Using a mouse and keyboard on consoles is cheating?

Many players believe that XIM Apex is an undetectable cheat device that corrupts video games. But for people with impaired motility, this is the only way to play.

Multiplayer game Call of Duty gained a reputation as a "meat grinder." The player spawn, does one or two kills, if he is good enough, then dies, respawn, and everything repeats. I have not played Call of Duty on consoles for a long time, so I had to become an easy target, but in fact I’m dragging .

I play the Call of Duty: WWII on Xbox One, and my kill / death ratio (ratio of killings to death) is above average. In Team Deathmatch and Kill Confirmed modes, I rank second with K / D ratio 21/14 , first place with 18/15 and fifth place with 14/11 . I play multiplayer for the first time Call of Duty: WWII , that is, I don’t know the map, I don’t have the muscular memory of the weapon, its rate of fire and recoil. But I easily manage to keep the goals running to the shelters. When the enemy approaches me, I can easily aim at him and kill him first.
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I would love to say that this is just my skill, but the truth is that I use a device that allows me to play instead of a standard controller with a mouse and keyboard (and other input devices that are not officially supported). Usually this is not possible on consoles. The device, called XIM Apex, costs $ 100 and looks like a USB stick and hub, allowing you to connect my mouse and keyboard from the PC to the Xbox One (or PlayStation 4), while my opponents and partners are likely to play with regular Xbox One controllers.

Many players can say that this is cheating, because the mouse allows me to aim faster and more accurately than the analog sticks of standard controllers.

It is generally recognized that players with a mouse and keyboard will always have an advantage over players with a controller, but game developers and console manufacturers do not have either the desire or the ability to block devices like the XIM.


Thanks to XIM, I, as a child, played Call of Duty on a PC with a keyboard and mouse, I start playing better. But at the same time, it makes me wonder: is the opinion about the alleged benefits of the mouse fair, or is it just another form of discrimination that the video game community knows. But more importantly, after talking with the creator of XIM and the users of the device, I realized: even if it is cheating, its ban will be a disaster for the biggest fans of XIM: people with motor disorders.

“I want to thank this company and the community for the fact that thanks to them I can play,” a user of Kollietheclaw wrote in 2018 on the official XIM forum .

Kollietheclaw explained that he has a rare congenital pathology called "simbrahidaktiliya." This means that some of his fingers are missing or shortened. “Because of this pathology, I couldn’t play console games with friends, and I couldn’t get a good PC ... my left hand is deformed ... I can use analog controls, but all buttons on the left side are inaccessible to me, because I have only the thumb and half of the little finger.

Kollietheclaw said that he can play console games with XIM, Logitech G13 (a small, programmable keyboard with a stick) and a mouse.

Unauthorized equipment

Comparing the post Kollietheclaw with the opinion of many gamers about the use of XIM Apex, you can understand what controversy this device causes in video game fan communities.

“I don't care how sensitive you are. Analog movement cannot be compared with mouse movement. Compare the movement of the whole hand and analog stick. The mouse can perform fast and incredibly accurate movements that are simply impossible to simulate by analog control, ” wrote one player in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds in a post titled“ I repeat for the millionth time: yes, the mouse and keyboard are Cheaters. ”

“XIM is unauthorized equipment. Therefore, you shamelessly break the rules , which is the DEFINITION of cheating, ” writes another player in the Aredx Legends subredit in a post titled“ Using XIM on the console is indisputably cheating. ” He cites excerpts from the terms of Sony and Microsoft , which prohibit the use of unauthorized software and hardware.

“I think it’s not fair to connect a mouse and keyboard to the Xbox,” wrote John Glenn, who has been participating as a trainer in Halo competitions for the last couple of years; In addition, he runs a Halo - dedicated YouTube channel . “They give a weighty advantage, because opponents do not expect this and may not know how to counteract it. I agree that such behavior should be punished with a temporary ban, and with repeated violations - and permanent. ”

In 2017, the author Kotaku Cecilia D'Anastasio reported disputes around XIM 4 (the previous version of the device) in the popular Blizzard Overwatch shooter. The outrage of console players in Overwatch made Blizzard react.

"The Overwatch development team opposes using the mouse and keyboard in console games," wrote Jeff Kaplan, game director and vice president of Blizzard Entertainment. "We contacted the console manufacturers and expressed our concerns regarding the use of mice, keyboards, and input conversion devices."

Blizzard declined to comment on this story, but in 2018 Kaplan again confirmed the position on this issue .

“At present, we can’t do anything with players who use input conversion devices on the consoles to connect mice and keyboards,” he wrote. “Nevertheless, we are conducting active research to solve this problem and we hope to find a way to counteract such unfair game conditions. This is a priority for us and we try to deal with the problem with the help of technology and rules. ”

Kaplan's statement that Blizzard cannot do anything with keyboards to mice on consoles contradicts the position of Microsoft.

"Microsoft does not recommend the use of unauthorized hardware and software from third-party manufacturers, and cannot guarantee their compatibility with Xbox devices," a Microsoft representative told me in a letter. I asked him if Microsoft gives developers the ability to block devices like XIM. “Xbox provides developers with an API that recognizes the use of unauthorized devices, and developers themselves must decide how to use it in their games to ensure fair and balanced gaming. We can provide support, but the developers themselves decide what is best for their games. We cannot say anything more on this topic. ”

Sony did not respond to our requests for comment, but the company advertises the TAC PRO M2 - similar to XIM and the officially licensed mouse and keyboard duet for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 consoles. TAC PRO M2, like XIM, works with all games, but received mixed reviews. I tested the TAC PRO M2 on the PlayStation 4, playing Apex Legends . I can say that at least its configuration is much easier - just connect the device to the console - it doesn’t work as well as XIM Apex.

Despite being widely known and disliked by the device, game developers and console manufacturers could not counteract XIM Apex as successfully as other types of cheating .

Microsoft did not explain how its API works, but Steve Spon, executive director of the non-profit organization AbleGamers, which deals with support for gamers with limited capabilities, told me in a telephone interview that game developers could block certain devices. USB devices have unique IDs. For example, my Logitech G502 mouse has a UD ID : 046d: c07d . The Xbox API presumably gives developers the ability to block my mouse or any other ID that is not on the whitelist.

However, Mark, the creator of XIM Apex, informed me that this method could not detect his device, which connects the mouse and keyboard to the console through the official authorized controller. Mark does not want to disclose his full name, because he fears persecution of players who consider XIM Apex a form of cheating.

“The console communicates directly with the controller — there is no USB ID (for example, VID or PID) that can be used to detect the device,” Mark told me. “XIM transmits through the controller all USB data not related to input (including audio, security information, etc.). But when the console requests input, the XIM begins to respond on behalf of the controller. XIM queries the mouse, keyboard, and controller for input, and then converts it to the controller state and sends it to the console when prompted. ”

XIM's rival CronusMAX on its official website with similar explanations reassures potential buyers who fear a ban on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network.

“CronusMAX uses stealth technology and it is completely impossible to detect it online, because it uses the controller ID,” says CronusMAX website. "Unlike some other adapters, in our case, the console believes that the player uses its own controller, and all scripts or mods just automatically imitate pressing buttons, sticks and triggers ... However, we do not recommend too much to get involved, because the opponents will yelling at you angry with your easy victories. ”

Mark thinks that console makers and game developers could recognize players using XIM Apex by examining their input data, indicating that they use the keyboard. Players using the WASD keys on the keyboard can only move in eight directions (forward, backward, left, right, and four diagonals), and a player with a standard controller and stick has 360 degrees of freedom of movement. However, Mark says that this method can lead to accidental blocking of not only XIM Apex, but also authorized devices for people with disabilities.

The most difficult decision

Be that as it may, Mark does not agree that the use of his device can be considered cheating.

"On forums like games like PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds or Fortnite , and now Apex Legends, there are many people complaining that if they die quickly, their opponent does the impossible and therefore uses XIM," he told me by Skype.

Mark says that such comments are left by people who have never used XIM. If they used the device, they would understand its limitations. Most importantly, according to Mark, the fact that XIM does not allow the player to exceed the maximum rotational speed specified by the developer in the console version of the game. For example, in the PC versions of the Call of Duty series, players can perform flick shots. Increasing the sensitivity of the mouse, they can sharply move it for quick aiming and destruction of the target (in the same way, the PC performs a stunning trick " 360 no scope headshot "). But on consoles, even when XIM is connected, there is a maximum turning speed, so a player with XIM and a mouse cannot turn and aim at the enemy behind his back faster than a player with a regular controller.

“Therefore, I never advertise XIM as a PC-level management device,” says Mark. “It would not be true. It simply allows you to use your favorite input devices. XIM does not turn you into a super pro. "

Other manufacturers of alternative input devices advertise their equipment as giving players an advantage.

One of XIM Apex's competitors, KeyMander, promises players that they "will gain the speed and accuracy of the keyboard and mouse to destroy opponents" and "dominate such favorite games as Call of Duty , Battlefield and Halo , leaving players with controllers in bottom of the leaderboard. " Manufacturer CronusMAX says that it provides players with an "advantage" and "special scripts that allow them to roast enemies."

Mark says he doesn't even consider adapters such as CronusMAX and Titan as competitors, because they advertise and use macros and scripts — software that allows players to perform several actions or actions that are physically impossible for a person by pressing one button. Mark considers macros to be cheating and, on principle, refuses to add their support to XIM.


With the exception of turning speed limit, which I noticed when I found out about him, the movement in Call of Duty: WWII with a mouse and XIM felt like control on a PC. I had to drag the Xbox One to the computer desk, create chaos from the wires and spend a couple of minutes setting up a cheap-looking XIM Apex application. But after completing the setup and launching the game, I sometimes forgot. I play on the Xbox One, not on the PC.

Mark says his device is better than its competitors thanks to the basic XIM software, which he calls “smart translators”.

From the point of view of the player, it may seem that the game of Call of Duty on the console does not present any difficulties. But inside the game is a complex array of software-driven solutions that simplify the game on the controller instead of the mouse and keyboard.

For example, there are “dead zones” - small areas around the center of the stick that do not react to movement in order to avoid fluctuations when the player slightly touches the stick. In addition, each game has carefully chosen “acceleration speeds”: the player’s sight moves faster when the stick is closer to the edge. These and other non-linear behaviors allow you to conveniently control games like Halo from the controller. When you play the console in a new first-person shooter and you do not like management. this is probably due to the fact that you are not used to it, or you don’t like one of these behaviors.

There are several games for the Xbox One and PlayStation , which were developed for mouse and keyboard, connected to the USB-ports of consoles. In all other games that players want to control the mouse and keyboard, they need to connect an external device like XIM, capable of binding the complex aiming behavior of the console game to the mouse movements.

Mark argues that, unlike competitors, smart translators XIM use machine learning to automatically reverse-engineer such behaviors and create unique targeting behavior parameters for each game. That is why XIM Apex users must select it in the helper application before launching the game.

“XIM uses the offline learning process to understand how the aiming mechanics work in a game,” says Mark. "In fact, the system itself plays the game, learns its behavior and adjusts itself so that any game is played with the mouse normally."

This contrasts with the behavior of devices such as the TAC PRO M2, which theoretically begin to work immediately after connecting, but the aiming is performed worse than with a mouse on a PC, and even from a controller. TAC PRO M2 allowed me to use the helper application to fine tune the dead zones and acceleration speeds, but even after several hours of experiments and studying the configurations of other YouTube players, I didn’t achieve a result that surpasses the normal controller. Other devices, such as KeyMander and CronusMAX, also require manual adjustment of dead zones and acceleration parameters.

“This is the most difficult and advanced solution to the problem,” says Mark about smart translators XIM. "It takes the process offline to make it easier for the user."

Therefore, Mark insists that using XIM is not cheating. The device is not trying to give users the ability to do something impossible on the controllers. It tries to understand how the controller works, and allows players to choose the most appropriate input methods. In other words, XIM Apex works well because it plays by the rules of the game control system, and does not bypass them.

“Ultimately, XIM cannot do anything that a standard controller would not be capable of,” says Mark. "It's just another way to interact with the game."

“I don't care how much it pisses you off.”

The XIM device was originally developed to control console games using input devices not officially supported by the console. In 2006, Mark fell in love with the Wii Remote - a new motion-driven Nintendo Wii controller. Using a complex system consisting of a PC, a controller adapter from the PlayStation 2 to the Xbox 360 and its own firmware, he managed to control the Halo 2 to the Xbox 360 using the Wii Remote. He uploaded a video of this frankenstein system to the Internet, and was told about it by Engadget .


Shortly after publishing the story on Engadget, people started writing to Mark and asked if he could make such a device that allows playing Halo 2 with the mouse. More than ten years later, according to Mark, XIM has evolved into a company of "about five people." He refused to tell how much the company earns, but said that he no longer needed daily work, but he did not quit because he likes colleagues. Mark said that the XIM software is encrypted, the electronic circuitry of the device is obfuscated, and it is assembled in the United States because he does not worry about someone stealing his invention.

“Thefts are a serious problem, especially in the case of such devices,” he says. "People copy the workings of my competitors and just release the same device under a different name, so XIM is reasonably well protected."

Mark admitted that he hates the use of analog sticks, so he understands what consumers want. Some players, who usually launch PC games, are accustomed to playing only with the mouse, but want to join their friends playing consoles. Others want to connect their devices that are not yet supported by consoles, for example, joysticks for fighting games or flight simulators. Another category with the help of XIM connects controllers for people with disabilities to consoles.

“I constantly receive letters from grateful parents,” says Mark. “Especially for them, I made XIM changes, set up hardware compatibility, and it allowed people to use the devices they needed.”

Last year, Microsoft announced the release of the Xbox Adaptive Controller - a flat $ 100 input device for Xbox One with two large buttons on the front end, which also allows you to connect many specialized controllers for people with motility disorders. This controller best of all provides the ability to play to people with disabilities , but even in the Xbox Adaptive Controller there is no mouse support.

“An adaptive controller is a great thing, and I am proud that I participated in this project, but it was created for people with special needs,” Steve Spon, who helped in its development, told us.

Spon uses the TrackIR input device, which tracks the position of the head; instead of pressing the keys on the keyboard, it allows you to simply move your head. In addition, for games on consoles, he uses XIM.

“The controllers don't suit me, like many other gamers,” he says.

Spon objects to Kaplan’s claims regarding XIM.

“Not so long ago, we helped a girl who lost her hands in an accident: she loved to play on the Xbox, and the only opportunity for her was XIM. Everything turned out great, ” wrote from in Twitter in 2017.

“My position has always been this: if you can buy technology that allows people with disabilities to play at a reasonable price, then if someone who does not have such restrictions declares that he also needs this device to play at the same level, then it’s easier for him to buy device than cutting back on users with restrictions, ”says Spon.

He said that for many years AbleGamers have heard stories about how players were banned in games for using software for people with disabilities. For example, players banned by the MMO Jade Dynasty anti-cheat system said they used eye-tracking devices and on-screen keyboards. From recent stories, he recalls players in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds banned for using Dragon NaturallySpeaking voice recognition software.

The publishers Jade Dynasty and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds did not respond to our request for comment.

The idea that a player with a mouse and keyboard will always have an advantage in first-person shooters over a player with a console controller, appeared immediately after the appearance of shooters on consoles. The controversy surrounding the use of the mouse and keyboard on the console is primarily because the genre of first-person shooter was popularized by the PC, and some gamers are disgusted that their favorite games are becoming available to a wider audience.

I have always preferred to play on a PC, and it is much more convenient for me to control the shooters with the mouse and keyboard. But I'm not sure that the mouse and keyboard are superior to the console controller;This maxim was taken without hesitation by users, because it takes the liberty of the superiority of PC players calling themselves " PC Master Race ".

In the process of writing this article, I remembered the release in 2000 of Quake III Arena on the Dreamcast: the game allowed using both the regular Dreamcast controller and the official Dreamcast keyboard mouse. The game review on IGN said that the fight on two different types of input devices was not fair, which was the basis for the controversy that continues to this day.

"The player needsmouse and keyboard ", - stated in the review. “I don’t care how infuriating you are to recognize it and get used to the FPS genre, but if you want to compete in it in Quake III and other similar games, you will have to use this periphery ... It’s much more difficult to aim with the controller, and even on it, do not expect to compete with any player on DC [Dreamcast] playing with the mouse and keyboard. ”

I'm not sure that this idea would have been so common if the story had evolved differently, and the genre of first-person shooters appeared on consoles. In the video game community, there are many common myths about different input devices, and they seem to be based on tradition rather than fact.

Fighting fans love to play joysticks for fighting games, because they resemble the management of arcade machines that originated the genre, but one of the best fighters in the world of games SonicFox plays with the controller. Players on PC like tactile feedback of mechanical keyboards, because this type of keyboard has been common in the early days of PC-gaming, but today's children can "kick ass" anyone playing in Fortnite on the iPad .

When I played Call of Duty: WWII and Apex Legendswith the help of XIM Apex, I definitely achieved better results than with the controller, but this can be caused not by the advantage of mice and keyboards, but by the fact that I spent hundreds, if not thousands of hours, playing similar games on a PC, and not on the console . In addition, although I played well, I was far from an overwhelming advantage. I didn't even show better results than usual on a PC when I play against people with a mouse and keyboard.

As Mark said, the fact that I play with a mouse and keyboard against players with controllers does not turn me into a professional. It's just easier for me to play.

Curved Curb Effect

There is no doubt that in first-person shooters and many other competitive video games, players with fast reflexes and a good eye gauge have the advantage, but this is not enough to be a great player. Knowledge of the map, the interaction of different abilities and consideration of available opportunities are just as important as a good sight. Yes, it is interesting for us to observe how professional players perform complex tricks at cybersport competitions, but the connection between team members, strategy, confrontation and other elements that players call a meta game are just as curious. I sincerely doubt that eSports and shooters as a whole would become such a phenomenon if they were just competitions in accuracy.

If the players are concerned about the integrity of sports discipline, then professional cyber events have the ability to impose a ban on devices like the XIM, and judging by the rules I have studied, this is what happens. For example, in the Call of Duty World League Handbook , organizers have the right to "investigate, approve or prohibit any player equipment." The manual of The Halo Championship Series Handbook states that “no type of cheating is allowed,” including “software modification” and “hardware modification”.

Steve Spon told me that even if a XIM-type device that allows people with disabilities to play video games, gives an advantage to people without restrictions, it should still be allowed.

People without limits often receive new opportunities thanks to solutions created for people with disabilities. This phenomenon is so common that it has its own name: " beveled curb effect ". This refers to the inclined curb, allowing people in wheelchairs easier to drive off the road to the sidewalk. In the early 70s in Berkeley (California), when beveled curbs were not so common, activists defending the rights of people with disabilities under the threat of arrest created their own curbs to prove how necessary they are.

“But then something unexpected and beautiful happened,” wrote in 2017Angela Glover Blackwell, founder of PolicyLink, an organization dedicated to the development of economic and social equality. “When the wall of prohibitions was destroyed, everyone benefited from this, and not just people in wheelchairs: parents with wheelchairs, workers pushing heavy carts, travelers with suitcases on wheels, even runners and skateboarders began to use curbs.”

I find it hard to imagine why an average player might object to another player using XIM, especially considering that for many it is the only way to play games.

“It’s a pity that people with disabilities were victims of these disputes,” says Spon. “They just want to play. I'm trying to reach people's hearts. If for you it was the only opportunity to play, then you would strive to ensure that this opportunity was defended by others. ”