Skip to main content

You can pre-order the Xbox Adaptive Controller now ahead of its September release

Microsoft

Pre-orders are now live for the Microsoft Xbox Adaptive Controller, which has a release window of early September. The $100 price includes just the basic Adaptive Controller and a 9-inch USB-C cable for attaching accessories. It is aimed at opening up a whole new world to countless disabled gamers everywhere.

Recommended Videos

Digital Trends recently spoke with project lead Gabi Michel about the Adaptive Controller, who told us all about the project’s genesis, the inclusive design principles that fueled it, and what it says about the future of Xbox and gaming in general.

Most users are going to need additional components to get full use out of the Adaptive Controller, but the whole driving principle is that every player is unique, with unique needs, and so Microsoft opted to keep prices down by only including the bare minimum in the package and then allowing users to expand it à la carte. Microsoft links to more than a dozen of these verified accessories on its store, ranging from a $20 one-handed joystick resembling a Wii nunchuk to a $400 mouth-based controller designed for quadriplegic gamers. These come from a wide range of hardware manufacturers on both the gaming side, such as Logitech, and specialized accessibility hardware makers like AbleNet and QuadStick.

Apple may be working overtime to kill the 3.5mm jack, but Microsoft is embracing it as the accessibility industry’s extant standard. This means that many of the Adaptive Controller’s users will be able to use devices that they already own by simply plugging them into the Adaptive Controller, such as various buttons and switches developed by AbleNet. Microsoft’s hardware team took efforts at every turn to make using the controller as straightforward as possible for disabled gamers and any caretakers that may be helping them, so everything works by simply plugging it into the corresponding jack.

More advanced customization is possible through the Accessories app on Xbox (the same used for reprogramming the Elite controller). For instance, you can set a foot pedal to serve as a “shift” button, which doubles the functionality of a single attached joystick. That way, someone with use of only a single hand could effectively control both thumbsticks with just one. The adaptive controller can hold up to three separate programmed configurations at a time (as well as the default), allowing users to easily save profiles for different games.

The Xbox Adaptive Controller will ship in September, with the aim of establishing a new standard for accessibility in the mainstream video game industry.

Will Fulton
Former Staff Writer, Gaming
Will Fulton is a New York-based writer and theater-maker. In 2011 he co-founded mythic theater company AntiMatter Collective…
These 4 tips will help you max out your Xbox One controller’s battery life
Xbox One Recon Tech Controller

The Xbox One gamepad might be the best feature of Microsoft’s last-generation console, which makes the fact that it works on the Xbox Series X and S even better. Its comfortable triggers, easy-to-reach analog sticks, and, most importantly, energy-efficient design allow you to play games for weeks on end without having to swap out your batteries. Eventually, though, your controller is going to die -- and, likely, your character along with it-- and you’re going to have to replace those AAs if you want to continue gaming.

Thankfully, we're here to point out what works and what doesn’t when it comes to your battery life, so you can keep yourself in the game with minimal interruption.

Read more
Xbox One X’s Amazon sales rank climbs due to Xbox Series X pre-order confusion
Xbox Series X Stylized Graphic

The Xbox One X shot up Amazon's sales charts today, following a chaotic day of pre-orders for the Xbox Series X and Series S.

The console's sales rank shot up 747%, jumping from 2,804 to 331. The high numbers might indicate that many people mixed up the Xbox Series X and the current-generation Xbox One X.

Read more
3 new PlayStation Plus games to play this weekend (June 20-22)
A crew in FBC: Firebreak.

More and more I am finding myself getting more excited for the PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium game announcements than the Essential ones. It always varies, but months like this are some of my favorites. We are getting treated to a day one release, a ton of sleeper hits that didn't get enough attention, and one influential PS2 classic that is great to have available as a PS5 game. Today also just so happens to be the first day of summer, so what better time than now to close the curtains, crank up the AC, and play some great games courtesy of PS Plus? This is my hand-picked selection of PlayStation Plus games you need to play this weekend.

FBC: Firebreak

Read more