keyboard-and-mouse
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CCP confirms keyboard and mouse control for DUST 514
DUST 514 may be a PlayStation 3 exclusive for the moment, but CCP has confirmed that the title will offer USB keyboard and mouse control options. CCP Jian broke the news late last night on his Twitter account, though there's no word as of yet on whether using a keyboard/mouse combo will translate to an edge over players who are using a PS3 controller. DUST is a sci-fi MMOFPS set in CCP's New Eden universe, and it is directly connected to the long-running EVE Online MMORPG. Players take on the role of ground-based mercenaries who fight for territory control and share the universal economy with EVE's capsuleers.
ROCCAT Studios unveils first US peripherals ahead of CES
European peripherals maker ROCCAT is planning a big splash for January's CES, demanding that American gamers get some "serious German engineering." Awkward stereotyping aside, the company's first official foray over here will see it release the flagship Isku illuminated keyboard and the Kone[+] mouse. There's also mention of the ROCCAT Talk system, which will let the devices chat to each other as you play, but didn't say how -- or why it'll improve matters. There's also a tight lid being placed over the pricing, but since its keyboards retail for $150 and mice $100 on the other side of the Atlantic, we wouldn't expect it to stray too far from that particular tree.
Penguin United's Eagle Eye brings WASD to your PS3 shooters, disrespect to your enemies (video)
With the PS3's plethora of USB ports scattered across the front, you'd think it'd be a no-brainer that all shooters on the console would support keyboard and mouse controls to make the FPS purists happy. Sadly that's not nearly the case, so it's up to companies like Penguin United (creators of a fine array of silly Wii peripherals) to fill the void. The Eagle Eye is its attempt, a surprisingly sizable box with an unfortunately short 2-foot USB cable and inputs for mouse and keyboard. Using buttons on that box you assign controller inputs to keys and away you go, hunting the Helgath's worst in WASD. The cost is a bit steep at $60 when it ships later this month, but nobody said having a (possibly imaginary) unfair advantage over the competition would be cheap.
MMOGology: Control yourself!
Another day, another MMOG canceled. In case you missed the news, Microsoft recently announced their abandonment of the Marvel-based superhero MMOG under development by Cryptic Studios. Gamespy recently posted a roundtable discussion that speculated on the reasons for the cancellation of this once highly anticipated game. During the discussion, Gamespy staffers cited possible cancellation reasons such as Microsoft's unrealistic monetary expectations (based on the high bar set by World of Warcraft), an unwillingness on Microsoft's part to develop and innovative within the genre, and an inability to implement a successful product on both the PC and Xbox 360. The element of the discussion that intrigued me most dealt with the difficulties encountered when MMOGs try crossing the console barrier. One of the prohibitive elements to a successful console implementation is the incompatibility between PC and console controls.Most major, mainstream MMOGs like Lord of the Rings Online, World of Warcarft, and Everquest have complex interfaces organized in a very flat, context-free structure. Movement, combat and non-combat functions are accomplished via the classic mouse and keyboard control combination. Most functions, especially in regard to combat, are accessed via a string of action functions located on "hot bars" or "skill bars". These functions can either be clicked upon directly with the mouse or bound to specific keyboard keys. Although there are occasional exceptions, each key has only one particular function, regardless of the player's situation within the game. Compare the large number of actions located on skill bars to the number of buttons available on a standard PS3 or Xbox 360 controller and you can easily see where basic interface design decisions just don't correlate well between consoles and PCs. It's not that one interface is better than another; they're just inherently different. In attempting to build a game that works on both PCs and consoles you've got to design to the least common denominator. If the console's controller can't support 50 buttons for different actions or can't accommodate quickly selecting actions via a heads-up-display, then you've got to streamline the experience or make it more context sensitive and intuitive. This act of streamlining an interface can only serve to benefit both console and PC gamers in the long haul.
Unreal Tournament 3 for PS3 to bring keyboard and mouse support
Sure, you can already mouse around on your Linux-booting or web-browsing PS3 system to your heart's content, but Epic wanted to level the FPS playing field just a bit, and is bringing keyboard and mouse support to its PS3 version of Unreal Tournament 3. Epic VP Mark Rein was concerned that having multiple control methods would give some players an unfair advantage, but apparently those problems have been worked out. In addition to bringing a potential end to those endless mouse vs. dual stick debates (unlikely), this also might mean we'll be seeing some PC-to-PS3 compatibility for online play, for the ultimate test of fanboy forum smack.[Via PS3 Fanboy]
