Fan proves: As a controller player, you have a huge advantage in Halo Infinite

Halo Infinite was the first game in the Halo series, which was also developed for mouse & keyboard from the start. A fan on reddit has statistically proven why Halo continues to prefer controller users. MeinMMO explains why controller players have a huge advantage in Halo Infinite.

The Halo games have traditionally been console games. Despite delayed releases of the first two Halo and much later the Master Chief Collection on PC – the Halo games were developed for controllers.

Halo Infinite is the big exception here. The latest game in the franchise was released simultaneously for PC and Xbox consoles. You can play with the controller or mouse & keyboard on the console as well as on the PC. This is a feature that more than 10,000 Battlefield 2042 fans would like.

A Halo fan on reddit has now shown that controller players have a huge advantage over mouse & keyboard users. The evidence came via a statistical study of the ranked mode.

Controller players are much more precise on average

Why is? Halo fan Alfphie shared a statistic on reddit. To do this, he used the Halo Tracker website (via halotracker.com) graphically displays the precision statistics of a total of 400 players (via reddit). They came from the following 4 categories:

• The 100 best players with controllers
• The 100 best mouse & keyboard players
• 100 players with controllers who have an average rank
• 100 mouse & keyboard players who have an average rank

For the “average player”, players with the rank of platinum 6 were selected. This is the rank with the most players, so it represents a qualitative average value of the Halo community. In order to be able to compare better, Alpfhie only selected players who play on servers in which the input methods are not mixed.

He then displayed the precision values ​​of these 400 players in the following graphic:

What does the graphic show? The most important thing that can be seen from the statistics is that the average controller player is almost as precise as the average top 100 player on mouse & keyboard. There is only a 3.1% difference on average between the absolute best mouse users and an average controller gamer.

The difference in the categories themselves is also clearly recognizable:

• The top 100 controller players are on average 16.4% more precise than the top 100 mouse users.
• Controller players with the rank of Platinum 6 are 12.3% more precise on average than players of the same rank with mouse & keyboard.

Aim-Assist is very powerful in Halo Infinite

What role does aim-assist play? Probably the clearest reason for the huge differences from the statistics is quickly recognized: The aim assist in Halo Infinite is incredibly strong.

Aim-Assist was developed to compensate for the precision disadvantages of analog sticks compared to mice with technical aids. Thanks to Aim Assist, the crosshairs remain almost magnetically on an opponent without the player having to steer so precisely.

This is especially important in Halo Infinite because the game has special mechanics. In contrast to other shooters, headshots only do more damage in two circumstances:

• Once a player’s shield is broken
• With the S7 sniper rifle and the shock rifle

Because this makes headshots less important in Halo than in other shooters, pixel-perfect precision is not as relevant as continuous damage to the body. The great strength of mice, however, is that they make this pixel precision easier. The technology behind the aim-assist, on the other hand, makes continuous damage easier.

The strengths of mouse aiming therefore rarely play a role in Halo Infinite. The strengths of aim assist, which are available to controller players, are, however, maximally relevant. Therefore, the difference in precision in Halo Infinite is even clearer than in other shooters.

Aim-Assist is not only a controversial topic in Halo Infinite: There are many different opinions about CoD Warzone alone about the importance and fairness of Aim-Assist:

Crossplay and input options intensify debates about aim-assist

Why is aim-assist such a big topic? While aim-assist has been a topic since the first Halo in 2001, it has become a major controversy in the gaming world, especially in recent years. The reason for this are 4 developments:

• The increasing popularity of crossplay
• Console games increasingly support mouse & keyboard
• PC gamers can use controllers
• A mix of controller players and mouse & keyboard users play on the same servers

Thanks to crossplay, console players and PC gamers can play on the same servers. A few years ago this was not common. As a result, users of both input methods – controller and mouse – can interact.

Another development related to crossplay is that more and more console games allow the use of mouse and keyboard via USB connection. In games like Call of Duty: Warzone or Halo Infinite, you can freely choose which input method you prefer – regardless of whether you play on the PC or on the console.

As a result of these trends, mouse & keyboard players often have to compete against controller players who can use aim-assist. Players who only aim with the mouse cannot use these programmed aids.

Most PC gamers find this unfair. Halo Infinite statistics show that these feelings are not unfounded.

What do you think: Do you think controllers have too much of an advantage in Halo Infinite? Which input method do you prefer – in general and specifically for the game? Let us know in the comments.

Although Halo Infinite’s gameplay is very popular with fans, the Battle Pass in particular is a major point of criticism among fans. You can find out what the developers want to do about it in our article:

This is how Halo Infinite wants to solve the problem that spoils the fun of multiplayer for many