Reggie says Nintendo was working on an accessibility-focused controller in 2019
The more accessibility the better!
Reggie Fils-Aimé is still doing the rounds to promote his book, Disrupting the Game. That means interviews pop up from time to time with Nintendo’s former front man. While numerous interviews have covered topics like NFTs, blockchain and the metaverse, a new interview has popped up today that shares new details on a project Nintendo was working on years ago.
In an interview with Inverse, Reggie Fils-Aimé mentioned that Nintendo was working on an adaptive controller akin to that of Microsoft. For those who don’t know, Microsoft built an Adaptive Controller that opens up accessibility to all sorts of players, no matter their physical needs. This is done through a number of plug-and-play modules that the user can swap in/out as need be.
While we don’t know what Nintendo’s version of this controller looks like, Reggie said the Big N was indeed cooking something up back in 2019.
“Imagine an adaptive controller that you could play with your latest Xbox, PlayStation, or Nintendo platform. That’s what we were working on three years ago. My hope is that the effort has continued. I’m not sure if it has or has not. But also, my hope is that controller — and the ability for that controller to connect with all of the various systems — is launched and shared with consumers as quickly as possible.”
In Reggie’s comment, we learn that the controller would work across all platforms, so not just Switch users would get the benefit. When it comes to adaptive controllers, that certainly seems like the best approach.
As to whether this controller is still in the works is anyone’s guess. If it’s already three years in the making, let’s hope that Nintendo is getting close to a final design, rather than abandoning the project.
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the_crimson_lure
1+ y agoInteresting that it was meant to work with other hardware outside Nintendo's ecosystem, as that's not something Nintendo usually does.
I hope it's still on track to release one day. The more accessibility, the better, you can't argue with that!
kuribo
1+ y agoI think the main players, Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, Etc should come together and develop and/or support a cross-platform accessibility controller as well as accessibility improvements for those with audio and visual impairments too and not just in the area of controls.
I can only speak to my personal experience, but the Wii remote and it’s use of motion controls was very accessible to my cousin who does not have full development of their hands and fingers. Traditional controller layouts just can’t work for them. People like that are in the minority but shouldn’t be forgotten about either.
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