An image of what is allegedly a new Xbox One controller has surfaced. It shows a gamepad which is clearly designed with a focus on accessibility and helping those who can’t play with a normal controller to still be able to experience gaming. This new Xbox One pad will reportedly be officially announced between now and E3 2018. If it does turn out to be a real product that Microsoft is aiming to bring to market, then it would be an awesome gesture to the gaming community.
New Xbox One Controller
— WalkingCat (@h0x0d) May 14, 2018
You can see the new Xbox One controller pictured above, with the image provided by h0x0d. This accessibility-focused pad looks almost completely different from the traditional Xbox One controller. It retains the D-pad, Xbox, pairing, menu, and share buttons, but the other functions appear to be mapped to the two larger discs. It isn’t clear how these work, but with the symbols lining the top of the device, perhaps there’s a way of maneuvering the discs to select a certain function? Of course, this is all guesswork on my part, and we’ll have to wait for the official details, should this controller actually be real!
With disabled gamers often having to resort to some wacky third-party control setup, or outright avoid playing certain games, it’s very cool seeing Microsoft (potentially) making a pad designed around accessibility. The standard Xbox One pad may be known for its ergonomic prowess, but it still requires gripping and complex movements for the triggers and analog stick controls.
Here’s hoping we hear more about the new Xbox One controller soon, as I’m sure there are many eager gamers out there who would be looking to buy, and Microsoft would certainly get some bonus cred points for showing that they care!
[via Windows Central]