Pretendo here. Sorry, but this comment has been removed for the reasons of “slander” as stick drift has never existed in our products in the first place.
Lots of people make valid criticisms of Microsoft and Xbox, but one thing that no one can criticize is their dedication to making products for people with disabilities. They have been consistently releasing these products for people despite a small market for them.
It looks like with multiple power cubes you can break it up. My favorite thing about the switch is the separate joy cons. This is far far far less painful for me to hold than traditional controllers. If this worked on Linux, Mac, PlayStation, and my Steamdeck, I might try it, as long as I could return it if it doesn’t work out.
I struggle with buttons in general. My palms are too small so I can’t wrap my hand around them very well. I have to death grip with my palm or I drop it, but I am constantly shifting around as my fingers can’t reach certain things easily either. The off-axis joysticks on an Xbox controller is a no go as I have to hold the controller rotated a bit which means that up isn’t up. I do much better with PS5 controllers, but still get a lot of pain in my hands if I play too much.
It’s a ton of money when comparing it to mainstream electronics, but I’d imagine that $300 single payment is a drop in the bucket for something medical. Anyone who needs it probably spends similar amounts or more adapting other everyday things for ease of use.
It’s a niche probably low volume product that requires a good amount of hardware and software engineering.
You ever look at how much a basic, non-powered, used wheelchair costs?
These high prices come with the fact that by definition, the equipment can be incredibly specialized. Unfortunately this is something most people with any sort of disability are probably completely used to.
Microsoft does a lot of bad things, but I got to give it to them here. Their push for accessibility in gaming is definitely a good thing. They’ve been pushing multiple modular controllers in order to allow people with disabilities to play games in a comfortable way. Having the support of a major player in the gaming market like Microsoft will definitely help with support for these products.
At launch, the Proteus Controller will work with the Xbox Series X / S, Xbox One, and Windows 10 and 11. ByoWave says it won’t support PlayStation 5 or Nintendo Switch, though it’s open to partnering with these platforms.
This thing looks cool even without a disability, TBH. I can't judge its usefulness for disabled people, of course, but I hope it'll be the tool they need to mitigate the issues life has cursed them with, at least for a little while during game sessions.
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