Threads
- Razer Snap Tap proved to be a controversial addition to CS2 and was eventually banned by Valve.
- Not every professional CS2 player was happy with this move, leaving the community divided.
- Future innovations, such as Snap Tap, might lead to a similar situation again.
CS2 has one of the most active communities in gaming. Being one of the most popular games on PC’s largest storefront, CS2 has also established a thriving community of professional players, many of whom have been avid fans of the series for multiple decades.
These players are skilled, dedicated, and very adaptive to new technologies. This is perhaps why many were quick to speak in favor of Razor’s Snap Tap, but Valve eventually banned the technology. This decision left the community divided, with plenty of pro players arguing in favor of and against the ban.
Why it matters: CS2 is one of the world’s most popular competitive games, so Valve is very careful when a technology like Razer Snap Tap poses a threat to the delicate balance of the series’ competitive integrity.
Pro Settings And Gear
Professional players typically make use of any and every advantage possible. Their setup ranges from high-refresh-rate monitors to low-latency mice, and some players even use mechanical keyboards with customizable actuation points.
Because of their documented settings and preferences, aspiring CS2 players and fans can find a full breakdown of the setups and configurations of CS2 pros online for additional details.
As for Snap Tap, it led to the game prioritizing the last directional key, eliminating input conflicts that would stop movement mid-game. This meant that professional players were able to better counter-strafe and transition more effectively in high-level matches.
Valve’s Argument
The developer has argued that Snap Tap contradicts the core purpose of preserving skill and reaction time. As per the company, this feature blurred the line between player skill and technology assistance.
Valve even went after other automated inputs, such as jump-throw bounds for grenades. The company was quite firm in its decision and even went so far as to ban the use of SnapTap on official servers.
As expected, not everyone was on board with this decision, and the pros found themselves divided by the announcement.
A Split In The Community
Players like Robin “Roz” Kool were among those in favor of the ban, stating that Snap Tap ruined CS2’s core focus on skill-based gameplay.
However, others were not so happy. A player like jL stated that he used snap tap by mistake, and many were upset that their time spent practicing grenade lineups with jump-throw bounds had gone to waste.
Some players also argued that professional players never needed a technology like Snap Tap in the first place. Ultimately, the CS2 community had more than a few opinions on Valve’s decision.
Evolving Gaming Hardware
Despite its controversial nature, Snap Tap encouraged others, such as Wooting and SteelSeries, to follow suit. The technology also highlighted the need for more complex control schemes and inputs in modern peripherals.
Although companies like Valve will continue to monitor new introductions like Snap Tap carefully moving forward, there is still a debate to be had about the legitimacy of using assist-like tools in competitive gameplay.
CS2 players have certainly had more than a few things to say about Snap Tap and will likely continue doing so for any future technologies that change the competitive dynamic of their beloved game.
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[News Reporter]
Avinash is currently pursuing a Business degree in Australia. For more than three years, he has been working as a gaming journalist, utilizing his writing skills and love for gaming to report on the latest updates in the industry. Avinash loves to play action games like Devil May Cry and has also been mentioned on highly regarded websites, such as IGN, GamesRadar, GameRant, Dualshockers, CBR, and Gamespot.
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