Microsoft has just announced that the Xbox Adaptive Joystick is now available for purchase directly from the company. The news was revealed during the annual Ability Summit. The Adaptive Joystick is designed for people with limited mobility, so it has four customizable button inputs for the front panel buttons and two more buttons that can be displayed on the bumper and trigger-style buttons. It also comes with a standard thumbstick. It costs $30, which is cheaper than the official Xbox wireless controller.
This is just one of the announcements made by Microsoft today regarding accessibility. The company is implementing artificial intelligence tools in the Narrator screen reader for Windows. This will allow the program to offer “rich image descriptions”. The program will be available to Windows Insider program members this spring.
Microsoft Teams will also receive an update for the hearing impaired. Soon, the program will be able to automatically recognize when someone is using sign language and bring them to the forefront as a speaker during a meeting. This is what Sign Language View already does, but it’s a paid service. The update simplifies this process. It will be available later this year.
The company has long been at the forefront of accessibility technology. It has created a great adaptive mouse that allows for almost endless customization options. Microsoft has also created technology that integrates game controllers without forcing users to touch the console, and a kit that makes Surface laptops more accessible. The brand first introduced the original adaptive controller about six years ago.
