In the never-ending console wars there’s one advantage PC players have over Xbox and PlayStation 4 players: a mouse and keyboard. A controller has its place in Dark Souls-like games, but in FPS games, nothing beats the aiming precision of a mouse and keyboard. With crossplay between the platforms, console players will run into PC players. Using a mouse and keyboard on a console platform may help level the playing field for gamers that feel PC players have too much of an advantage.
The process for the consoles is roughly the same. Some games will not register a mouse and keyboard on a console platform, but many others will.
Xbox One
To play with a mouse and keyboard, plug the devices into the USB ports and the system will recognize the new controlling devices automatically.
There’s some debate about wireless devices. Some tech websites state that wireless devices are not supported, while anecdotal evidence from Reddit suggests otherwise. It is potentially possible to get them to work by plugging in the wireless dongle.
PlayStation 4
Sony has an official support page for setting up both wired and bluetooth devices. For wired devices, plug the mouse and keyboard into the USB ports on the console. Select the user and you can navigate the menu with the keyboard and mouse. You can modify the mouse and keyboard settings in the Devices tab in the Settings menu.
Setting up a bluetooth device is a bit more complex:
- From the dynamic menu home screen press up on the D-pad.
- Under Settings, go to Devices and then to Bluetooth Devices. The console will begin searching for Bluetooth Devices to pair.
- Pair the device using the set up and enter any required passcodes.
- Select the profile
After selecting the profile, players should be able to control the PS4 and navigate menus with the wireless devices.
The choice for wireless or wired depends on preference. Consoles have limited USB ports and, especially in the case of the PS4, plugging in both a mouse and keyboard may take all available USB ports. If players need the USB ports for other devices, wireless may offer an advantage.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare does offer mouse and keyboard support and shouldn’t require additional set up when entering the game. Other games do not work with anything other than a controller. Other games that may recognize a mouse and keyboard may still ban players using them on console as developers may consider it cheating, so use with caution.
