Xbox One And PS4 Keyboard And Mouse Integration Being Hacked With XIM4

While users of both the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 will still be using standard controllers for first-person-shooters for the foreseeable future, the creator of XIM is hard at work hacking. A fellow by the name OBsIV has created a hardware system called "Xbox Input Machine" – having started this project approximately 6 years ago on the Xbox 360 – now appearing on the Xbox One and potentially the PS4 as well.

Use of this device and software system has a lot of potential for those wishing to win at all costs – it's a whole heck of a lot easier to destroy your enemy with a mouse in a shooting game than it is with a joystick. While the creator of the XIM suggests that it's been difficult to overcome the massive amount of work developers have done in optimizing their games for joysticks, it's been worth the time in creating "Smart Translators". The creation of "Smart Translators" has allowed XIM to essentially become a plug-and-play setup for the end user.

NOTE: Have a peek at more info on the XIM3 (the newest version out before this next-generation XIM4) in our December 2010 article on the subject. Again, XIM has been around for a while!

"Consoles are living room experiences. XIM will take opportunities to enable mouse (and "mouse-like") gaming from the couch. This includes support for wireless hand-held devices. It will also take opportunities to enable "surface-free" mouse-like gaming.

We are very interested in adapting the upcoming Steam Controller for console gaming. XIM is in a unique position with its Smart Translators to make a device like that work very well on consoles." – XIM developer OBsIV

The fourth iteration of XIM – XIM4 – is being created now, working with the following abilities. It's also important to note that this hardware/software solution is not fully developed a this point – it's in a beta that's being extended to the XIM community right this minute.

• Next-gen console support as well as current-gen in a single device

• A new real-time wireless configuration experience through smart phones, tablets, and PCs

• New advanced configuration features for hard-core gamers

• Cross-over controller support

• Best-in-class precision mouse translation

At the moment the team behind XIM has it working with Xbox One and will be continuing to develop unique setups for each individual game. The community will be helping with this development as well, and the XIM4 hardware will be shipping sooner than later. PlayStation 4 will be supported in the future, while the current problem is the lack of wired connectivity between the console and standard Dualshock 4 controllers.

The release of XIM4 – the hardware bit – is targeted at the first quarter of 2014. We'll be keeping you up to date too – stick around!

VIA: Engadget