If you wish you could use a mouse and keyboard on your favorite console, give the GameSir VX AimSwitch a closer look. Your experience will differ based on the type of game you’re playing, but it certainly makes for a better experience in first-person shooters, especially if you’re a natural PC gamer.
For the longest time, consoles have been limited, for better or worse, to the use of officially branded game controllers. Sure, Microsoft has created its own line of Elite peripherals, and third-party manufacturers like Razer have created controllers compatible with the PlayStation 4.
For those of us that are PC gamers at heart, yours truly included, the lack of mouse and keyboard support has always been an issue. Xbox One now officially supports USB mice and keyboards, and I’ve even experimented with devices such as the Xim, which allows connecting of regular mice and keyboards to a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One.
GameSir, a peripheral maker based out of Hong Kong and China, has been a leader in the third-party accessories space with a focus on consoles since 2010. I’ve recently had the pleasure of playing around with their new GameSir VX AimSwitch, which is a complete package of a mini-keyboard, mouse, and wireless adapters compatible with the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and even the Nintendo Switch. You could actually use this on a PC as well if you should choose to.
Let’s talk about the mouse and keyboard first. The mouse is a fairly standard mouse with two thumb buttons which can be programmed via the mobile app from GameSir. It has an on-the-fly DPI sensitivity button and RGB lighting. In short, it’s a very serviceable mouse that won’t make you replace your main PC gaming mouse, but it will absolutely do the job on a console or in a travel kit. The mouse it connected via wire to the keyboard, so you won’t experience any latency from a wireless connection. Well, except for the fact that the keyboard connects wirelessly to the console, of course. More on that later. Point is, the mouse, at the very least, won’t require you to carry extra batteries or be weighed down by them.
The keyboard that’s included with the GameSir VX AimSwitch is a pretty unique item. It’s a shortened keyboard that contains roughly the left third of a typical keyboard. This gives gamers access to the standard WASD keys and surrounding buttons. The idea behind this design is that the keyboard can easily rest on your left leg or left half of your lap and leaves room for the mouse on the right side. A sliding wristpad allows you to get comfortable just the way you prefer.
The keyboard itself connects wirelessly to the adapter that will be connected to the console. Depending on the console, this connection differs slightly but the gist of it is that the adapter is connected via USB and then the regular console controller is plugged into the wireless adapter. This essentially allows the GameSir VX AimSwitch to intercept the signals that go to the controller, thus letting the mouse and keyboard be in control.
I used the GameSir VX AimSwitch to play Red Dead Redemption 2 and Spider-Man for several weeks and while I still struggle with how to best use a mouse and keyboard from the comfort of my couch, this isn’t really GameSir’s fault. The wireless connection held up fine and I had no issues using all the device’s features during my testing period. I did have to resort to using a stiff mousepad to support the mouse on, simply because I was sitting on a couch. If you have your console set up at a desk, you won’t have this issue.
The GameSir software is functional though a little bit difficult to use. It’s clearly an adaptation of software that was originally designed in China, but I generally don’t harp too much on software issues because those can be updated at any time.
In summary, if you wish you could use a mouse and keyboard on your favorite console, give the GameSir VX AimSwitch a closer look. Your experience will differ based on the type of game you’re playing, but it certainly makes for a better experience in first-person shooters, especially if you’re a natural PC gamer.
