Microsoft announces the Proteus Controller, a gamepad for Xbox gamers with disabilities

The nice thing about products that improve accessibility is that they often make experiences better for everyone just by having more thought put into the design and use.

I don't have any condition that would require me to need this controller but I'd love to try it out.

Neat implementation.

This along with Microsoft's in-house adaptive controller, (which sounds cheap at $99.99 for the base, but you often need a lot of extra peripherals for it, which cost more) gives disabled gamers a lot more opportunity to be involved and not so limited.

It's always disappointing that these things are so costly for the disabled, compared to a normal controller.

But I suppose it's similar for many disabilities. Braille displays for the blind often start at around $2,000!

The disabled are often the people with the least capabilities to afford such things.

Hopefully they can at least be embraced by charitable organizations and maybe be present in hospitals and things like that.

Is this mean t as a replacement for, or in addition to the Adaptive Controller kits that were in the news a few years back? This seems like a logical end point for that program (i.e. I remember the adaptive controller looking relatively unpolished in comparison to this product). Another commenter pointed out that the actual cost of the adaptive controller is greater than the sticker price would indicate since you need to add peripherals to the base $99 controller to achieve functionality, but hopefully it's still a feasible option for folks that maybe can't quite swing a $300 purchase.

This is the best summary I could come up with:

Created by peripheral company ByoWave as part of the Designed for Xbox program, the wireless controller consists of small cubes with interchangeable faceplates that include controller buttons, a directional pad, and analog sticks.

The “snap and play” parts connect together so gamers can build more than 100 configurations and LED lighting variations.

ByoWave says it won’t support PlayStation 5 or Nintendo Switch, though it’s open to partnering with these platforms.

The controller is expected to ship this fall, though it’s available to preorder via ByoWave’s website at a discounted price of $255 right now.

The kit will include a USB-C charging cable and a Bluetooth dongle, as well as other parts like left and right handles to create a traditional gamepad and two large one-button peripherals.

The firmware update will be available to the public in the next few months but will roll out over the next couple of weeks to Xbox Insiders.

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