Accessibility in gaming is a major talking point at the moment, and with Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) having just passed, the Xbox Team marked the event last week by rolling out many new accessibility features to their Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S gaming platforms, in addition to their other platforms. Claiming that their mission is to “amplify and celebrate players with disabilities and highlight the importance of digital access and inclusion”, the following features were introduced into their consoles, peripherals and online channels:
Firmware updates to the Xbox Adaptive Controller that include the ability to increase size and add tooltips for button images on the Xbox Adaptive Controller’s remapping screen.
The ability to search and then filter Game Accessibility Feature Tags in the Xbox Store. The Accessibility Feature Tags, announced last fall, are designed to make it easier for gamers with disabilities to determine if a game is right for them. There are 20 tags in total, based on extensive user research and discussions with our Gaming & Disability Community. With this new update, players can search and then filter tags for over 400 titles.
The recent launch of the ASL Xbox Twitch channel: Every day, the Xbox Plays team goes live on the Xbox Twitch channel, playing the latest and greatest titles from the world of Xbox. In April, they launched an All-ASL Twitch channel featuring interpretation for approximately 25 hours of livestreams each week.
The recent launch of “BuildAbility” in Minecraft: Education Edition. In May, M:EE launched an accessibility World in partnership with the PEEL school, where students can understand, identify, and work to eliminate accessibility barriers in their school and community… all within the Minecraft universe.
Xbox Accessibility Guidelines (XAGs) 3.0 update with information on mental health. Based off community and developer feedback, the Xbox Accessibility Guidelines (XAGs) 3.0 update published in May includes a new mental health guideline, as well as info on motion sickness and expanded details on text sizing.
ASL/BSL in Playground Games’ Forza Horizon 5. American Sign Language (ASL) and British Sign Language (BSL) is now supported in Forza Horizon 5’s in-game cinematics.
For more information on all of Xbox’s new initiatives, click HERE for this post made by Anita Mortaloni, Director of Accessibility at Xbox.
