By Fredrik Brattstig @virtualbrat
March 31 – 2026
This is a follow-up from https://virtualbrat.com/2026/03/31/introducing-igel-windows-app-the-new-app-combining-windows-365-and-azure-virtual-desktop-built-on-the-latest-sdk-code-from-microsoft/, describing Relative Mouse integration!
Relative mouse is now supported in the Microsoft RDClientSDK, and IGEL made sure that it is functioning in IGEL for Windows app.
Relative mouse, I like to describe it as the enabler to play first person shooter (FPS) games in VDI workloads.
To understand Relative mouse, we need to understand what happens when a new VDI session is established.
When a VDI session connects, the client will inform the ‘server’ numerous characteristics, where in this scenario the amount of screens it has connected, the resolution of each screen and how the screens are stacked. A easy setup is a single screen with 1920×1080 resolution. But a client can have 2, 3, N amount of screens attached, they can be on a single line, or stacked in a pattern. The client inform the server “create a single screen session, with the boundaries of 1920×1080” in the simple scenario.
If you do not have relative mouse support, the area of the mouse pointer will be limited to 1920×1080 pixels.
In a FPS game, if relative mouse is not enabled, you would be able to turn by moving your mouse until the mouse pointer hit the boarders of the screen. After that, either you cannot turn any more, alternatively, depending on the VDI solution, the world (within the session) will just start spinning due to that the game expects the mouse to move outside of the physical borders.
When Relative mouse is enabled – the VDI session allows you to move the mouse beyond the borers of the screen – hindering the potential world spin, and instead allows you to rotate your character 360+ degrees.
IGEL for Windows app has relative mouse support included. When you are in the need of enabling relative mouse, Ctrl + Alt + M will toggle relative mouse on and off.
Except for FPS and other games, what are the real business need of Relative Mouse?
Usually CAD (Computer Aided Design – like AutoCAD), 3D-modelling software (blender ex.) will directly benefit of Relative mouse, where the three-dimensional work area is much larger, actually in many cases unlimited, though still needs to be used in a very screen resolution restricted VDI session.
Here is a video of CS:Go in a Azure Virtual Desktop session. PEGI7 content!
There are plans to extend the client with automatic detection of Relative Mouse mode, and user indicators when its on/off, but that is for a later version.
Happy rotation!
/Fred
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