Everyone deserves to play games, and while consoles and the developed games themselves are generally good at being accessible to the bulk of gamers, depending on a gamers unique traits or accessibility requirements, sometimes they may be less accessible. Over the last couple of years, the Xbox team has used October as a month to be an “annual recognition of the Gaming & Disability community’, and has rolled out a number of accessibility updates for its consoles, digital distribution platforms, hardware, website and games.
Some of the initiatives and updates being rolled out include:
A new ‘Accessibility in Games’ channel on the Xbox store and Xbox.com
That includes hundreds of games and thousands of Xbox Game Accessibility Feature Tags, making it even easier for players to find their next great, accessible game.
Updated wireless pairing that no longer requires direct contact with a console.
From the comfort of a couch, wheelchair, hospital bed, etc., players can now put their console into pairing mode using an Xbox media remote, digital assistant voice command, or previously paired controller to connect a new controller to their console.
The launch of the ‘Game Accessibility Settings’ menu on Xbox Widgets in the Game Bar
Allowing for a more accessible PC gaming experience that makes it even easier for players to locate accessibility settings on the platform.
Announcing the next chapter of the Xbox Ambassador Accessibility Explorer Path
Including new knowledge checks and badges, while recognizing the over 2 million quests completed since its launch in October 2022.
Unveiling the Playbook for Accessible Gaming Events
An events guide that shares 12 best practices Xbox has learned partnering with the Gaming & Disability community over the years.
[Coming soon] Elite 2 & Xbox Adaptive Controller to Keyboard Remapping.
In the coming months, all players will be able to remap controller buttons to almost 90 keyboard keys on the Xbox Adaptive Controller and Elite Series 2, allowing players with limited mobility to use the Xbox Adaptive Controller with games that only support mouse/keyboard input.
They also used this opportunity to share a few videos highlighting how the accessibility journey of themselves and their first-party development teams have been going, particularly the below games feat. Turn 10 Studios and Forza Motorsport and Rare with Sea of Thieves
