Should you use a controller or mouse and keyboard for Modern Warfare 3?

The endless debate rages on for gamers as to whether or not Mouse and Keyboard is the superior method over a controller, especially in a game like Modern Warfare 3. Usually, I would immediately side with the Mouse and keyboard option, but Activision has shifted the scales slightly.

The controller vs Mouse and Keyboard debate rages on

The accuracy of a Mouse and Keyboard, or the assist and hand-held nature of a controller?

Pro Mouse and Keyboard

Now this is the choice of most professional esports players, and for good reason. The mouse and keyboard setup allows for unprecedented accuracy when it comes to first-person shooters. Being able to toggle the sensitivity of ADS all the way down means that once you’re dialed in, you can pick out headshots pixel by pixel.

The use of a mouse over a joystick here means that, if you so chose, you could have your mouse moving almost exactly one-to-one with your screen. So, even the slightest twitch will make pinpoint, accurate adjustments. This is why the mouse and Keyboard, rather than the controller, have reigned supreme over the Modern Warfare scene for so long.

Once I made the transition to Mouse and Keyboard, I was never able to look back. The added control with the mouse felt a lot more natural. Also, having a whole keyboard in which to program keybindings just made sense to me. The transition was weird, but once I had made it, I was committed.

Pro Controller

A lot of us were brought up with controllers. I would say with two joysticks, but my experience goes way beyond that. Something about a controller in my hands feels very natural, to the point where some Pavlovian chemicals get released in my brain. It puts me deep into the zone and feels natural.

Activision has addressed what is often considered an unfair advantage for Mouse and Keyboard players with their controller options in Modern Warfare 3. Cross-play is enabled by default, so the playing field needs to be leveled. In the game settings, there are some serious tweaks that can be made to improve handling for people who choose or have to play with a controller.

The controversial aim assists in the game to help players zero in on their enemies when brushing the reticule over them. This slows down the movement of the joystick, assisting in aim quite dramatically. This extra bit of assistance is supposed to help imitate the level of control helped by the superior mouse.

There have been some problems with this, though. Some players believe that the aim assist is far too strong. It gives an unfair advantage to players with a controller. While it is a necessary evil to some extent, especially for console players, there needs to be a limit. The Mouse and Keyboard are more accurate than a controller, but for how long with assist on a controller? A lot of the settings can really ramp it up to 11.

Other Modern Warfare 3 articles.