NRG streamer and professional battle royale player Richard “KingRichard” Nelson has come under fire for using a “XIM” adapter to play Apex Legends on console.
An XIM will allow a mouse and keyboard to mimic the inputs of an Xbox or PlayStation 4 controller, allowing players to use the mouse and keyboard on their consoles.
Using an XIM, or any other mouse and keyboard adaptor, is widely considered cheating by the standards of console players. Technically, XIM users are using third-party hardware and in some games are still being queued into lobbies with players using standard gamepad controllers. However, it’s up to the developers of each individual game to manage players using different input methods.
A mouse and keyboard player will almost assuredly beat a player of similar skill on a controller by virtue of additional accuracy. Mouse movement offers much more direct input for players, allowing them to more quickly and accurately respond to in-game events. Keyboards also offer further customization than do gamepads.
During the stream in which KingRichard used the XIM, he vocally complained about the amount of hackers on PC before switching to console.
Some console games do support the PC hardware, but those games almost always support cross-platform play as well. By the standards of multiple console-exclusive esports titles like Gears of War and Call of Duty, the use of controllers is strictly enforced in both online and LAN play.
KingRichard was also in hot water just this spring after he was accused of not paying for custom art for his Twitch stream. The situation was resolved privately, according to the artist.
When Apex Legends took the gaming world by storm, KingRichard was one of the pioneers. He, along with Coby “dizzy” Meadows and Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, won the first official Apex Legends tournament in the Twitch Rivals Apex Legends Challenge.
