Microsoft recently started rolling out their Preview build for the upcoming Creators Update for Xbox One, and some have discovered, including ourselves after extensive testing, that the Creators Update has some interesting new additions thanks to inquiring minds on the internet.
After receiving the latest Preview update, we tested mouse and keyboard support on Xbox One. The console has always supported keyboards, so it’s not surprising that our Microsoft Wireless Keyboard worked flawlessly on the dashboard. The keyboard does not work in games, we tried. However, mouse support was still absent. Then, a video appeared online showing some gamers using the mouse in Microsoft Edge.
We tested this and concluded that an Xbox One with the latest Preview update does have extremely limited mouse support. However, it’s so limited that you won’t be able to use the mouse for extended periods. For instance, we tried using the mouse in Microsoft Edge, but the pointer would disable after a few seconds and we had to “reactivate” it using the controller. Scrolling worked fine, and during these small periods, you could use the mouse.
We tried using the mouse in games and neither the mouse or keyboard worked in either instance. We used both wired and wireless keyboards and mice and all of them showed the same results. The takeaway here is that Microsoft is clearly working on keyboard and mouse support for Xbox One as they’ve publicly stated, however, this needs app support by developers, and Microsoft is limiting this functionality in current builds.
Dreyer was a regular ICXM contributor between 2016–2017, publishing 139 articles across opinion pieces, game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news. Their work focused on hands-on reviews, platform commentary, and breaking-news reporting during the Xbox One X launch year and Microsoft’s wider Play Anywhere / UWP gaming initiative. They post on X as @dreyer_smit.