Not long after Razer released the feature in its Huntsman V3 keyboard lines, Valve has banned Snap Tap in a new CS2 update. Snap Tap was a feature that removed human error from counter-strafing, giving players the advantage in gunfights. To say it was controversial is an understatement, although many players appeared to already be using Snap Tap in the CS2 esports scene to gain a competitive edge.
Valve bans Snap Tap from CS2
Credit: Razer
Valve has acted fast to lay down the law on Snap Tap before its usage became too widespread in the game. The new CS2 update released last evening confirmed that “players suspected of automating multiple player actions from a single game input may be kicked from their match,” with Valve advising players with the Snap Tap feature on their keyboard to disable it before entering a match. Imporantly, these changes will only take effect on Valve Official Servers, so FACEIT CS2 players can still use their keyboard feature for now.
Overall, the Snap Tap ban has been well-received by the community. Many felt it lowered the skill ceiling of CS2, removing a key part of players’ development process. Considering it was only available on a specific keyboard line, it was also pretty pay-to-win, which is entirely against the competitive integrity of CS2.
Jump Throw binds banned in new CS2 update
As a result of Snap Tap’s ban in the new CS2 update, there has been one more massive casualty caught in the crossfire. CS2 jump throw binds have also been banned from Valve Official Servers, “to prevent accidental infractions” as the game detects multiple inputs simultaneously. Mirage CT-side window players are eating well for the foreseeable future, as the amount of missed window smokes from Ts will be crazy.
Jump throw binds are a staple of high-level Counter-Strike, so their removal has not gone down well with the community. Utility usage at the top level will be chaos, and Valve’s decision to make the change just two days before the beginning of the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 Closed Qualifiers could prove to be extremely chaotic.
VacNet 3.0 now testing
At the bottom of today’s CS2 update patch notes, Valve announced that “initial testing of VacNet 3.0 has begun on a limited set of matches.” While it isn’t clear exactly what this means, it’s good to see some movement towards solving CS2’s cheating problem. It’ll likely be some time before we see the full benefits of this come to fruition.
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