No matter which shooter it is, one topic has been controversially discussed in recent years: aim assist on controllers. Currently, however, two games show that there is a better way: Horizon Forbidden West and Fortnite. And this with a feature that has been around for over 15 years.
Even though protagonist Aloy appears in both games, there are actually few similarities between Horizon Forbidden West and Fortnite. Nevertheless, both games are focusing this week on a feature that has so far received little attention in AAA games.
In Fortnite, it is called gyro aiming; in Horizon it is referred to as motion aiming. Generally, it is known as gyro-aiming.
What is gyro-aiming? Gyro-aiming refers to aiming in shooters using movements from the controller. It is almost as precise as using a mouse. Therefore, games with gyro-aim can do without the controversial and often disliked aim assist.
This feature could be the future of console shooters. We will tell you why the current development is promising, and why it is probably still too early for boundless enthusiasm.
Gyro aiming can be as precise as the mouse, completely without aim assist
Which games use gyro-aim? Nintendo in particular relies on gyro-aim. Whether in Zelda or Splatoon, in Nintendo games on the Switch, Wii U, or even the 3DS, you can move your crosshair not only with an analog stick, but also by tilting the controller itself.
This is now possible on PS4 and PS5 too, in Fortnite and Horizon Forbidden West. How this looks in motion is shown to you by the developer behind Fortnite’s gyro aiming in his official video:
How good is gyro-aim? The video shows how strong aiming with motion controls can be. With a bit of practice, you can support the rough movements of a controller stick with the gyro and compensate for the biggest disadvantages.
Players can achieve a level of precision that far exceeds simple sticks and can even keep up with a mouse (via YouTube). And all this without aim assist.
Motion aiming like in Horizon Forbidden West and Fortnite becoming more popular with gamers
Why is gyro-aim so good? The strengths of gyro-aiming are literally evident to many players: Analog sticks are basically not precise enough for shooter action. Therefore, console shooters rely on all aim assist.
Since cross-play has become established, forcing controller players to often compete with mouse aimers, aim assist has become a massive controversy.
Aim assist would reward bad players, so it is said in the CoD community. And in games like Halo, completely average controller players are at least as good as the top 100 mouse players thanks to the friendly support of aim assist.
Gyro support thus bridges the gap between controllers and mice. The sticks are used for quick turns of the character, while controller movements are used for precise aiming and shooting. Therefore, aim assist can easily be dispensed with, which games like Splatoon or now Fortnite also do.
How popular is gyro-aim? If you watch the best Splatoon pros playing, you quickly realize why this feature is so popular among shooter fans on consoles. Because despite the fast movement of small characters, short time-to-kill, and the complete absence of aim assist, aiming works flawlessly.
Thanks to gyro-aim, Splatoon players easily rack up kills without excessive body movements:
When Fortnite announced it was bringing improved gyro aiming to the PS4 and PS5, the reaction in the games subreddit was extremely positive:
- “If gyro-aiming were to take off, aim assist for controllers could become redundant and finally provide more balance between controllers and mice,” thinks Exceed_SC2.
- ShadowStealer7 says: “I really hope that other developers also copy this from Fortnite, as it would benefit everyone in any console shooter.”
- Jamsa writes: “Nintendo proved many, many years ago with Splatoon that gyro-aiming is the right way in a competitive shooter. It’s crazy that it took so long for another AAA game to understand this, but I am glad that it’s finally happening.”
Fortnite YouTubers are currently overflowing with praise, even comparing it exaggeratedly to an aimbot.
Many players clearly see gyro-aim as the future of console shooters and hope that it becomes established and eventually replaces aim assist.
But if it is viewed so positively, why is gyro-aim present in so few games? There are both technical and “cultural” reasons for this.
Motion control is associated with bad Wii games
Motion aiming is not a new concept: The Sixaxis, the controller for PS3, had the same technology over 15 years ago – even the name of the controller is a reference to the gyro. The option to use it for aiming was not available back then. In Uncharted 1, you were allowed to throw your grenades this way; in Killzone 2, you needed to keep the controller still while sniping.
Even today, this feature is practically nonexistent on PlayStation. On PS5, the excellent Astro Bot was a rare exception. Only Horizon Forbidden West and Fortnite are following suit now.
Why do so few games have gyro-aim? The reason for this reluctance to offer gyro-aim is mainly due to the community’s attitude. They associate motion control mainly with Wii games, in which you had to flail wildly and imprecisely for every little thing. However, you only need small wrist movements for gyro-aiming to be significantly more precise.
It is also relevant that many players fear the transition. At first, gyro-aiming can be a bit overwhelming because you need to keep the controller still and also prefer a good posture in front of the monitor and TV.
In Splatoon, players were even upset that you cannot turn off gyro in the tutorial – while the advantages are so great that every known pro plays only with motion control.
Another reason why gyro will probably not prevail for now is the Xbox controller. Unlike the PS5 and Switch controllers, it does not have a gyrometer built in, so it does not support this technology.
Developers of large, cross-platform shooters will therefore rarely invest the extra work to offer good gyro-aiming. Because players with Xbox controllers will only be able to use sticks with aim assist.
All these reasons ensure that gyro-aiming will likely remain an exception for the time being rather than becoming the new standard. However, the fact that two major games have joined the exceptions this week gives many console players great hope.
If you play on Xbox and want to get the best out of your Elite controller despite the lack of gyro, we recommend the following article: I greatly improved my Xbox Elite Controller with just 25 €
