Since the release of Call of Duty: Warzone fans have debated the advantages of mouse and keyboard over controller play in the game. Considering most of the console community uses controllers as their primary input device, several fans have voiced serious concerns about the fairness between the devices.
One Warzone YouTuber decided to test the theory that if a player uses a controller on PC, they can get the advantages of PC, but be paired against lobbies mostly made of console players.
Youtuber JackFrags used the website COD Tracker to trace his match information as he tried a varying combination between controller and mouse and keyboard matchmaking. He started by doing ten trios matches with a controller on PC in Warzone and queued in alone with fill turned on. After entering the lobby and quitting the match ten times, he switched input devices and did it again with a mouse and keyboard.
In nine out of ten lobbies where he used a controller and queued alone, he found himself in lobbies dominated by console players. He found that only 5% of the lobby was PC players, and that was across all ten games. When he queued using mouse and keyboard on PC he found that the lobby was over 50% PC players across all matches. That is around ten times more PC players each match.
With the Call of Duty: Warzone community constantly talking about skill-based matchmaking, the crossplay discussion has gone silent. Regardless of whether or not there is skill-based matchmaking, fans can rest easy knowing that players are being matched based on input devices. Regardless of mouse and keyboard’s advantage over controllers, a majority of each game will be made up of similar input devices.
JackFrags assured fans that once a player commits to an input device and enters a match, they can’t switch halfway through. Trying to switch inputs will prompt players to return to the main menu and change their input settings.
This does nothing to prove whether mouse and keyboard or controller performs better in Warzone. It does, however, give players some insight into how the matchmaking system functions in Warzone and a level of reassurance for a fair and balanced match.
Call of Duty: Warzone is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
