‘Rainbow Six Siege’ uses lag to sabotage mouse-wielding console players

Ubisoft has rolled out MouseTrap, a feature that cracks down on Rainbow Six Siege players who use mouse and keyboard setups on console by making their games increasingly laggy.

In a blog post, Ubisoft claimed that players using “input spoofing devices” – which allow them to use mouse and keyboard on console versions – have “an unfair advantage” against those playing the game with a controller.

The studio went on to reveal that MouseTrap, a feature designed to counter input spoofers, has secretly been observing games in Rainbow Six Siege for “several seasons” and is now ready to be rolled out.

Designed to detect input spoofers, MouseTrap will issue penalties to those it manages to pick up. This penalty will apply higher latency (lag) to detected users, making it harder to shoot rival players while it’s active. If players continue to use their mouse, the amount of lag they’re issued is slowly increased, while it will be gradually removed if they return to using a controller.

Get more intel on the MouseTrap feature coming to consoles this April in Operation Commanding Force. We are excited to improve the fairness of Siege, with a special focus on our high rank environment!

Learn more here: https://t.co/n0Wun2lrLT pic.twitter.com/KPXEZGzWoJ

— Rainbow Six Siege (@Rainbow6Game) March 6, 2023

“We are releasing something new and innovative with MouseTrap,” explained Ubisoft. “However, it’s still an experimental solution. Our objective is to restore a true balance between competition and skill, while increasing the fairness of Rainbow Six Siege and convey a positive experience for all players. We are committed to analyzing the results, improving the detection and tweaking the penalties in future seasons.”

Ubisoft has also noted that “not all players will be penalised” and explained that the higher a player’s rank, the more likely they are to be hit with a penalty.

Additionally, the studio said that it has worked with an accessibility group to reduce the risks of disabled players being punished for using adaptive technology, and confirmed that there will be an in-game QR code that can be used to contact support if it does happen.

Last month, Ubisoft announced that shield operators in Rainbow Six Siege will be receiving a rework, along with underperforming attacker Grim.

In other gaming news, the executive producer for Riot Games’ upcoming League Of Legends MMO has left the company.