Mouse and keyboard fans, rejoice: Microsoft is finally rolling out support for these Xbox cloud gaming peripherals, as long as you're a selected Xbox Insider.
The company is rolling out mouse and keyboard support for Alpha Skip-Ahead testers as part of a preview of its latest Xbox update. That means regular Xbox insiders will still have to wait, but for those participating in the "invite-only" beta program, you should be able to connect your favorite mouse and keyboard to play games that previously required a controller.
Microsoft says mouse and keyboard support is available for cloud gaming on Microsoft Edge and Chrome, as well as the Xbox app on PC (for those signed up for the PC Gaming Preview). If you're playing in a browser, you'll need to enable the preview feature first. You can find this option at xbox.com/play by clicking your profile picture, selecting Settings , and enabling Preview Features .
The program currently supports 14 games. It’s not a lot, but it’s enough to get you started with mouse and keyboard controls on Xbox Cloud Gaming:
Fortnite (browser only)
ark survival evolved
sea of thieves
ground
Halo: Infinite
atomic heart
Sniper Elite 5
deep rock galaxy
noble life
zombie army 4 death battle
gear tactics
remorse
Doom 64
age of empires 2
Microsoft has acknowledged a known issue with Atomic Heart , as issues may arise when switching from a controller to a mouse and keyboard while streaming the game.
You'll also notice that the game displays controller UI elements until you start interacting with the game using your mouse and keyboard. For example, if you see "Press A to start," try clicking or using WASD movement to adjust the UI.
Browser users should note that the stream needs to be in full screen for the mouse and keyboard to work properly. If you want to exit full screen, press the Esc key. You will also need to click on the game flow element for the game to recognize your mouse input. You can also press F9 to exit the game's mouse and keyboard controls.
