PLAYSTATION 3 UNREAL TOURNAMENT 3 TO SUPPORT KEYBOARD & MOUSE

You know, the PlayStation 3 version of Unreal Tournament 3 keeps looking better and better. It started with Epic Games Vice President Mark Rein announcing that mods made for the PC version of UT3 will work with the PS3 version and has just kept growing from there. The latest bit of news on the PlayStation 3 front (found by way of Kotaku) is that UT3 will also be supporting keyboard and mouse controls on the console. I can’t emphasize enough just how welcome that statement is to me.

“I checked with Steve Polge and he said that YES we are supporting keyboard and mouse in Unreal Tournament 3 on PS3. He is confident we are doing it in a way that will be balanced without feeling “gimped” for either side. We’ll also allow people to choose whether or not they want to allow mixed controller vs. keyboard/mouse games or not.” – Mark Rein, vice president, Epic Games

It’s because of all these “PlayStation 3″ only announcements that I’m beginning to think that Unreal Tournament 3 will be the first multi-platform title that I’ll be grabbing for the PlayStation 3 instead of the 360. I know not everyone has a setup where using the mouse and keyboard on a console is convenient, but in my case it is and it’s certainly a feature that I feel will help make UT3 the best experience it can be. Besides, if you don’t like it, you can always opt to only play against those who are using the same control setup that you are.

Those of you wondering why these changes are only being made for the PlayStation 3 version of the game an stop coming up with conspiracy theories as the answer is simple – Sony is allowing them to do it. Several comments made by Epic Games indicate that they’d like to implement the same features on the Xbox 360 version, however Microsoft’s testing policy, strict network control policy and vision for the 360 just won’t allow them to do it. Epic has left the door open for some of the best mods being provided on the 360 via downloadable content through the Live Marketplace somewhere down the road.

It probably won’t hurt the game’s PlayStation 3 sales that it’ll be coming out several months before the Xbox 360 version either.

• Unreal Tournament 3 – Official website
• Yes we will have PS3 keyboard and mouse support – Epic Games Forums
• Unreal Tournament III to Have Mouse/Keyboard Support – Kotaku
• E3: Midway Confirms UT3 PC Mods Playable On PS3 – Gamasutra