Fortnite Brings Epic Gyro Controls And Flick Stick To PS5 And PC, Here's How It Works
Have you played Splatoon or Splatoon 2? Those games have nothing to do with Fortnite; don't get excited for an Inkling skin (as cute as that would be). However, those games are widely lauded for their excellent integration of gyro aiming in a third-person shooter. For those unfamiliar, gyro aiming lets you move the controller to make subtle adjustments to your aim. It doesn't replace the analog sticks, but rather augments them.
We're not necessarily willing to wholly endorse this sentiment, but a lot of people have made the claim that gyro aiming resolves the imprecision inherent to using a relative input device, like an analog stick, for aiming input. This writer has tested it on the Nintendo Switch (in both Splatoon 2 and Doom) and also using the Steampad, and while it's certainly an improvement on using the analog stick alone, he'll prefer to stick with his mouse, for now.
Still, there's a ton of PC gamers who prefer to play with gamepads—to say nothing of console gamers who have fewer choices of input devices. For those folks, gyro aiming is a welcome boon, and it came to Fortnite on PC and PlayStation 5 in the v19.30 update today.
Fortnite's gyro controls were apparently tuned by YouTuber Jibb Smart, who has a video on the topic, embedded above. Jibb is known among alternative input enthusiasts for popularizing the "flick stick" setup, which basically combines precise gyro input with an extremely high stick sensitivity, allowing you to use your analog stick for crude adjustments while you aim carefully with the gyro. It definitely takes some getting used to, but we can attest that it does work well.
Of course, that's not the only thing in Fortnite's v19.30 update. The other big change this patch is that the mode selection screen on the PC and console versions has been removed. When you load in, you'll drop directly to the Battle Royale lobby, but don't worry: Save the World and Creative modes haven't been removed, just moved. You can find them under the "Change" button above the "PLAY!" button.
The update is out now, so Fortnite players just need to make sure their copy of the game has downloaded the patch and they can login to try out the new input method. Make sure your controller supports gyro input; Xbox and PC-native controllers generally don't. You'll need a PlayStation controller, the Steam pad, or a Switch-compatible pad like the 8bitdo SN30 Pro (just $44 on Amazon) to support the function.
