Skip to main content

Xbox Live Creators Program will allow support for keyboard input on Xbox One

xbox insider program open registration microsoft one review macro logo 2 640x0
Image used with permission by copyright holder
At GDC 2017, Microsoft announced the Xbox Live Creators Program, an initiative designed to make it easier for developers to release games with Xbox Live functionality across Windows 10 and the Xbox One. At Build 2017, the company offered up some more details regarding what kind of Windows features can be enabled on the Xbox One as a result of the program.

Andrew Parsons, Microsoft’s senior program manager for game developers, took to the stage on day one of the Build conference for a session titled “State of play: Modern game development.” He noted that the Xbox Live Creators Program will give developers the ability to enable all Windows features on the Xbox One, including full keyboard support.

Parsons noted 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. This functionality could offer huge benefits to certain sectors of the development community, especially studios that specialize in genres that tend to rely on keyboard control schemes, like real-time strategy games.

The debate as to whether keyboard and mouse or a dedicated controller provides a better gaming experience has raged on among players for decades. Historically, it hasn’t been easy to give console gamers a method of opting for keyboard and mouse control schemes, so the Xbox Live Creators Program could prove to be an effective and efficient method of giving gamers and developers alike the best of both worlds.

However, 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 in yesterday’s session, noted that support for mice “probably won’t work.”

Digital Trends clarified this comment with Parsons following the presentation, and he stated that initially, most models of mice won’t be compatible. However, a handful of mice will be, and Microsoft hopes to add support for all mice over time.

Editors' Recommendations

Brad Jones
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Brad is an English-born writer currently splitting his time between Edinburgh and Pennsylvania. You can find him on Twitter…
This awesome Xbox gaming feature is coming to both Windows 11 and Windows 10
Xbox Series X expansion card in console.

When Microsoft announced several Xbox features coming to Windows 11, it said that DirectStorage would only be available on the upcoming operating system. A recent DirectX developer blog post says otherwise. Some developers already have access to DirectStorage on Windows 11, which will also work on Windows 10 machines.

The blog post details that Windows 10 machines running version 1909 or newer will be able to use the DirectStorage feature. This is an application programming interface (API) that Microsoft debuted with the Xbox Series X and Series S. Essentially, it bypasses the processor to quickly load data into the graphics card, which can decrease load times and allow developers to push more impressive visuals.

Read more
Windows 11 is borrowing from the Mac in one significant way
panos panay at the Windows 11 event.

Matching MacOS standards, Microsoft has announced that Windows will now release major updates once a year, ditching its tradition of delivering two feature updates per year. This new release cadence will be kicked off by the release of Windows 11, which was officially announced this week by Microsoft, later this year.

There have been multiple complaints about Windows 10’s updates since day one. Microsoft has been releasing two major updates every year and users have been annoyed with their frequency and quality. The company’s two major feature releases each year push the operating system to force update some of the devices that may be running on a version that's not meeting the end of service.

Read more
Why Microsoft’s moonshot attempt to support ARM could finally work this time
microsoft announces surface laptop go pro x

Microsoft's Build developer conference saw updates for products like Azure, Outlook, Teams, and the remainder of the Microsoft 365 services. However, an exciting announcement regarding ARM-based architecture really caught my attention.

Although Apple has stolen most of the spotlight when it comes to switching its products over to the custom ARM-based M1 chip, Microsoft did go there first. The company did it with the Surface RT, and again with the Surface Pro X, but both flopped for a number of reasons that I've documented in the past.

Read more