ESL plans to revise the rules on the use of peripherals at championships

ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) ecosystem director Mark Winter has announced possible changes to the company's policy on the use of peripherals at championships. He acknowledged the inconsistency of the current rules and said that company officials are discussing possible changes. This topic is of interest because it could affect many teams and tournaments in the world of eSports.

Background

ESL has always remained committed to certain standards regarding peripherals, with no clear list of allowed or banned devices. However, with the introduction of new features on devices from companies like Wooting and Razer, there is a need to revise the rules.

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Snap Tap feature issue

A major point of discussion has been the "Snap Tap" feature on Razer's Huntsman V3 Pro keyboard. This feature allows pressing two directional keys in succession to register the activation of the second key as the priority key, eliminating the delay in movement. Robin "ropz" Kool from FaZe requested that this keyboard be banned from championships, considering its function similar to null-binds, which are banned at tournaments, including ESL.

Judges' opinions

However, Michau Slowinski, head of ESL judges, explained on Site X that the Hunstman V3 Pro was allowed for the German organizer's competitions, such as the recently held Esports World Cup 2024. Despite this, Mark Winter emphasized that ESL is discussing possible policy changes.

"ESL's policy on peripherals remains unchanged. We don't have a list of allowed or banned devices, and our stance has been that way even before new features from Wooting, Razer, etc.," said Mark Winter. He also added: "As for null-binds, they were never listed as banned scripts in our rules. We realize that this could lead to some inconsistencies, so we are discussing possible changes to our rules for the future."

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Importance of the changes

While specific rule changes have yet to be determined, ESL is set to host one of the premier tournaments in the Counter-Strike world, IEM Cologne, from August 7-18. The introduction of new rules could significantly affect future tournaments and the teams participating in them, making this an important topic for the entire eSports community.