Nov 22, 2024 | Updated: 11:35 AM EDT
May 13, 2017 06:55 AM EDT
During Game Developers Congress 2017, Microsoft revealed the Xbox Live Creators Program which is an initiative designed to make to easier for developers to release games with Xbox Live functionality across Windows 10 and the Xbox One. At the conference, the company featured more details regarding what kind of Windows capabilities can be enabled on the Xbox One as a result of the program.
According to VG247, Microsoft's Senior Program Manager for game developers, Andrew Parsons took the stage on day one of the conferences bringing a session titled State of Play: Modern Game Development. Andrew Parsons stated that the Xbox Live Creators Program will give developers the ability to enable all Windows features on the Xbox One which includes full keyboard support.
Microsoft's Senior Program Manager claimed that at least two developers had asked him about the possibility of implementing keyboard support via the program in the past week, which is why he made sure to include this information in his presentation. These capabilities can offer big benefits to certain sectors of the development community, where studios that specialize in genres that tend to rely on keyboard control schemes like real strategy games.
As reports gathered from the GDC 2017, the debate as to whether keyboard and mouse or a dedicated controller provide a better gaming experience has ranged among players for decades. Traditionally, it hasn't been easy to give console gamers a method of opting for keyboard and mouse control schemes, the Xbox Live Creators Program can prove to be an effective and efficient method of giving gamers and developers alike the best of both worlds.
According to Ars Technica, there is one major obstacle that could complicate the process of offering keyboard and mouse support on the Xbox One. Microsoft engineer James Yarrow, who also took part during GDC 2017 noted that support for mice probably won't work.
Reporters and media clarified the statements of Andrew Parsons after his presentation where he stated that initially, most models of mice won't be compatible. Meanwhile, Microsoft hopes to add support for all mice over time.
