This is an old complaint, but I've recently began getting into Battlefield: Bad Company online and the problem reared its ugly head again. Namely, controlling shooters with a controller is cumbersome, inefficient, and unnecessary, ESPECIALLY given the technology utilized by the PS3. For years, consoles used bizarre controller ports that were only compatible with one type of input, so this complaint has only had any real validity in the recent generation. The PS3 uses USB ports for its controllers and Bluetooth for the wireless, ergo since the system already supports mouse + keyboard for the web browser, why don't more developers put that support into their games? Mouse + keyboard is clearly the best way to control a shooter, giving the player the most precise aiming and fasted weapon switching, yet most shooters do not allow this, a fact which is very annoying to me.

I can only think of two reasons why the option for mouse + keyboard is not included. One, the developers are lazy and don't want to add another control scheme when they've invested so much time in streamlining their controls for a controller. I can't imagine this would be that hard to remedy, and they could even have a button configuration screen on the PS3 dashboard that would be standard for all games. Basically, just reverse the process for using a console controller on a PC. I'm not a developer, but it can't be that hard. The other, and more compelling reason, is that the set of players that invest in a USB or wireless mouse + keyboard will have a huge advantage over players that don't. I understand this, and so do developers, which is why games like Shadowrun had to add aids to controller users to balance the gameplay. I think this problem, too, is easily solved. When the player is starting a game, just have an option for 'controller only' servers, 'keyboard + mouse only' servers, or servers that allow both. Done. Problem solved. The casual players can play with their controller, while the more dedicated can play amongst themselves. No one is overpowered and frustrated PC shooter fans (*cough cough*) won't have anything to complain about.

It's a simple idea, really. Players should be able to use the best control scheme available for any given game. In a world where Harmonix can take the high road and allow their plastic guitar to work with a rival franchise, why can't shooter developers throw a bone to the PC shooter crowd? Control aside, I'd prefer to play a shooter on a console because there is equal technology for everyone involved. PC games are inherently uneven because no two players have an identical machine, so players with a more expensive setup will have a distinct advantage over those barely scraping by the system requirements. Consoles alleviate this balance problem and open the door for more PC shooter fans to make the switch, and given the reputation of PC shooter players as more polite and classy than console players, perhaps an option for mouse + keyboard support would improve the online etiquette as well.

Oh, and Sony, please make the voice chat sound better than people talking to each other on the bottom of a swimming pool. Is that so much to ask?