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Best PlayStation Keyboard And Mouse 2021: How To Use With PS4 And PS5

If you want to make the switch to a keyboard and mouse for either PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5, here's what you should know.

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When it comes to gaming on a PlayStation console, be it a PS4 or PS5, it might not cross your mind to use a keyboard and mouse. However, both consoles support the traditional PC input scheme, which might make some games more comfortable to play or just easier to manage if you're choosing to play on a desk. Better yet, the range of supported keyboards and mice is rather wide, with both the PS4 and PS5 supporting a range of wired, wireless, and Bluetooth peripherals.

Where you might not find the best support is with games, as developers must explicitly allow keyboard and mouse as an input if you want to use them natively (there are tools that let you trick consoles into thinking you're using a controller, but we won't be covering those here). Right now, there aren't any PS5-only titles that support keyboard and mouse input, but many PS4 titles do (and these are playable via backwards compatibility on PS5), including but not limited to:

  • Final Fantasy XIV
  • Overwatch
  • Fortnite
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
  • Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
  • DayZ
  • The Elder Scrolls Online
  • They Are Billions

How to use a keyboard and mouse on PS4 or PS5

Connecting your keyboard and mouse to a PlayStation console is straightforward, too. For wired peripherals, you simply plug them into a USB-A on the console. Wireless peripherals that use 2.4GHz dongles are plug-and-play too, with both the PS4 and PS5 recognizing most when the dongle is simply plugged into the console. Bluetooth devices, on the other hand, require you to pair them through the console's setting's menu, and this might be the most hit-or-miss option depending on how good the Bluetooth support is on your respective keyboard or mouse. They're not the best options for gaming, anyway, given Bluetooth's inherent latency compared to both wired and 2.4GHz connections.

Things to keep in mind

There are several caveats you should consider before making the switch to mouse and keyboard on PlayStation. For multiplayer games, like Fortnite or Overwatch, you will automatically be matched against PC players when using a keyboard and mouse, or console players who have opened matchmaking to other PC players. This is to keep things fair online, as using a keyboard and mouse can offer a significant advantage to most controller-based players. Another thing to consider is some game-specific features that might make use of unique aspects of a controller for immersion, especially in single-player titles. Although there are no PS5 games out right now with keyboard and mouse support, using these peripherals in the future will exclude you from features such as the DualSense's adaptive triggers, which can add be very beneficial to specific games.

The best PlayStation keyboards and mice

If you are looking to make a switch in your PlayStation setup, you have loads of options to choose from. Below, we've rounded up some great keyboard-and-mouse bundles that offer great value, as well as separate keyboards and mice that offer great support for all their features without needing to interface with PC software that won't be available on a console (software for controlling RBG and macros, for example). There are also lapboards you can buy that make it much easier to game with a mouse and keyboard from the comfort of your couch, offering the best of both worlds if you're willing to pay the premium.

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