People want features that make things easier to use, or more pleasant

November 28, 2022 4:18 AM

A Timeline Of Adaptive Technology In Digital Experiences [Able Gamers]

“Despite its stunning popularity today, video games weren’t always so mainstream. In fact, at its outset in the 70s, the video gaming industry was a small niche market trying to grow its customer base and introduce the world to its technology and stories. As a result, a small-yet-devoted community began to emerge, and people with disabilities saw the immediate value of what the video gaming community could offer them. As such, video game developers and companies began to focus on accessibility in their software and cultivating adaptive technology solutions to promote their companies and games in the press. AbleGamers has spent the last sixteen years creating change via direct advocacy and action in the industry, fighting to remove the barriers to gaming that people with disabilities experience. Today, the major wins for accessibility that we’ve witnessed over the past decade prove that the industry is undergoing a transformation that welcomes people with disabilities to the community.”

• Meet the man making controllers accessible for everyone [The Controller Project]

““The Controller Project, creates free downloadable blueprints to modify established controllers such as the PlayStation 5's DualSense or the Nintendo Switch's Joy Cons for players with disabilities or limb differences. In addition to this, it also uses 3D printing to craft these modifications and send them out to those who need them. Talk about nominative determinism. [...] In the 10 years since its conception, The Controller Project has recruited over 100 volunteers across the world who use their time and skills to come up with new customisations and, when required, print off the necessary pieces needed to modify a controller. For those already with access to a 3D printer, there is a whole catalogue of these modification designs available to download through The Controller Project, many of which actually offer very minor adjustments that just tweak a controller slightly. I am talking about simple, perhaps easily overlooked, modifications like a clip on attachment to extend a controller's bumper triggers. However, even the slightest of adjustments can make a big difference to a player's experience.” [via: Eurogamer]

• How the PS5’s DualSense controller is failing disabled players [Ars Technica]

“The DualSense is an unwieldy tool. Compared to its predecessor, the DualShock 4, it spreads inputs across a much wider surface area with a much heavier chassis. “The DualSense is simply too big,” Thomas Russell, a lifelong gamer with spinal muscular atrophy type 2, says. “The biggest issue for me is it’s too wide; it’s also too bulky.” Many disabled players report that, due to the PS5’s reliance on the DualSense, they are unable to use their consoles as intended. Krissie A.—who wishes to keep her last name anonymous—is a reliability engineer. When she uses the DualSense, she says its size and input-spacing cause her hands significant pain within only 20 minutes. “I’ve been unable to play any PS5 game,” she says, “resorting to watching my husband play the games instead.” The DualSense Edge may represent a small step toward greater input accessibility, but, “for gamers like me who cannot use the DualSense, the Edge is sadly useless,” says Vivek Gohil, a gaming-accessibility consultant.”

• A Father’s Quest for an Accessible Game Controller [Wired]

“As games evolved without proper accessibility features and options, Karlsson struggled to discover tools that would allow his son to properly play. From adapters to eye-tracking devices, each piece of adaptive equipment failed to fully function and cost Karlsson hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Furthermore, the substitutes never matched the designs of standard controllers, amplifying the sense of difference that can accompany gaming as a disabled player, which left a young Oskar not wanting to game at all. “That was when we geared up a bit and started to modify existing controllers and even built our own,” Karlsson says. [...] “One thing that I would like to mention is that there seem to be so many people out there thinking that there is only one disability, asking questions like ‘Why haven’t you placed the buttons like this or that, it would be smarter if you did it like this,’” he says. “The point they are missing is that this isn’t a controller to rule them all. This is one controller that was made especially for Oskar, that works well for him. That doesn’t mean it will work for everyone, but hopefully it will for some.””

• Engineering students create 'No Pull, No Lift' controller prototype for AbleGamers [ShackNews]

“AbleGamers shared word of its collaboration with UPEI engineering students via its official Twitter, as well as via CBC. Reportedly AbleGamers tapped a group of students to design a controller that requires as little holding, movement, or pulling as possible. In turn, the student group, comprised of fifth years Graham Ching and Muhanad Hilaneh and fourth years Ryan Unuigboje and Denaj Miller created a “No Pull, No Lift” controller prototype that can be operated on a flat surface with around 10 switches that operate various controller functions with minimal movement. It operates as one big joystick with a puck inside that requires only the slightest handling to operate various the various button functions. [...] “If you're a person whose disability has a physical manifestation, oftentimes it's the controllers themselves that we need to change,” Barlet said. “A standard controller … requires a lot of dexterity that many people just don't have, and so we create new custom controllers to bridge that gap so you can get into a game and really enjoy it.””

posted by Fizz (7 comments total)

I've had to game one handed for awhile, due to complications from surgery. It coincided with the launch of Destiny 2, which demanded a high level of precision, reflexes and coordination with your team to succeed at PVP and end-game raiding. For context, it's a shooter game, which requires shooting fast moving enemies in the head as they evade you (or whatever weak point non humans have), and the PVE raiding component required 6 people to coordinate their actions precisely.

It's true that every single person's desire to play a specific type of game and specific disability they have results in a unique combination of traits an ideal controller would have. What works for one person would not work for another, which is the huge challenge in this space.

I tried some controllers but they typically spread the buttons as widely as possible across the device assuming the user had two hands.

I looked into getting foot pedals which would relieve some of the workload.

In the end I settled on getting a mouse for my single hand, it had with 12 buttons on the left side, two additional buttons on the top, and a left / right tilt function on the middle mouse button. Mapping the side buttons to WASD and using my thumb to navigate them proved surprisingly usable, allowing typical maneuvers such as circle strafing and power sliding. I managed to raid competently and farmed all the raids available at launch and first expansion, and even managed to top frag several PVP matches with my friends.

This setup worked for all shooters, but I had much less success with League of Legends, for reasons I haven't been able to figure out.

Anyway, I now know what to do if I ever lose a hand in the future...
posted by xdvesper at 4:56 AM on November 28, 2022 [4 favorites]

Also, for anyone who isn't aware, Microsoft's Xbox Adaptive Controller is one of the BEST things Microsoft has ever done for the world of accessibility & gaming. Going to shamelessly plug my own previously.
posted by Fizz at 5:59 AM on November 28, 2022 [6 favorites]

xdvesper: That's great that you found a solution that works for you! There are some pretty incredible PC peripherals out there.

I had nerve compression in both wrists more than 20 years ago, and my right hand never fully recovered, to the point where I wear a brace on it every night. Picked up an Xbox Adaptive Controller and Logitech's matching accessory kit earlier this year for certain types of twitchy games (mainly rhythm games), and it has helped make those more enjoyable. My arms get a bit more sore, but the important thing is that most of my hand muscles get a break, and I can wear my brace without it getting in the way of gameplay.

Was sorta ninja'd by Fizz while typing this up, but seconding the Adaptive Controller being a great thing that Microsoft has done. I've long been a fan of their peripherals, and this one is amongst their best.
posted by May Kasahara at 6:07 AM on November 28, 2022 [2 favorites]

This is very relevant to my interests!! I've been playing games hands-free for the past few years due to pretty bad RSI. These days I use a combination of XAC+Logitech Kit with my feet along with a cheap gyro remote as a head mouse and voice control and eye tracking. On the voice control side I'll add this article to the great roundup of links: When games are hard on their hands, some players turn their voices into controllers.

What works for one person would not work for another, which is the huge challenge in this space.

This is true and very wise. My experience has been a roller coaster of finding something new that works for a while until I discover its limitations, and then it's back to the drawing board. (can I shamelessly plug this informal mini blog on the Waypoint forums where I chronicled that experience?)

Of course the games themselves could do a lot more to meet players halfway...I'm playing Elden Ring right now and while it's the most approachable one of these games, which makes it a bit more accessible, don't get me started on From Software's baffling lack of UX refinements in things as basic as the menu interface design
posted by okonomichiyaki at 6:19 AM on November 28, 2022 [3 favorites]

Thanks for linking to that verge article about voice control options/accessibility okonomichiyaki. Great share!
posted by Fizz at 6:25 AM on November 28, 2022 [1 favorite]

One of the challenges in emulating early arcade games is the wide variety of control options that they were designed to use. A 4-way or 8-way joystick + one or two action buttons is easy enough, but then you figure in higher-input joysticks (Sinistar's 49-way comes to mind), trac-balls, rotary spinners, 8-position rotators, analog pedal and steering input, dual sticks, the Star Wars rotor, a flicky joystick for aiming football passes, a rotor that also moved up and down... so figuring out how to make those usable by differently-abled users adds a half-twist and a somersault to the degree of difficulty.

The best, and by best I mean most horrific, hands-free controller of yore was the Atari Mindlink.
posted by delfin at 8:51 AM on November 28, 2022

The controller also features a nonslip rubber mat on the bottom to allow players like Oskar to comfortably place the device on a flat surface like a tray. Stuff like this is so important! Thanks for the post, Fizz! Was so happy to read the Wired story. Would also like to note how fabulous it is to see you back on the blue and posting away. It is thrilling. You were missed; so happy to see you here again.
posted by Bella Donna at 5:48 AM on November 29, 2022 [1 favorite]