MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Keyboard and mouse support is coming to Xbox One on November 14th, 2018.
Announcing the long-awaited feature at the X018 Xbox fan event in Mexico over the weekend, Microsoft confirmed "select titles" will be enabled at launch "for Insiders", starting with Warframe and Epic Games’ fan-favourite battle royale, Fortnite.
Bomber Crew, Deep Rock Galactic, Strange Brigade, Vermintide 2, War Thunder and X-Morph Defense will also have support by the end of this month, with Children of Morta, DayZ, Minion Master, Moonlighter, Vigor, Warface, and Wargroove confirmed to be getting "support in the future", although the exact dates have not yet been detailed.
"When the update launches next week, all developers will have the tools they need to create tailored mouse and keyboard experiences for their games as they see fit to ensure a fair and fun experience for fans," Microsoft said.
"The best mouse and keyboard experience on Xbox One will be available through Designed for Xbox mice and keyboards," the company added via an official statement. "These are created for living room or desktop scenarios, come equipped with a dedicated Xbox key, and support the new Xbox Dynamic Lighting feature – enabling immersive in-game lighting effects. Razer will be the exclusive partner to ship a Designed for Xbox mouse and keyboard and will formally introduce the product at CES in January."
Microsoft also announced it has added Obsidian Entertainment and inXile to its portfolio of development studios. Of course, this comes on the back of other acquisitions Microsoft publicised at E3 this year when it added five new studios – Playground Games, Ninja Theory, Undead Labs, and Compulsion Games – to its first-party lineup, as well as establishing new studio, The Initiative.
Microsoft also launched a new holiday charity campaign, #GivewithXbox. For every photographic composition fans post on social media detailing what "gaming together" means to them, Microsoft will donate $5 – up to $1 million – worth of Xbox products to a selection of gaming-centric charities "who help bring gaming to everyone"; Child’s Play, Gamers Outreach, Special Effect, and Operation Supply Drop (OSD).
