Controller and keyboard-mouse remaps need independent saving

What it is

Device-specific profiles save mapping schemes, sensitivity values, dead zones, and assistance options separately for controller, keyboard-mouse, and other input devices, rather than sharing one set of data across them. This addresses a problem neither complete remapping nor conflict detection covers: even when each device's mapping is complete and free of system conflicts, compressing those settings into one shared configuration means one device's optimal setting directly overwrites another's; device-specific profiles let a player switch devices on the same account without redoing a full setup every time.

Why it happens

Devices differ in genuine physical ways: how many buttons are available, the hand posture required, pointing precision, and which parameters are even adjustable — dead zone and sensitivity mean almost nothing for keyboard-mouse but are core parameters for a controller's stick. Forcing these fundamentally different settings into one shared configuration inevitably produces bindings invalid on the current device, misleading prompts, or a preference tuned for one device quietly lost — players end up experiencing "switching devices" as "relearning how to play," which defeats the entire purpose of offering multi-device support in the first place. Separate device profiles preserve the muscle memory built up on each device individually, while still letting a player's progress, the meaning behind actions, and other device-independent settings be shared between devices — the line to draw clearly is between what belongs to a device's physical characteristics, which should be saved independently, and what belongs to a player's actual progress, which should be shared.

Where it stops holding

What should genuinely be shared across devices is the name and meaning of an action, accessibility design intent, and shared cross-device mechanisms like cloud sync — not every individual physical parameter value. Drawing this line wrong either lets a dead-zone value tuned for one device get overwritten by another, or wrongly splits progress that should have stayed shared apart by device. When a player switches directly from one device to another mid-session — controller to keyboard-mouse, say — the on-screen prompt for the currently active device must update immediately to match the new device's actual keys; "each device saves its settings independently" is never an excuse to leave a stale prompt for the previous device sitting on screen.

Applying it

• Store mapping, sensitivity, dead zone, and device-specific assistance settings separately by device type, and always clearly indicate on screen which profile is currently active.
• The moment a player hot-switches devices mid-session, immediately update prompts, the active configuration, and conflict-detection results, while keeping the full saved history for both devices intact — neither should be lost because of the switch.
• How to check: configure a controller and a keyboard-mouse setup separately, then alternate through restarting the game, cloud sync, and mid-session hot switching; confirm that changing one device's settings never unexpectedly overwrites the other device's saved configuration.

Related

• Same group: W3.04.1 Remapping must cover every actionable key, not only common ones · W3.04.2 Some chord mappings conflict with system shortcuts and need detection · W3.04.4 A hidden remapping entry lets the default layout deter players
• Nearby: W3.09 Coexisting multiple input devices · W3.03 Control mapping · K Platforms and device forms
• Search terms: device-specific profiles · controller profile · input switching · control settings