Microsoft almost canceled its Xbox Adaptive Controller

Microsoft got here near by no means launching its Xbox Adaptive Controller. In an interview with The Verge, Robin Seiler, Microsoft’s company vp of Windows and gadgets, revealed simply how shut the accessibility-focused Xbox controller got here to not transport.

“There was a point in time when the Xbox controller that was designed for accessibility was on the cut list,” recounts Seiler. Microsoft was managing budgets, and it was about to be unfunded and by no means launched. “Across teams, Xbox and Surface, we said, ‘No this is actually important for the world. This isn’t about revenue or brand positioning; it’s just important for people to be able to play games if they want to,’” says Seiler.

The Xbox Adaptive Controller originated from a hackathon inside Microsoft and was refined over time in a number of prototypes and ideas. So a workforce of Microsoft staff, decided to enhance the corporate’s accessibility efforts, determined to make it a actuality, no matter strict budgets. Microsoft staff in manufacturing in China, design in Redmond, and the Xbox workforce “came together and said skunkworks we’re going to make it happen,” says Seiler.

It went on to be the centerpiece of Microsoft’s Super Bowl advert in 2019, with a two-minute slot telling the tales of younger avid gamers with disabilities who had benefited from the Adaptive Controller. Essentially, Microsoft staff rebelled towards budgets and made one thing genuinely life-changing for folks.

The Xbox Adaptive Controller has since been a hit for the modding group, and it has inspired Logitech to create a spread of equipment for the Adaptive Controller. We’ve even seen Hori make a third-party accessible controller for the Switch, and it’s clear Microsoft’s massive identify has helped carry extra business consciousness to {hardware} accessibility efforts in gaming.

Since Bryce Johnson first invented the Accessibility Controller at Microsoft, the corporate’s stance on accessibility has modified. Now, accessibility can also be a giant focus for Surface and Microsoft as a complete. “It turns out if you focus on accessibility, you often make a product that’s better for everyone,” says Ralf Groene, head of Windows and gadgets analysis and design, in an interview with The Verge. Microsoft has created an accessibility tech lab the place it prototypes {hardware} designed to enhance accessibility.

“It’s a huge topic for us to be inclusive,” says Groene. “Microsoft is not a niche brand. We have a large customer base, and the more we can democratize computing, the better we are. Making products not only beautiful but beautifully usable.”

Some of those enhancements are nearly silent, with keyboards tweaked to make them simpler to learn or packaging improved to be simpler to open. And then there’s the plain stuff like an Adaptive Kit to make Microsoft’s laptops extra accessible with keycaps, bump labels, and extra.

The Xbox Adaptive Controller and the most recent Surface equipment got here straight from Microsoft’s accessibility lab. The Surface Adaptive Accessories went on sale alongside the brand new line of Surface gadgets this week and are designed for anybody which may have issue utilizing a standard mouse and keyboard.

“We’re feeding our way into this topic through accessories, but it’s now a core centerpiece of the operating system, and it will follow into the products 100 percent,” says Groene.

We spent the day at Microsoft’s headquarters earlier month to speak to executives concerning the previous 10 years of Surface and about the way forward for Microsoft’s gadgets. You can learn the total interview proper right here.