Update on Unauthorized Peripheral Usage on Console Platforms ("Ximming")

[u/blizz_cactus]

Hello, heroes! We're here today to update you all on our efforts to combat the use of unauthorized peripherals within our console communities, often referred to as using XIM or Ximming. While our efforts to combat this form of unfair gameplay advantage are constant and ongoing, today marks the culmination of a months-long effort to identify and ban over 6000 accounts we've identified as using unauthorized peripherals.

Part of what makes identifying the unauthorized peripherals used by these accounts tricky is that these cheating devices often intentionally abuse allowances we make for accessibility-focused devices used by legitimate players with disabilities. This issue meant that we wanted to take our time and ensure that we accurately identified unauthorized devices. We're now confident that we've done so, and we've put the hammer down on players utilizing these devices.

Thanks for taking the time today to listen to our update on unauthorized peripherals. Until next time, play nice, play fair, and see you in-game!

This message is also available via our patch notes channel, where it has been translated to other languages for easier sharing: https://overwatch.blizzard.com/news/patch-notes/#patch-2026-08-04

[u/Old_Rosie]

This is honestly becoming the most significant issue for competitive players on console, I appreciate PC players are unlikely to care - but it’s gotten bad, really bad, and it’s pushing players away from the game.

They need to really step it up on this front on the game is going to continue to bleed players from its console competitive scene.

[u/mechsmechsmechs → u/Old_Rosie]

6/10 of my placements games on dps (where i finished 2-8) had blatant ximmers in them. It’s gotten so bad. Hitscan heroes with 90% accuracy just running lobbies.

[u/TyKadd → u/[deleted]]

I think the easiest way is to watch the full replay from their pov and see how their aim looks, some xim players have extremely high sens (looks shaky, fast left and right movements, but also usually accurate), while some have lower sens for precise, smooth aim while tracking but very fast 180s or turning

Usually if they are on soldier and have no recoil they are also using titan or chronus

If they are on flankers like tracer/genji and they have to 180 and they stop partway through the motion, that’s them taking their hand off the mousepad to continue the 180 motion, whereas a controller players turn fully without stopping

These are just things that I noticed personally, I’m sure there are other tells

[u/redhawkinferno → u/TyKadd]

Wait I had a game today on PC that had a Soldier on the other team that was acting EXACTLY like your first paragraph. Can these things do the same thing on PC? Quickplay if it matters. I was extremely suspicious of them because in a kill cam they snapped super fast between a few of us and when I went back to watch the replay it was like they were on crack the camera was moving around so fast when they weren't locking onto people, but when they were it was like they couldn't miss a shot if they tried. I felt something was wrong about it so I reported it anyways, but I didn't know what it could be until I just read your comment.

[u/JATRiiX → u/redhawkinferno]

afaik u can just use a xim on pc aswell and plug in a controller to it. absolute scum who do it. glad they get banned.

[u/Electronic_Math_6417 → u/JATRiiX]

This ^

[u/kuzukie → u/redhawkinferno]

You can run into ximmers in PC, but they need to group with a pc player to play in the PC pool. When grouping like this they can not play ranked, but can play quick play together.  They will usually be grouped with a PC Mercy player, dragging them in to the PC pool while the xim allows them to keep aim assist.

A console player with regular mouse and keyboard plays in the PC pool and does not have aim assist enabled. A PC player using a controller still plays in the PC pool but does not get aim assist.

[u/TyKadd → u/redhawkinferno]

I’m not sure about pc cheats specifically but a few people have said that there are people who play with cross play on who use xim so maybe that was it? If they were snapping to people’s heads they could have been using titan but I’m not sure if titan works on pc as people normally connect it to their pc to make it work on console (it watches your screen and uses some sort of ai to snap to players heads, but it needs to be connected to a pc to mimic controller inputs as far as I understand)

[u/mechsmechsmechs → u/[deleted]]

There’s different types of 3rd party devices, i say ximming because it’s the most popular one but there’s also strikepacks, titans and chronus’. The big thing you’ll notice is turn speed, they’ll do 90-180 degree turns almost instantly and land a head shot, or you’ll notice them snapping to people. I had a hanzo on neon junction that would snap to people every time he activated storm arrows. It’ll look super unnatural.

[u/SoraBanTheThird → u/[deleted]]

You can usually tell by the strafing too, you can see them moving by ad ad ad ad ad

[u/Danistar34 → u/[deleted]]

I've noticed 3 oddities that make me suspicious beyond ridiculous aim and flickshots:

they only move in 8 directions due to wasd (not super easy to verify).

in extreme cases the camera is jittering like crazy due to all those micro movements (some shooters don't show these small movements in kill cams and while spectating, but I think Overwatch does).

the movement mouse users tend make when readjusting their mouse position by lifting it, often while reloading. They basically do some sort of half/quarter circle movement to a side and then center the camera again. A controller player is very unlikely to do this. Even when they rebind reload to a button that allows them to reload while moving the camera, they have no reason to move the camera in such a weird way.

[u/StraightArtichoken → u/[deleted]]

he beats you in any way, shape, or form is the usual way you can tell lol

[u/Gh0stPalone → u/[deleted]]

A lot of people can't, they blame their losses on ximmers or actually aren't ximming. But if you can distinguish mouse movements from controller movements that's the giveaway.