In 2015, a team of engineers at Microsoft's Xbox and gaming division began working on a prototype controller to help improve accessibility for video game input. The device was designed and refined during several internal hackathon events where they built a controller that could use third-party accessories familiar to disabled gamers. In 2017, Microsoft decided to turn the prototype into a product and began collaborating with accessory manufacturers and nonprofit groups in the gaming accessibility field such as SpecialEffect, Warfighter Engaged, and The AbleGamers Foundation.
Design
The Xbox Adaptive Controller has a slim rectangular frame that is about a foot in length. The face of the controller has two large, domed buttons that can be mapped to any function using the Xbox Accessories app. The face also includes a large D-pad, menu button, view button, and the Xbox home button that are featured on a standard Xbox One controller. The controller features USB ports on either side that are used to connect devices that map to analog stick functions. The back of the frame has nineteen 3.5 mm jacks that allow multipleassistive input devices to be connected; each jack corresponds to a different button, trigger, bumper or D-pad function on the standard Xbox One controller. The Xbox Adaptive Controller supports Windows 10 and Xbox One devices and is compatible with every game at a system level. According to Phil Spencer, the Adaptive Controller is not hardware-locked to Xbox, and was developed with the intention to be used with any gaming platform, with Microsoft opening dialogue with Valve, Nintendo and Sony towards this effort.
Release
The Xbox Adaptive Controller was announced in May 2018. The controller was released with a retail price of on September 4, 2018. In November 2018, Microsoft released a holiday-themed television commercial entitled "Reindeer Games" to promote the controller, featuring a group of children racing to another child's home to witness him play a game with the Adaptive Controller. The commercial starred Owen Sirmons, a 9-year-old child with Escobar syndrome. A second commercial entitled "We All Win" was broadcast during Super Bowl LIII, which featured testimonials from Owen and his family on the positive impact of the device.
Other uses
Microsoft's electronic voting system ElectionGuard includes an Xbox Adaptive Controller in its base alongside its touchscreen.
Reception
Time named the Adaptive Controller one of its Best Inventions of 2018. It also won the Innovation Award at the Italian Video Game Awards.
