Xbox One gets keyboard and mouse support in Fortnite on Wednesday

Microsoft will start rolling out keyboard and mouse support in Fortnite next week. First, the functionality is available to insiders. Players are only matched with other players who also use keyboard and mouse.

From November 14, the first games will receive support for keyboard and mouse. In addition to Fortnite, it also includes Warframe, Bomber Crew, Deep Rock Galactic, Strange Brigade, Vermintide 2, War Thunder, and X-Morph Defense. Microsoft has been testing the functionality with Xbox Insiders in the Alpha Ring for some time, but this week it will be expanded to more insiders.

Microsoft also mentions a list of games that will receive keyboard and mouse support “in the future”. When that will be is unknown, but it will be after November. These are Children of Morta, DayZ, Minion Master, Moonlighter, Vigor, Warface and Wargroove.

Developers are given options to separate players who play with keyboard and mouse from players who play with a controller. Presumably developers will make that distinction in games where the input method can provide an advantage. At least Epic Games does that with Fortnite.

Furthermore, at its XO18 event, Microsoft announced that it will be introducing Designed for Xbox input devices. Such keyboards and mice have an Xbox button and support a new feature called Xbox Dynamic Lighting for lighting effects. Razer will be making such equipment and will be announcing it at the CES trade show in January.