"Fortnite" is getting new gyro controls and a flick stick for the PS4, PS5, and PC, as per a recent announcement by Epic Games.
According to The Verge, the gyro controls will now allow PS4 and PS5 owners (alongside controller users on PC) to aim just by tilting their controllers towards their enemies, which can massively improve aim and movement precision if combined by traditional aiming with the right stick.
Before this, gyro controls have only existed on the Nintendo Switch and Android versions of the massively popular battle royale game.
Aside from gyro, a new option called Flick Stick will allow controller users to flick the camera in one direction with the same speed as when you're using a mouse. This project was in collaboration with Julian "Jibb" Smart, who is widely known as the creator of Flick Stick.
Epic Games recently posted the directions on how to turn on the gyro controls in-game on their website. All you need to do is go to Settings > Touch and Motion, then toggle the Gyro Aiming option on or off. But there are far more options that can greatly improve precision aiming.
For one, players can toggle two different "Active Mode" settings for combat and building. Toggling the active combat mode will enable you to use gyro while in combat, but there are even more sub-options:
- Scope only will mean the gyro is active only when using scoped weapons like sniper rifles
- Scope or aiming means gyro controls will be used when aiming all weapons
- Scope, aiming, harvesting mode will turn on gyro for aiming all weapons and swinging your harvest tool
- Always will keep gyro on no matter what happens.
As for Flick Stick, you can also turn it on with a simple toggle in the Touch and Motion settings.
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Why Gyro Controls Are A BIG Deal In 'Fortnite'
There's been a long-standing debate between which control scheme is the best when playing a fast-paced, highly competitive shooter like "Fortnite": controller or mouse and keyboard. Most gamers will swear by the latter for the quick but precise movements you can do with a mouse, and they'd be right: it is far easier to perform precision actions like aiming when using a mouse.
In the case of gyro aiming, some are now claiming that it can be the best way to play a shooter. This is the argument posited by YouTuber GhostRobo in a video that features another shooter, "Wolfenstein 2," which offers gyro controls on the Nintendo Switch:
However, the problem with his argument is that "Wolfenstein 2" isn't a competitive shooter. It's a single-player experience where you're only fighting computer-controlled enemies.
Here is another video from the creator of Flick Stick, Jibb Smart, which compares gyro, stick, and mouse aiming in terms of accuracy:
As per his findings, gyro aiming was neck and neck with the mouse in terms of accuracy (77% vs. 81%), while stick aiming was at a paltry 64%. Basically, what this means is that more folks playing "Fortnite" on the PS4, PS5, and PC will see their aim with a controller further improve in a shorter span of time.
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Story posted on GameNGuide
Written by RJ Pierce
