great News for Console Players

Overwatch 2 developer/publisher Blizzard Entertainment is cracking down on console players who are using a keyboard and mouse in an attempt to make the game more fair for all players. While Overwatch 2 can be played on multiple platforms, including PC, the console versions already include a particular boost to players’ skills put in to make up for the precision lost by playing with a controller.

The reason for the developers’ action is that console versions of Overwatch 2 have already been adjusted to provide aim assist and some other benefits that players would lose by playing with a controller. While some peripherals can improve the game’s accessibility, and the developers will be making special concessions for players who require them, the players who are exploiting the aim assist provided to console users in addition to the precision that a mouse provides is prompting Blizzard’s actions.

Standing in for game director Aaron Keller, senior game producer Adam Massey and lead gameplay engineer Daniel Razza unveiled in a Director’s Take that the development team would be taking action against console players who utilize “unapproved peripherals” — specifically pointing out a mouse and keyboard as the main devices they’re taking aim against. Starting with Season 11 (Overwatch 2 is currently in Season 10, and Season 11 is currently scheduled to begin on June 20), those caught breaking the rules against unapproved peripherals will receive a one-week restriction from Competitive play for their first offense, although they will still be able to access Quick Play. Continued offenses will cause a player to not only lose the benefit of Overwatch 2‘s aim assist function, but they will only be allowed to play with other players who are using mouse and keyboard controls for the duration of that season, eliminating any unfair advantages that the exploit may have caused.

Possible Mouse and Keyboard Playstyle Allowed in the Future

As of now, the game separates its players into two different pools: one pool for Overwatch 2 console players, and the other for those on PC. Massey and Razza made note that some players on console who have been using a mouse and keyboard may not have been doing so with malicious intent, and that it may simply be their preferred control scheme when playing the game. For this reason, Blizzard is considering whether it will allow console players to utilize these peripherals on console in the future, although if that is the direction the game is headed, all players using a mouse and keyboard would be playing against each other, regardless of whether they’re on console or PC.

Blizzard is not disclosing how it is detecting mouses and keyboards that have been hooked up to consoles, though the Director’s Take makes it clear that the company has been monitoring this practice for several seasons and has had to find ways around anti-detection methods that mask the devices’ true identities. With this experience in hand, Massey and Razza showed confidence that they can detect unapproved peripherals in use on consoles in the name of fair play, similar to the leaving punishments the developers implemented announced earlier this month against players who duck out of a match early. “We are committed to making Overwatch 2 a fair game for everyone, regardless of what platform you play on or the input device you choose to use,” the Director’s Take states. “These changes are a step in the direction of leveling the playing field for all players.”

Overwatch 2

Overwatch 2 is Blizzard’s free-to-play team-based first-person shooter. The title features some new heroes like Junker Queen and Sojourn, as well as returning favorites.

Released

October 4, 2022

Platforms That Support Crossplay

PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S