Microsoft Is Giving Disabled Gamers a Better Controller

More than 33 million people in North America play videogames with some kind of disability, ranging from colorblindness to missing limbs, according to AbleGamers, a nonprofit that pushes for more accessibility in the videogame industry. "Social media has made a huge impact on being able to spread awareness of our mission and to gain support," said Craig Kaufman, program director at AbleGamers, which worked with Microsoft on developing its specialized controller. Even so, accommodations for disabled gamers still aren't yet the norm, according to Ian Hamilton, an independent consultant who specializes in helping developers make games more inclusive. For such folks, "buying games can often be a lottery," he said. In recent years, game companies increasingly have added accessibility features, such as letting players remap buttons on controllers to suit their needs. In some games, it is possible for visually impaired players to alter the colors of characters, or for those who can't hear on-screen dialogue to turn on subtitles.