Accessible Gaming
Gaming is more than entertainment. It can be a way to connect with friends, build skills, compete, explore new worlds and participate in a community. For people with cerebral palsy, however, traditional game controllers may not always match the way they move, reach, grip or activate buttons.
Accessible gaming technology can help remove those barriers.
Designed with the disability community
The Cerebral Palsy Foundation was one of the organisations that partnered with Microsoft during the development of the Xbox Adaptive Controller, alongside AbleGamers, SpecialEffect, Warfighter Engaged and members of the gaming community. Feedback from these groups helped inform the controller’s design, functionality and packaging.
This approach demonstrates an important principle of inclusive design: people with disabilities should be involved in creating the products and experiences intended for them.
Xbox Adaptive Controller
The Xbox Adaptive Controller was designed primarily for gamers with limited mobility. Rather than requiring everyone to use the same hand-held controller, it acts as a hub that can connect with external switches, buttons, joysticks and mounting systems. This allows players to create a gaming setup around their own movement, strength, range of motion and preferred method of access.
Players can customise button functions and create different controller profiles through the Xbox Accessories app. The controller can also be used with Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Windows PCs, with additional connectivity available for select devices.
Finding the right gaming setup
There is no single adaptive gaming setup that will work for every person with cerebral palsy. Depending on an individual’s movement and access needs, a setup might include:
- The Xbox Adaptive Controller
- External switches or large buttons
- Adaptive joysticks
- Alternative positioning or mounting systems
- Custom button mapping
- Two controllers working together through Xbox Controller Assist
- A combination of conventional and adaptive controls
The goal is not to make someone adapt to the technology. The technology should be adaptable to the person.
Why accessible gaming matters
Access to gaming can support something fundamental: participation.
For children, teenagers and adults with cerebral palsy, accessible gaming can create opportunities to play alongside siblings and friends, participate in shared interests and experience greater choice and independence in recreation.
Accessible design also benefits the broader community. When products are created around a wider range of bodies, movements and ways of interacting, technology becomes more flexible for everyone.
Explore the Xbox Adaptive Controller
Learn more about the Xbox Adaptive Controller, compatible devices and ways to customise an accessible gaming setup.
Explore the Xbox Adaptive Controller