Following on from the release of Microsoft’s celebrated Xbox Adaptive Controller, created for gamers with limited mobility, a new accessibility focussed patent submission has been discovered from the company – this one showcasing an Xbox controller with haptic Braille support, specifically designed to assist visually impaired and blind players.
“Although the gaming industry has made some progress towards improving a game’s general accessibility,” writes Microsoft in its patent submission (as spotted by LetsGoDigital), “a need remains for improved game controllers and accessories that address the very specialised manner in which visually impaired or blind users interact with video games”.
To that end, Microsoft’s patent covers a controller (similar to that of the Xbox One) featuring “various adaptations that provide alternative input and outputs to facilitate game play by sight-impaired or blind users, as well as other users knowledgeable of Braille.”
The most striking of these “adaptations” comes in the form of a haptic feedback Braille attachment, consisting of six paddles and a display. This clips to the rear of controller, so that a user can interact with it while their hands are positioned in the standard grip position.