Long-running disputes concerning the need for aim assist in first-person shooters have been revived by a recent clip showcasing Halo Infinite’s aim assist.
In the gaming world, there are numerous discussions, but few are as passionate and long-running as the one between Call of Duty and Halo. Each game has a devoted fanbase, whose tastes in first-person shooters are diametrically opposed. However, one thing that the fan bases appear to have in common is a general disagreement about the need for aim help. The aim assist discussion has been raging for a long time, much like the Call of Duty vs. Halo controversy, with no clear winner.
However, it appears that aim assist debates are here to stay, as they have made the news once again. As usual, the debate pits a group of people who feel aim assist eliminates the need for skill butting heads against a group of people who believe it is required for controller users. With the rise of cross-platform gaming, the issue is as heated as it has ever been, with console and PC gamers interacting in multiplayer lobbies. Cross-platform multiplayer is available in games like Call of Duty and Halo, and each of these titles has recently sparked debate concerning aim help.
On Twitter recently, a video of Twitch streamer Jeff Sheney playing Halo Infinite multiplayer went viral. Sheney was reportedly using keyboard and mouse at the time and was AFK, but the video shows his crosshairs tracking an enemy player in the distance darting across the screen.
As one might expect, this sparked discussion in the Halo community, with many people worried about the game’s balance issues. Many people assumed Sheney was using a controller, but the fact that he was using a keyboard and mouse on a PC only added to the confusion. The crosshair movement was noticeable, and it was one of the more obvious examples of aim assistance.
Halo Infinite isn’t the only game to have been the subject of recent aim assist controversy; Warzone was also at the center of the debate. This debate erupted after Dr Disrespect and TSM Myth took to Twitter to criticize controller users, with the latter claiming that he’d never put a controller player in his top ten FPS players of all time.
As expected, the Call of Duty community was outraged, with Twitch streamer TimTheTatman offering the most poignant remark. “If the controller is broken, then play controller,” said the keyboard and mouse Warzone streamer.
Both the mouse and keyboard, as well as the controller, have drawbacks. Of course, the lack of aim assist on keyboard and mouse could be considered a disadvantage, but a mouse allows for more movement and faster reaction times than a controller. It comes down to the greater precision possible with a mouse, which is why keyboard and mouse is often the preferred setup for multiplayer first-person shooter games like Halo Infinite.
Meanwhile, the implementation of aim assist benefits controller players. Rather than overpowering the control method, it merely aims to make the controller a viable option for gamers. Furthermore, the amount of help that aim assist provides in gunfights is minimal.
While the aim assist appears to be kicking in big time in Jeff Sheney’s Halo Infinite aim assist clip, this may not be the case in actual gameplay. Quinn DelHoyo, Halo Infinite’s lead sandbox designer, clarified the situation by stating that the aim-assist only kicks in to such an extent when the player is AFK.
