PS3 Counter-Strike: GO Gets Added Control Options, Cross-Platform Play

Valve has revealed that the PS3 edition of the upcoming Counter-Strike: Global Offensive will feature support for keyboard and mouse controls, as well as the Move motion controller. The extra control options should help level the playing field for planned cross-platform play between the PS3 and PC/Mac versions of the title, which Valve tells Kotaku it is "striving to include in the game." Valve also included Steamworks-powered cross-platform play in the PS3 version of April's Portal 2. Though the PS3 supports most standard USB and bluetooth keyboards and mice, Unreal Tournament 3 is one of the only PS3 shooters to include support for the controls, which are preferred by many PC players. Sony has been trying to promote the Move as an enhanced control option for first-person shooters, adding support for the device in February's Killzone 3 and even releasing a gun-shaped Move-holding peripheral designed for shooters. Valve is also striving to open the Counter-Strike experience to franchise novices, with a new "Casual mode" that allows for unlimited weapon purchases, open voice chat between teams and the option to spectate a member of the opposing team after death. The company will allow players to host their own servers for Counter-Strike: GO, though Valve's own servers will be the only ones that allow for matchmaking based on centrally tracked ELO skill levels. A PC-only beta test for Counter-Strike: GO is being planned planning for October, with attendees at this weekend's Penny Arcade Expo and next month's Eurogamer Expo receiving vouchers for access.