"Strings have been added for gamepad" - WoW coming to consoles?

[exochaft]

My immediate reaction is that these changes are for people who normally can't use K&M due to issues/disabilities. Could easily allow for expanded use by everyone, but Blizz has been pretty proactive in helping disabled people with playing the game through alternate interfacing options (and controllers or controller-type interfacing is pretty popular in that crowd).

[ReleaseDay]

I hope not. If you think you've seen dumbing down before..

[Omedon]

Wow has it's on built in voice chat. Not to mention consoles have their own

Yes, and community enforcement of the idea of using either, particularly in random groupings, would be a nigh impossible culture shock for this game. Of course it exists, it's not the norm for the majority of groupings in the game.

Going with and officially supporting gamepads is the ultimate, official admission of "you never need to talk/type (or receive anyone else's talking/typing) in LFD/LFR/LFBG content." The keyboard was a baseline expectation. Changing that is HUGE.

[Daedius]

If I could play WoW on a tablet or Phone I sure as hell can play it easier with a gamepad.

Be great to just chill, questing and level dungeoning on a couch... and being unable to read chat of people whining of my God awful DPS.

- - - Updated - - -

I hope not. If you think you've seen dumbing down before..

FF14 says "Hi"...

[Omedon]

You know... it occurs to me... there's no crossplay between platforms of Overwatch... is there?

What if "console WoW" was segregated? The game has (thankfully) really dialed down how much we need each other to play the core of the game, could a potential "console WoW" work without cross play or intermingling with the PC populace??

[Azerate]

How weird that they add controller support at the same time they start to un-prune class abilities. The pruning was the best moment to add controller support and I remember some people speculating it would be added at the time.

FF14 is available on consoles and most specs have rotations with 15-20 abilities in them. I don't really enjoy playing games on gamepads, except for some very specific genres, but it's definitely possible.

But yeah, I doubt wow is coming consoles. Not at this point.

[Razion]

If controller support meant console for Shadowlands we probably would have heard that as a major feature at BlizzCon. But it doesn't mean it can't be done for console in the future, just probably not for Shadowlands.

[Callsignecho]

WoW on Nintendo Switch

[Kathranis]

I somehow doubt it would be worthwhile to make a console port at this point. People who want to play WoW have bought in by now on PC.

Most likely just gamepad for additional input options, which will be especially helpful for people who need special peripherals due to disabilities.

Gamepad is perfectly functional for an MMORPG as FFXIV has shown, given that its rotations are actually very bloated compared to WoW's.

[Rootsbum]

If they manage to get camera-controlls right it would be so fun to do outdoor PvE with a controller.

Perhaps thats how they un-prune DHs? "DH now aviable to play from a console"

[Lahis]

The idea of WoW stepping away from "everyone is playing at a keyboard and can therefore chat" is a lot, a lot bigger than people realize when it comes to designing the main vein of the game! Just officially supporting a "potentially textless random group" is massive!

Of course it's been done, but it IS a culture shock for WoW!

You mean random groups aren't already completely silent and textless?

[Bryntrollian]

There are issues in other areas that make it unlikely anybody is going to do high-level play on a console. You'd just not be competitive.

So, hardly any different from simply keyboard turning while clicking all of your spells?

[Alvito]

"A bunch of content"

PvP would probably suck, healing is annoying, but everything else should be fine.

If LFR and WQ are the scope of your game play sure.

[Onikaroshi]

If LFR and WQ are the scope of your game play sure.

Someone completed mythic using a controller, you adapt to the situation

[Omedon]

You mean random groups aren't already completely silent and textless?

They may be, but that’s a community choice, not an official design parameter. That’s the important distinction!

[Nathanyel]

They may be, but that’s a community choice, not an official design parameter. That’s the important distinction!

You could still sit at the keyboard, putting the gamepad away while you type.

[Alvito]

Someone completed mythic using a controller, you adapt to the situation

19 other people carried a controller player through mythic is what you meant of course. Maybe next you will tell me people buying mount runs actually helped the group down bosses.

[Onikaroshi]

19 other people carried a controller player through mythic is what you meant of course. Maybe next you will tell me people buying mount runs actually helped the group down bosses.

He was the tank... I get that you're biased but there's not really that much limitation with controller, you can hotkey and target just as easily

[Alvito]

He was the tank... I get that you're biased but there's not really that much limitation with controller, you can hotkey and target just as easily

You certainly can't target as easily a mouse cursor moves significantly faster than a thumbstick. For tanking it doesn't matter as much but the limits on turning is also a big issue. 1 example doesn't really prove anything either. It will have limits in lfg or pug environments and cannot exist on it's own.

[Onikaroshi]

You certainly can't target as easily a mouse cursor moves significantly faster than a thumbstick. For tanking it doesn't matter as much but the limits on turning is also a big issue. 1 example doesn't really prove anything either. It will have limits in lfg or pug environments and cannot exist on it's own.

What? Lol, there is zero "limits on turning" you can turn just as fast with a controller as with mouse and keyboard and tab target just as easily. I play with a controller on FF and have zero problems selecting proper targets fast and easily.