In the field of accessibility, few manufacturers in the video game industry dare to get their hands dirty and offer truly impactful and effective innovations for players with motor disorders. PlayStation has its Access controller, while Xbox has always had its Adaptive Controller. But the company is ready to move on. It has just unveiled a new accessory that promises to revolutionize the way you play if you are concerned.
The controller is designed in collaboration with Byowave and comes in the form of four balls with interchangeable faces. Like fidget toys that help us de-stress, the faces feature either buttons, joysticks, pads or triggers. Everything that normally makes up a classic controller, but in a layout that can change at the player's discretion and according to their difficulty. The brand states:
“Designed for Xbox video game controllers, this kit includes innovative “snap and play” parts that easily connect and allow players to play their favorite Xbox and PC games right out of the box.”
In principle, it's a great idea that will allow anyone to modulate the components so that the configuration is necessarily effective. Interchangeability is also the whole idea at the heart of PlayStation Access and it's always a good idea when you're addressing such a wide spectrum of disabling disorders. But the controller has a real black mark next to which you can't pass up: its price.
The cost of disability
Offering accessible controllers to people with disabilities and motor disorders is good. But accessibility often stops at its practical definition, and never goes so far as to shake up financial standards. The Xbox controller, as complete as it is, will be marketed at an absolutely exorbitant price. $299 will be necessary to afford the right to play optimally, like any player.
Of course, Microsoft still has its Adaptive Controller at a much more contained price (89.99 euros), but this new proposition far exceeds the price of a classic controller, which is around 70 euros for this latest generation. Even the PlayStation Access had taken some remarks compared to its price which slightly exceeded the standards of the controller market with its 89.99 euros. And the more accessories you add to compensate for the lack of certain capacities, the saltier the bill is.
Innovation and research necessarily have a cost, not every product can simply position itself on an affordable price range as soon as it is released. But isn't it a form of double punishment to have involuntary motor disorders, and to have to pay a bill of 300 dollars to return to a mode of consumption of video games deemed "normal" by the industry? The question remains open for all the players in this sector that is accessibility.
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