Eric Ravenscraft
Today, Microsoft announced a new kind of game controller, called the Xbox Adaptive Controller, that features an impressive 19 ports to connect accessibility add-ons.
The new controller, which will cost $100 when it comes out later this year, is designed from the ground up to meet the needs of players who aren’t able to easily use the standard controller. The top of the device features two oversized touchpads, a D-pad, and a couple basic buttons. The real star of the show, however, is on the back.
Here, you’ll find an array of nineteen 3.5mm jacks, designed to take input from a variety of accessories like blowing tubes, foot pedals, and specialty buttons mounted wherever you need them. Ars Technica demonstrated, as an example, a custom set up that uses a foot pedal and two buttons mounted on either side of a knee to control and steer a car in Rocket League.
Highly customized setups that tailor control schemes to specific needs are common but usually very expensive. Microsoft is hoping that this $100 hub will bring the cost down for these kinds of rigs and make games more accessible to more people.
Source: Ars Technica
