The Xbox Adaptive Controller, designed for those with limited mobility, was previously restricted to PC and Xbox.
Feelgood Friday: Software Engineer Brings Xbox Adaptive Controller to Linux Users
Written by Ollie Bradley at 08/19/2022, 01:36 AM
While the fantastic work of organisations such as Able Gamers, The Controller Project, and Special Effect continues to help make gaming as accessible as possible, it is even better to see the creators of games and gaming platforms taking accessibility into account from the offset.
This is a trend that we have already seen being normalised as recent titles have started fine-tuning their in-game accessibility options, such as options to cater to colour blindness or in-depth UI tweaks for the visually impaired. However, for physically impaired gamers who might struggle to operate a standard controller, options are often limited.
Which is why Microsoft, who is no stranger to our Feelgood Friday segment, deserves kudos for its extremely versatile Xbox Adaptive Controller (XAC). This accessible controller has been made with a huge variety of features to cater to myriad needs, with multiple ports for additional peripheral devices such as joysticks and buttons that can be added depending on the users' specific needs and limitations.
Previously the XAC was compatible only with Xbox and PC. However, a proactive software engineer has now opened up another platform for the XAC - Linux.
As reported by Phoronix, software engineer and co-author of The Definitive Guide to Linux Network Programming, Nathan Yocom, is helping to make the XAC compatible with Linux, opening the accessible controller option to a whole new audience of gamers.
While the project is still underway, it seems that Yocom is well into the final stretch of development. Regular updates are currently rolling in, and followers of the project are confident that we will see the Xbox Adaptive Controller support soon.
As the technology for gaming continues to come on leaps and bounds as years go on, we certainly hope that controllers will eventually become accessible as a standard design feature. In the meantime, however, we can thank industrious and kindly souls like Yocom for their efforts.