Every December, we take a moment to observe the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. This occasion is a crucial reminder of the importance of promoting awareness, fostering understanding, and ensuring equal participation of those with disabilities in all areas of life. At Xbox, we firmly believe that play is a vital part of our modern world—a world that should be accessible to as many people as possible. Our mission is to craft games that are inclusive, empowering players to enjoy their favorite titles in the ways that suit them best, and to be part of communities that share their passion for gaming.
We want to take this time to acknowledge the invaluable contributions from the Gaming and Disability community, who work alongside us to make gaming more accessible. Among the dedicated members of Team Xbox is Stan Adermann, a Principal Firmware Engineer. Stan, drawing from his own experiences with mild Essential Tremor and hand pain, has been instrumental in introducing new controller remapping features.
Stan shared, “I’ve dealt with mild Essential Tremor and hand pain throughout my career in software development. Some PC games made these issues worse, so I began exploring solutions to make controller usage easier for players like me, as well as those who want more customization options. This exploration led to innovations like mapping mouse movements to controllers and creating toggle holds for buttons.”
From the recently announced Xbox Adaptive Joystick to customizable thumbstick toppers through Xbox Design Lab, we are continually working to break down barriers for gamers with a wide range of abilities. We’re excited to share how these innovations, inspired by feedback from the community, are enhancing gaming experiences across our platform, hardware, and software.
Remapping Options for Xbox Adaptive Controller and Elite Series 2
Remapping is an essential tool for accessibility, allowing players to assign different functions to keys on a keyboard, mouse, or controller based on their preferences. To enhance input remapping flexibility, we’ve introduced new features in the Xbox Accessories App for Xbox Elite Series 2 Controller and Xbox Adaptive Controller:
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Toggle Holds: This feature makes it easier for players struggling with sustained button presses. Similar to sticky keys on PCs, any button can be assigned to stay "pressed" until released.
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Mapping Stick Movements to Button Presses: Players can now assign stick movements—up, down, left, right—to buttons or keys. For instance, pushing the stick up could mimic pressing the "B" button.
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Mapping Mouse Inputs to Controller: You can now map stick or joystick movements to control a mouse cursor. Buttons can function as right, middle, or left mouse clicks. This means controllers can effectively replace a mouse and keyboard for both gaming and other PC tasks.
- Mapping Hat Switches to Joysticks: If your joystick has a hat switch, you can now map it to act as an additional stick when used with the Xbox Adaptive Controller.
Visual Accessibility Updates for Diablo IV
The team behind Diablo IV, led by Drew McCrory, has made accessibility a core focus. Recently, they expanded the game’s accessibility options to better support players with low vision or who are blind. New features include:
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Auto-Pin: Automatically places a map pin on your quest or task destination from your in-game Journal.
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Audio Navigation Assistance: Provides spatial audio cues to guide players to their map pin, enhancing navigational ease.
- Compass: This HUD element continually points the player toward their in-world pin, providing consistent direction.
These efforts have garnered Diablo IV a nomination for "Innovation in Accessibility" at the 2024 Game Awards.
Accessibility Features in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 brings a suite of new accessibility features. Improvements include enhancements for asymmetrical hearing, high contrast mode, and a revamped settings menu. The team worked closely with advocates during development to ensure these features meet player needs, retaining popular features from previous titles like reduced motion blur and joystick options.
Additionally, new arachnophobia settings, HUD layout options, and Intelligent Movement settings allow for a highly customizable gaming experience. The game has also been nominated for an "Innovation in Accessibility" award by The Game Awards.
Celebrating the Life of Ibelin in World of Warcraft
In tribute to "The Remarkable Life of Ibelin" on Netflix and Mats “Ibelin” Steen, a Norwegian World of Warcraft player, Blizzard has introduced the Reven pack in WoW. The purchase of this charming companion supports CureDuchenne, a nonprofit dedicated to research and care for those affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy. This initiative stands as a testament to the power of games to generate positive social impact.
These strides in inclusive gaming are just part of our overall commitment. Learn more about Microsoft’s Inclusive Design approach and its broader goals in accessibility.
