What’s the state of accessibility in games at the moment? When it comes to console platform holders, two of the three main players have made serious contributions. The release of the PlayStation Access Controller in 2023 was a thoughtful response to at least some of the barriers presented by the Sony’s controllers, allowing players to remap buttons to better suit their needs. And since 2018, Microsoft’s Xbox Adaptive Controller has allowed players to customise inputs with remarkable granularity.
This has made me think deeply about accessibility over the past few months, specifically about what other approaches might provide real advancements for players with disabilities. Maybe it’s less a question of the advancements but who might be making them. Is progress still reliant on a radical shift in thinking by corporate giants, or is there room for innovations from smaller organisations, third-parties and start-ups?
Crucially, is there more that can be done to transform the experience of using the standard controllers that consoles already come with? Taking Sony as an example, the current PlayStation controller cannot be adapted out of the box. Many disabled players without the Access Controller will be stuck if they struggle to use the DualSense, due to the shape and size of it, or if they lack the muscle strength to move the sticks or physically press a button.
But this area is exactly where a handful of companies like Thumb Soldiers are making a difference. Last year I sat down with David Chapman, an inventor and the founder of Thumb Soldiers, to talk about his work, and the solution he offers for the lack of control many disabled players face with their own out-of-the-box gaming setups.