E3 2018: Xbox Adaptive Controller Brings Gaming Accessibility To All
Shacknews was on-site at E3 2018 to learn more about the highly customizable Xbox adaptive controller.
A lot of controllers have come and gone through the years, with different accessory and console manufacturers suiting their input options toward various player needs. However, until recently, no major hardware manufacturer had come up with a customizable input solution specifically for players with disabilities. That has changed, as the team at Xbox has come up with their own first-party solution. Shacknews had a chance to sit with James Shields, product marketing manager for Xbox and one of the people behind the creation and development of the new adaptive controller, to discuss some of the device's design inspirations and intended functions.
James spoke about Xbox's goal of allowing anyone to get into video games, regardless of their skill level, abilities, or disabilities. The adaptive controller started as an internal project from a small team determined to make that vision a reality, working with the gaming community for years to eventually come up with a number of working designs before settling on the current iteration that can be seen in the video above.
Naturally, creating the controller itself was a challenge, as disabilities can present themselves in a number of different ways. The solution was to create a controller with a number of different ports that the players can use with different add-on button accessories to come up with an input system that functions toward their specific needs — and with that, the "adaptive" controller was born.
Pre-orders for the adaptive controller are open now through Xbox.com, and the controllers will be shipping in September. The base price of the controller is set at $99.99.
