With the upcoming season, Overwatch 2 shared an interesting update for the console players, where they will restrict the use of “unapproved peripherals.” Blizzard Entertainment took this action after seeing the rise of console players playing Overwatch 2 with a keyboard and mouse and taking advantage of the console’s aim assist.
According to Blizzard’s post, the developers have been working over the past few seasons to understand the usage of the unapproved peripherals. After collecting enough data, Blizzard realised that the usage of the unapproved peripherals was high at the high-ranked play. To stop players from taking an unfair advantage, Blizzard will take action against players using unapproved peripherals.
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Console Players Won’t Be Able To Play Overwatch 2 With Keyboard And Mouse Anymore
After spending seasons collecting data on unapproved peripherals, Blizzard Entertainment is ready to remove these peripherals from the competitive play. Starting from Season 11, Blizzard will not allow console players to play using unapproved peripherals. While defining the unapproved peripherals for the players, Blizzard wrote:
Unfortunately, some players on console have been using devices that allow them to use a mouse and keyboard while tricking the console into thinking that the inputs are coming from a controller. While some use different peripherals for accessibility purposes, some players take advantage of aim assist while using peripherals that were never intended to benefit from this feature. For our purposes, we call these devices “unapproved peripherals.”
The action will be taken against the players violating the rules by using unapproved peripherals like keyboards and mice in two phases. Starting from Season 11, if a player is detected using such peripherals for the first time, he/she will be restricted from competitive play for a week. They can get their restriction reverted if they cease using the unapproved peripherals.
Despite the first warning, if players continue to use unapproved peripherals, they won’t be able to access competitive play on the console, will be forced to play against other keyboard and mouse players in the quick play, and will have access to the aim-assist feature. Players who have been abusing the console’s aim assist and playing the game on keyboard and mouse long before season 11 will face permanent account bans. Blizzard has assured that the new rule won’t hinder the usage of peripherals for players with accessibility needs. Blizzard stated:
We have done our utmost to ensure that players with accessibility needs will be less likely to trigger our detection. If a player with accessibility needs is detected, we have tailored our actions so that these players will be able to continue playing Overwatch 2.