Project Overview

The Xbox Adaptive Controller is an accessible controller and accessory hub for Xbox One and PCs, that is designed to meet the needs of gamers with limited mobility for whom the use of existing controllers is a major challenge.

Organisation

Microsoft

Team

2015 Hackathon team:
Ben Finney, Brian Moore, Brian Smith, Bruce Bracken, Bryce Johnson, Chris Kujawski, Dawson Yee, Emily Hannifin, Gaylon Blank, Genevieve Alvarez, Greg Jones, Harri Artinaho, Jeb Pavleas, Jeremy Dodd, Jeremy Slocum, Jesse Tuominen, Juha-Lasse Latikka, Kathryn Storm, Katy Jo Meyer, Ken Circeo, Ken Jasinski, Lauren White, Matt Clark, Matt Hite, Matthew Mack, Parna Khot, Patrick Gaule, Petteri Alinikula, Rachel Green, Rekha Nair, Ritesh Rohit Mittal, Ross Nelson, Sam Sarmast, Sean Marihugh, Shachindra Dass, Shea Robinson, Varsha Ganesh Shetty

2016 Hackathon team:
Bryce Johnson, Matt Hite, Leo Shing, Chris Kujawski, Evelyn Thomas, Kris Hunter, Alida Mendes, Gaylon Blank

Xbox Adaptive Controller team:
Arnold Campos, Afanti Ma, Alida Mendes, Amanda Torrey, Andre Sutanto, Andrew Gillies, Andrew Nguyen, Angus McGill, Anindita Mitra, Anthony Giardini, Ben Finney, Ben Shewan, Bruce Lan, Bryce Johnson, Carl Ledbetter, Chaitrali Limaye, Charles Liu, Charles Martin, Charley Huang, Chris Killian, Chris Kujawski, Christopher Harmon, Corinne Holmes, Curtis McClive, David Chou, Evelyn Thomas, Flen Ju, Flor Alborno, Fritz Rivera, Gabi Michel, Gaylon Blank, George Bielitz, Greg Keyser, Guangwen Zhou, Gus White, Hamza Kalache, Heather Harding, James Shields, Jeff Miller, Jeff Sanborn, Joe Schaefer, Junhong Sun, Keith Lee, Ken Budoff, Kris Hunter, Leo Shing, Mark Oberlander, Mark Weiser, Markus Welsh, Martin Lodge, Matt Hite, Matt Mota, Megan Shivy, Melissa Alleyne, Mike Duggan, Nathan Lorance, Navin Kumar, Nelson Kaiton, Nicole Vecere, Pamela Galvan, Paul Hall, Rachel Yang, Richard Sauer, Robert Silbernagel, Rollie Rivera, Ross Nelson, Sam Kite, Sam Sarmast, Sam Terilli, Scott Blackwell, Scott Wang, Scott Weber, Shea Robinson, Solomon Romney, Srihari Narlanka, Steve Frank, Tao Tang, Ted Eckert, Tero Patana, Tiffany Nguyen, Tim Patterson, Vasco Rubio, Victor Yuan, Victoriya Relina, Vincent Zhang, Willis Wu.

Project Context

The genesis of the Xbox Adaptive Controller goes back to 2014, when Microsoft Engineer, Matt Hite, was scrolling through Twitter and noticed a photo of a custom gaming controller made by Warfighter Engaged, a nonprofit organization that provides gaming devices to wounded vets.

Matt reached out to the organisation’s founder, Ken Jones, and learned how difficult it was for injured veterans — triple amputees, quadriplegics, vets with traumatic brain injuries — to access the world of gaming.

Throughout multiple Microsoft hackathons, the concept of an accessible controller was refined and momentum for the Adaptive Controller project grew within the company.

Project Innovation

The Xbox Adaptive Controller features nineteen 3.5mm ports and 2 USB 2.0 ports of the rear of the controller - mimicking the number of inputs on a standard controller - giving gamers with a wide range of physical disabilities the ability to customise their setups by connecting external input devices such as switches, buttons, and joysticks to suit their needs.

Symbols embossed along the rear edge at the top of the controller identify each port on the back so users don't have to lift or turn the device around to find the right one. And grooves above each port provide a physical reference to help guide plugs into them.

All of these inputs are also able to be remapped to different button functions via the Xbox Accessories app. Users are then able to save up to 3 controller profiles, and switch seamlessly between them without having to reset the console.

The underside of the controller contains 3 screw mounts to enable the user to attach the device to tripod, body mount, and wheelchair mount accessories for operation at an appropriate height and within easy reach.

Design Challenge

The controller's packaging presented a challenge, since it had to be as accessible for people with disabilities as the device inside. The gamers the Microsoft team consulted with had one major stipulation about that: no teeth.

Microsoft's packaging design team created a unique box that accommodates dexterity challenges through features such as a hinged lid, and open space under the device so users can slide in a hand and remove the controller.