Windows 8.1 creates mouse-control problems for gamers

Gamers who upgraded their PCs to Windows 8.1 are enduring mouse-control problems that affect their ability to play, a problem Microsoft acknowledged this week.

Windows 8.1 causes a subpar mouse performance for video games under certain circumstances and problem reports have been pouring into Microsoft’s tech support site, where affected users are actively discussing the issues on multiple threads.

On Wednesday, a Microsoft representative expressed gratitude for the information gamers have provided, which will be useful for troubleshooting, but admitted that the company hasn’t yet found a solution.

“First off, we want to thank our gaming community for the detailed feedback many of you have provided on these issues. While we don’t have a date yet for the release of a fix, we are working to get these issues resolved as quickly as possible,” wrote a Microsoft forum moderator identified as Naman R.

The Microsoft official added that the mouse problems people are experiencing are varied and manifest themselves in different ways depending on the game being played, mouse input methods and other elements. Microsoft has categorized them as “mouse lag” issues.

Problems include mouse jitters, which causes the cursor to jump forward and back; scale disparity, where the distance the cursor moves on the screen doesn’t match the distance the mouse moves; and inadequate mouse polling frequency, which affects speed and reaction time.

“For these situations, check the game settings. If the game supports raw input from the mouse, enabling it may solve the issue,” the official wrote.

:story: PCWorld