The debate over aim assist in Fortnite for controller players doesn’t seem to be going away, as top streamers NICKMERCS and DrLupo discussed the issue again while playing together.
Ben ‘DrLupo’ Lupo, a keyboard and mouse player, and Nick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff, a controller player, disagree on the effectiveness or ‘strength’ of aim assist when using a controller.
The controversy really began after top Fortnite streamer Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins argued that players using a controller when playing on PC shouldn’t have aim assist at all, claiming it gives them an advantage.
Ninja believes that aim assist just “shouldn’t be a thing”, when playing on PC servers specifically, and that it would be better balanced with all players, regardless of input, on the same footing.
NICKMERCS, 100 Thieves member and one of the very best controller players was one of the first to strongly and publicly disagree, saying “Anybody with a brain – they know that controller players, in the grand scheme of things, are at huge disadvantage when it comes to the game of Fortnite.”
And he has doubled down on this statement when debating the issue with DrLupo. “You’ve got people like [Ninja] saying it shouldn’t even be a thing, implying that it might be unfair to PC pro players – are you guys fucking insane?!”
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DrLupo responded by saying that Ninja’s view doesn’t represent the entire PC Fortnite community, but NICKMERCS was unwavering in his argument.
“There is a couple of bandwagoners who wave the flag that they think aim assist is so overpowered, that controller players actually have an advantage!”
Lupo, still seemingly unconvinced, says he has tried Fortnite on a controller, but Kolcheff said he needs to try it for a few days, “because I’m telling you, it’s not what you guys make it seem.”
The 100 Thieves member then pulled up an example of mouse tracking, exclaiming that such movement simply isn’t possible with a controller stick.
You can watch NICKMERCS and DrLupo’s full debate on Fortnite aim assist in the video below, starting at the 1:50 minute mark.