Players are already getting banned from the Valorant closed console beta for using mouse and keyboard. The Valorant console beta currently only supports controllers, so anyone detected to be using a mouse and keyboard via an adapter is getting automatically banned, thanks to Riot Games anti-cheat software.
A video shared on X (formerly Twitter) by a user named Anti-Cheat Police Department showed a console Valorant match abruptly end, with a red screen appearing stating that a cheater had been detected. This resulted in the match being canceled and the cheater being banned. In a Reddit comment, Valorant tech lead Marcus Reid confirmed that Valorant’s anti-cheat would detect anyone using a XIM device or a similar device and ban them.
Good ol’ “Cheater detected” red screen appeared for the first time on console! yeah that’s right, Riot’s Vanguard bans MnK abusers. pic.twitter.com/z9cyuRI5LU
— Anti-Cheat Police Department 🕵️ (@AntiCheatPD) June 15, 2024
XIM is an adapter that allows you to plug in a mouse and keyboard to your console and have it recognized as a controller. Not only does this allow players to use a mouse and keyboard in controller-only matchmaking, but it gives an additional advantage since any aim assist in the game will also work on mouse and keyboard, since the game thinks it’s a controller. Naturally this leads to many players using the device in controller-only lobbies on console to give themselves an advantage, with cheaters running rampant in many competitive shooters on console.
The head of anti-cheat at Riot Games Phillip Koskinas shared the video on X writing, “a satisfied first customer.” While the Valorant console beta has only been live for under a week, it seems as though its anti-cheat is already working as intended. The Valorant console beta is ongoing, but you can still sign up for a chance to play on Valorant’s official website.
