While attending GDEX 2018, I had the pleasure of chatting with Nick from AbleGamers.com, who partnered with Microsoft to bring their prototype into the hands of gamers across the world in the form of the Xbox Adaptive Controller. While their prototype brought the ability to play pretty much any game you could name, no matter what form of disability you had, it was bulky, expensive, and from the looks of it, hard to setup. With the Adaptive Controller, players can stroll into their local Microsoft Store and try out the base unit with a crazy amount of add-ons that allows anyone to play games, all while on a budget.

With the cost of living on this planet being so high, the goal was to make something that would allow gamers to partake in their chosen source of relaxation on a budget – the unit is $99.99, and each add-on is sold separately. No matter what your limitation is, there is something for you. Need the controller to mount to a wheelchair? They’ve got a solution for that, as each of the standard units has pre-drilled holes to allow you to attach it directly to the chair. Do you only have one fully functional hand? They’ve got a Wii nunchuck-ish solution for that as well. What if you have use of your hands but can’t complete full motions with your arms? Well, a number of the add-ons have sticky tabs included, allowing you to attach the buttons to your person, clothing, or table. With tons of ports on the back and peripherals available, almost any game can become playable, even if you’re unable to use a standard controller.

When I asked Nick what couldn’t be played with the controller, the answer was nothing. The biggest downfall is that some pressure based game mechanics, such as the lock picking in pretty much any Bethesda game, is a bit lackluster depending on the combination of attachments being used. Another downfall is that games that have button layouts or context sensitive buttons on screen may not match how the Adaptive Controller is programmed, which is partially due to the way the games are designed. Even if the title does not allow you to customize the controls, you can fully customize the inputs on the controller to suit your play style or needs, with a number of profiles that can be changed effortlessly on the fly.

Since my time with the controller was a bit limited, I was unable to take the full one to two hours that Nick states is the standard to become fully acclimated to the controller. I found that using the Wii-ish nunchuk was a nice alternative to using the vanilla controller, allowing me to easily navigate the field on Rocket League with the mapped buttons that were pre-established for the demo. Using the larger base was not nearly as intuitive, but with a bit of time I can see where it would become second nature. I wish additional genres would have been playable to see how the controller would hold up during fan favorites such as Call of Duty or Halo. Historically, controllers that are produced or developed by a third party have been hit or miss, often falling short on quality. Every piece of this controller felt solid, just as much if not more than the standard controller.

While I am fortunate enough to have full use of my body, I can take some solace in the fact that if the worst were to happen, I have the Xbox One Accessible Controller as an option to keep me in the game. Honestly, I can see some situations where this would come in handy, even with a full range of motion, such as holding a napping or feeding baby. With this being said, don’t be surprised if you see it on my future kid’s registry for a baby shower.