Microsoft again helps veterans play with Xbox adaptive controllers

The Microsoft Xbox Adaptive Controller started as two hackathon projects within the company, at the initiative of a veteran with reduced mobility. Designed for disabled players, the controller has two large programmable buttons and 19 plugs that can be connected to various accessories to make Xbox and PC games much more accessible for multiple players. Microsoft is now working with the US Department of Veterans Affairs to provide 22 Xbox Adaptive Controllers with rehab centers and allow veterans with reduced mobility to play again.

These controllers, who played in Super Bowl commercial advertising earlier this year, will be used for therapeutic and rehabilitative activities for veterans. As the game is a popular activity in the military, this deployment seems to be a natural fit for the existing 20-year partnership between the VA and Microsoft.

Photo of Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

"We think that's the right thing to do," says Phil Spencer, head of games at Microsoft, in an interview with The edge. "There are scenarios that bring together people from all regions of the world, with different abilities, different genders, different races, different social-economic scenarios, and we believe in this power of the game."

Spencer views the Adaptive Controller as the starting point for an increased accessibility work from Microsoft to improve games. "Enabling more people to play like everyone else is a great first step," says Spencer. "But you will certainly see us do more in this space."

The Xbox Adaptive Controller has debuted at the end of last year for $ 99, and we have already seen people hack objects to run on the Nintendo Switch console. Having this work across multiple platforms is a big point of return for Microsoft. "I think the number one comment we receive is" we want all platforms to support it, "says Spencer, something Microsoft wants to address, but it does not have the software running on Sony PlayStation consoles or Nintendo Switch hardware.

Photo: My companion Vince

"Our conversations with other platforms on adaptive controller support have been positive," says Spencer. "We talked to Valve, we talked to Nintendo, we talked to Sony. It's not something I feel we have to cut down some walls. I hope the time has come. "

For the moment, Microsoft is trying to better understand the operation of its adaptive controller for veterans and to improve it for the future. "We want information on how it works in the marketplace," says Spencer. "We conducted a series of surveys during construction, user research, and teams that would visit each month. It's more than we are perfecting the platform and getting feedback. "

Microsoft has worked with various occupational therapy groups, but creating a direct partnership with veterans is a more important step. Veterans will also be able to use controllers for sporting events such as the National Veterans Wheelchair Games. The hope is that Microsoft's push here will convince other companies to do the same and equalize the opportunities for the billions of people around the world with disabilities.