Race Event Console HUGE DISADVANTAGE console will never beat PC WHOLE COMMUNITY support

To Grinding Gear Games,

It is both baffling and disappointing that Path of Exile 2—a game heavily marketed towards expanding its console player base—has been structured in such a way that guarantees an unfair advantage for PC players in competitive events. The upcoming race event is a clear example of this oversight, making it evident that console players were not considered when designing a balanced competitive environment.

The fundamental disparities between PC and console in terms of input speed, menu navigation, and micro-management capabilities make a direct competition between these platforms inherently unfair. Let’s break down the advantages PC has:

Faster skill allocation: Keyboard and mouse allow near-instant allocation, whereas controllers are slow and imprecise in comparison. PC can literally move, hover, and choose skill to what keybind. Console HAS to PAUSE and manually go to each button and input skill. This is a RIDICULOUS advantage.

Faster skill locating: Searching for gems, items, or passives is significantly easier with a mouse than with a controller’s sluggish interface. PC can EASILY type in name of gem saving a magntidue of time. They can also go straight to a specific gem without having to travel through all the gems to get to the one. There user interface also is designed completely different than console which allows even faster allocation. Where talking a race and every second counts.

Faster load times: PC hardware naturally leads to quicker transitions between zones, a crucial factor in a race event. CLEAR ADVANTAGE

Map manipulation: PC players can freely move the map while navigating the campaign, a luxury console players do not have. UNNATURAL ADVANTAGE

Faster shopping: Quick vendor interactions all give PC an enormous speed edge over controllers. They don't have to manually scroll to the item they can quickly go to specific item and hover.
The most important part of upgrading gear will be vendoring and PC will ALWAYS ALWAYS I REPEAT ALWAYS BE FASTER. Disrespect of an advantage.

Expecting console players to compete under these conditions is like hosting a track race where one group runs on pavement while the other trudges through knee-deep mud. Not only does this make a mockery of the competition, but it also sends a clear message: Console players are second-class citizens in PoE2.

To make matters worse, this isn’t a case of simple oversight—it’s a fundamental disregard for fairness. Console players, who were a major target for PoE2’s expanded audience, now find themselves set up for failure in the very first major competitive event. Imagine selling tickets to a high-stakes poker tournament but only giving half the players a full deck of cards while the others get a deck missing half the face cards. That’s the level of imbalance we’re looking at here.

If GGG truly respects its console player base, immediate action needs to be taken. There are only two reasonable solutions:

1. Implement mouse and keyboard support on consoles – If console players had the same input precision, this issue would be significantly reduced.


2. Separate PC and console race brackets – If the game cannot be balanced between platforms, the only fair solution is to ensure they don’t compete against each other.



Failing to address this issue is more than an oversight—it’s blatant disrespect toward the very community GGG claimed to be prioritizing. To introduce cross-platform races in this condition is nothing short of a slap in the face to console players who invested their time, money, and trust into Path of Exile 2.

This isn’t just about one race—it’s about the precedent it sets. If competitive integrity matters at all to GGG, this needs to be addressed now, not after the damage has already been done.

Sincerely,
[A Frustrated and Rightfully Angry Console Community]

Yes. <3

I also believe that it is necessary to have two separate ladders, one for PC players and another for console players, just like it already happens in PoE1.

Will couch co-op on a shared account/screen be able to play the upcoming race?
I would like to see in the future a ladder or leaderboard for couch co-op shared screen. Since it has its own challenges to deal with. A couch co-op SSF league would be pretty cool too.

the Pause during opening inventory it s the worst! why?

I basically gave the same rundown. I practiced a speed run not really thinking about PC. I gave about the same run as the top players through act one just add in all the pause game item magement. I thought I was doing so bad until I watched the winning players in my class of choice. They should separate the kids and give each their own toy. Not saying the winners don't deserve their wins. We just can't compete with them in any sort of way

Agree 100%. Console should have separate prize pool.

Not a cockroach. I Agree