Cronus Zens
Cronus Zen vs XIM Matrix
Pick the XIM Matrix if you play console shooters with a mouse and keyboard and want XIM’s aim translation, tuned and shared from a phone app. Pick the Cronus Zen if you want scripts: GPC programs in 8 slots with their menus on its screen, whether you play with a controller or a mouse and keyboard, and on Switch as well.
We run Cronus Zens, a script site for the Cronus Zen, so this page is ours. Facts come from XIM’s and Collective Minds’ own pages, linked where they are used, as checked on Oct 29, 2026. Prices are from the makers’ stores: XIM and Collective Minds.
Side by side
| Cronus Zen | XIM Matrix | |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | Collective Minds | XIM Technologies |
| Price | $109.99, plus a $29.99 Zen Link for PS5 | $124.99 |
| First model | 2020, USB-C version 2023 | May 2023 |
| Built for | Running GPC scripts, with controller or mouse and keyboard | Mouse and keyboard aim translation |
| Scripts and macros | GPC scripts in 8 slots of 32 KB | Smart Actions macros built from steps; no GPC |
| Set up with | Zen Studio, or the Cronus Zens Studio in the browser | XIM MATRIX Manager on Android, iOS or Windows, over Bluetooth LE |
| Shared setups | GPC Library of community scripts | XIM Config Cloud of shared configs |
| PS5 | With Zen Link | Over wired Ethernet through Remote Play, or a third-party P5General adapter |
| Xbox | Xbox controller in A1 for crossover | A genuine Xbox controller in port 3 for authentication |
| PS4 | Yes | With a DualShock 4 v2 for authentication |
| Switch | Yes, but not Switch 2 | Not listed as an output |
| Call of Duty | Named by Activision as detected | Named by Activision as detected |
Two devices for different jobs
XIM calls the XIM Matrix its first multi-input adapter for players coming from PC or console. Its centre is the Smart Translator, XIM’s system for turning mouse movement into stick movement, and its own page claims aim curves that respond as designed, unlike other devices with custom curves. If you want to play a console shooter with a mouse and keyboard, that is what it is built around.
The Cronus Zen is a programmable adapter. It runs GPC scripts from its 8 memory slots, draws their menus on its 128x64 OLED screen, and changes controller input as well as mouse and keyboard input. A script such as NBA 2K27 shot timing, set from a menu on the Zen, is the kind of job it is made for. Read What is a Zen script? for how scripts work.
Mouse and keyboard
On the Matrix, mouse and keyboard is the main event. XIM’s inputs and outputs page lists mouse and keyboard output to PC, Xbox and PS5 over USB with no extra devices, and its Config Cloud lets you copy other players’ setups, including Universal Configs that work across consoles and PC.
The Zen also plays with a mouse and keyboard by emulating a controller. In Zen Studio you get six layouts, each with its own aim settings, ballistic curves and button mapping, and Collective Minds’ guide says its curves support XIM curves. Our guides cover connecting a mouse and keyboard, the settings and which mice and keyboards work. If mouse and keyboard aim is all you care about, XIM has built its whole product on it; the Zen gives you that and scripts together.
Scripts against Smart Actions
The Matrix has no scripting language. Its automation is Smart Actions, which XIM’s guide describes as composing action sequences, with steps such as press, release, tap, wait and aim, for jobs like recoil control. A binding can be copied and shared.
The Zen runs GPC, a language based on C, with variables, conditions and menus, so it can run the community and paid scripts in script libraries like ours. A Matrix cannot run GPC scripts.
Consoles and authentication
- PS5. The Matrix connects to a PS5 over your local network with a wired Ethernet cable, using Sony’s Remote Play, so it needs no PlayStation controller; a USB connection needs a third-party adapter called P5General. The Zen needs the $29.99 Zen Link: PS5 guide.
- Xbox. Both need an Xbox controller plugged in. XIM asks for a genuine one in port 3 for authentication. On the Zen it goes in A1, as the controller you play with or as the AUTH controller for another one: Xbox guide.
- PS4. The Matrix needs a DualShock 4 v2 for authentication. The Zen uses a DualShock 4 v2 in A1 for crossover: PS4 guide.
- Switch. XIM lists no Switch output, though Switch Pro controllers work as inputs. The Zen plays on Switch, not Switch 2: Switch guide.
Setting each one up
The Matrix is configured from XIM MATRIX Manager, which XIM’s guide lists for Android 9 or higher, iOS 17 or higher and Windows 10 or 11, talking to the device over Bluetooth LE. Firmware is updated over USB from Windows or a Mac, and XIM warns that updates are sometimes required to keep using it. The Zen is set up from a computer: Zen Studio on Windows, or the Studio on this site in Chrome, Edge or Opera, with firmware from the Updater.
Neither is safe from bans
In February 2026 Activision named the Cronus Zen and XIM Matrix together in its Black Ops 7 anti-cheat update, saying it detects them by how inputs behave rather than by the hardware. Our ban guide covers what Activision, Epic and 2K have said since. Choosing a Matrix over a Zen, or the other way round, does not change that risk.
XIM Matrix questions
Is the XIM Matrix better than the Cronus Zen?
For mouse and keyboard aim on its own, XIM has built the whole device around it. For GPC scripts or Switch, the Cronus Zen does what the Matrix does not. The Matrix is $124.99 and the Zen $109.99 at their makers’ stores.
Can the XIM Matrix run Cronus Zen scripts?
No. XIM’s automation is Smart Actions, built from steps in its app. GPC scripts need a Cronus Zen.
Does the XIM Matrix need a controller plugged in?
On Xbox, yes: a genuine Xbox controller in port 3. On PS4, a DualShock 4 v2. On PS5, no, when it connects through Remote Play over wired Ethernet.
Does the Cronus Zen work with a mouse and keyboard?
Yes. Plug them into the Zen and set them up in Zen Studio, with six layouts and ballistic curves. Our mouse and keyboard guides cover the setup and supported devices.
Can you get banned for using a Zen or a XIM?
Yes, in some games. Activision said in February 2026 that it detects both. Read our ban guide before playing online.