Microsoft’s attempt to create the most accessible games controller ever, with the Xbox Adaptive Controller, is not limited to the device itself.
The company has revealed the packaging for the customisable controller, which is designed for gamers with limited mobility. The unboxing video shows that any gamer able to use the controller will be able to open it too.
The company writes: “The box for the device … needed to be as accessible as what was inside. It had to enable gamers with limited dexterity, who might be using just one hand or arm, to easily open the box and remove the controller.”
Related: Best Xbox One games
In a post on its official blog, Microsoft says it worked with gamers and disability advocates in order to develop the packaging, which includes a series of grippable loops that require only one hand to manoeuvre, as opposed to the usual hinges that require two hands or those awkward twist ties that everyone hates.
The box is also designed with a loop that makes it easier to slide out the controller, while another loop makes the controller cables more accessible. Microsoft says it heard lots of feedback from gamers who were tired of having to open boxes of all kinds with their teeth.
“We have customers in our store every single day who buy product. I look at our laptop boxes and how they have to be opened. How many steps, how much packaging and how much of a barrier do each of those pieces become to someone with a mobility limitation?” says Solomon Romney, a Microsoft Stores retail learning specialist in Salt Lake City.
“I think it’s going to change how we look at things in the industry, in terms of how we make boxes. And I think it has to,” he said. “I think as a case study of inclusive design, the Xbox Adaptive Controller is going to make a brilliant example of how you do it, and how you include your audience and design with a population, rather than for a population.”
The Xbox Adaptive Controller goes on sale in September for $99. UK pricing is yet to be confirmed.
Are tech giants doing enough to cater for fans with accessibility needs? Drop us a line @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
