During the 2024 Summer Game Fest live showcase, Riot Games announced the upcoming release of VALORANT on consoles, unveiling a new feature called Focus, which aims to balance the shooting experience for console players.
During the VALORANT console announcement, product director Arnar Gylfason emphasized Riot’s goal to provide a similar gameplay experience for both console and PC players while acknowledging the challenges in replicating the precise and competitive nature of VALORANT on different platforms. One of the challenges in achieving this is adapting the hipfire and ADS mechanics for controllers—but Focus aims to address this.
What is Focus in VALORANT?
Focus is a new feature in VALORANT, designed specifically for the console version. Unlike aim assist, Focus aids players in hip aiming, addressing the unique challenges of console shooting mechanics.
This feature is crucial for Riot to replicate the same gameplay experience on consoles as on PCs while ensuring competitive integrity and gameplay consistency across all platforms.
How does Focus in VALORANT work?
Focus is a new shooting mode that mimics hipfire, reducing controller sensitivity while active. Players use hipfire on PC for quick movements, such as peeking corners or dodging utility. But it’s difficult to replicate the same movements on controllers—which is where Focus comes in.
Focus allows players to maintain speed when moving their camera to aim quickly, while also gaining precision for accurate shots. Basically, your aim is more precise without the aid of a scope or ADS in general.
Once players start testing VALORANT on consoles, more details about the Focus feature will be revealed. We’ll be sure to update this article as soon as we know more. Limited beta testing for VALORANT on consoles begins on June 14 in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Europe, and Japan.