Actually I can comment on that, since Ive used XIM Apex on PC extensively in the last year or so playing COD.
Essentially- I am now considering switching back to native keyboard and mouse input.
The issue is that once you become a good player and can aim very well with the mouse, the xim starts to become a ceiling that hinders you to improve to higher levels.
I could not agree more and have been saying this for so long I can't remember, but it is an opinion that isn't well liked on here.
And to be clear- I dont think it's necessarily the XIM's fault, but more the technical limitations of controller look mechanics and how the aiming with the controller works. Mainly the turn speed limit is the biggest issue as well as lack of "perfect" precision.
Absolutely correct.
See- it is technically impossible to "translate" controller aiming mechanic to mouse and keyboard so that it is as fast and precise as native mouse and keyboard on PC. Controller aiming is based on velocity and time (how long the stick is held in a certain position). That's absolutely sh!t when we speak about perfect aiming mechanics. That is the reason why over 90% of FPS games on consoles have aim assist with controller. Because otherwise (if they didnt use aim assist) with fast moving characters and sh!itty sub par aiming mechanics nobody would be able to stay on a target that is strafing really fast, or sliding really fast etc. It would be an absolutely frustrating experience for most ppl who play with a controller.
I remember Unreal Tournament and Quake on the Dreamcast, they had no aim assist and were controller, tracking enemies was hard but learnable. Aim assist on controller was more of a way to make it easier to learn and keep people playing, we all know humans require instant gratification and having to learn things isn't favorable.
I saw a video some years ago on youtube where the guys who designed the AA for Halo were talking about how it works and what exactly it did. They ended the video with a statement that basically said, if they do their job well, there will be millions of players who
think they are badass when really the AA is doing the most work.
These Smart Translators attempt to correct all the sh!t that is wrong with controller input mechanics, like acceleration, dead zone limits and weird dead zone shapes, mismatch in X/Y speed ratio etc. and even with the very advanced methods that xim is using, it is technically impossible to achieve the same speed and precision as native mouse aiming on PC.
Correct , but it was designed to give the preferred input method and stay within the rules of the game, more than to replicate exactly.
Take a person with good mouse aim but terrible controller skill, put them in a game with a controller and they get mullered, now give them a Xim so they can use their preferred input device and watch them start to win games.
Next get those controller gods on PC and give them a Mouse and watch them get mullered, give them their controller back and the tables turn for them.
This is exactly why I have always said, the Xim doen't give and advantage, it removes a disadvantage.
But using Xim KB/M with aim assist is just downright low in my opinion ( if AA can be turned off it should be turned off )
Im not even joking, I think at high skill levels, like COD pro players and pro streamers, the controller with extended right thumbstick ala "Kontrolfreek" is far superior to using xim with mouse and keyboard. Thats also the reason why I think the new XIM controller has a large potential to become a game changer for players who prefer controller over keyboard and mouse.
I am no buying into the whole long stick idea.
Longer sticks do give a longer arc in which to aim so it would suggest they are more precise, and they allow higher sensitivity due to the extra precision.
The down sides are more prevalent than upsides.
They exaggerate deadzones, you have to move the stick a longer distance to exit the deadzone.
They require the user to move their hand position to reach the longer stick, this means they are stretching more to the trigger. ( At least on an xbox controller )
Their extra length reduces the spring tension because of the extra leverage, ( the xbox one controller spring tension is already too weak )
Only reason why I kept going back to using XIM on PC was because I am also using Titan 2 with scripts, but if I can find the scripts I need for native mouse and keyboard I will most likely switch to native KB&M.
Translated.. the only reason for going back to Xim on PC was to CHEAT with Titan scripts.
For me the only reason to justify using a XIM KB/M adaptor on PC ( for an able body person ) is to keep familiar keys as the user may have the same game on PC and Console and the OC uses more complex keyboard options.
