All direct-feed gameplay footage in this video review was, unless otherwise stated, captured using a single PlayStation Access Controller during gameplay, using no additional input switches. Gameplay footage where I’m on camera was captured using a combination of up to two Access Controllers and a Dualsense. Originally announced back at
I Went Hands on With the PS5 Access Controller – Access-Ability
Last week, I got to spend seven hours trying out PlayStation 5’s new Access Controller at a press event that took place in London, and I have a LOT of complicated thoughts about how it compares to the other major accessibility controllers available in the console space. My name is
Video Games Need Accessibility Standards: 2023
The very first episode of Access-Ability, back before this was a weekly recurring segment with its own series name, was published three years ago, in January of 2020, and since then a lot has changed for the better with regards to accessibility in the video game industry. While there’s still
Game of the Year Accessibility Awards
So, another year is now over, and with the new video game releases basically finished until 2023, we here at Access-Ability thought that we should get with the times, and organise our own accessibility focused Game of the Year Accessibility Awards show. While this year’s awards will be focused largely
Why don’t we talk more about cognitive accessibility? – Eurogamer
https://www.eurogamer.net/why-dont-we-talk-more-about-cognitive-accessibility I was recently interviewed by Eurogamer as part of this article about cognative accessibility and video games. As someone whose disabilities often impact memory and mental processing, a lot of the accessibility tools I value are often not thought of as acessibility tools at all.
How Wayward Strand V1.0.1 Became “The Laura Update”
I was not a formal accessibility consultant on Wayward Strand, but I was still able to help improve the game’s accessibility settings all the same. In Wayward Strand, an indie game which just released at the time of posting this article, players take on the role of a 14 year
Gaming and Aging: How Accessibility Impacts Everyone Eventually
Often, when I publish episodes of Access-Ability, I’ll get someone either in the YouTube comments, or on Twitter, responding to the episode by saying something like “this is really interesting, but doesn’t affect me personally”. That’s not necessarily surprising, but I think it overlooks the fact that for many people, your current level of gaming ability will not last forever, and accessibility support that doesn’t impact you today may in the future.
Video Games Need Accessibility Standards
While the overall industry has been making positive strides forward in terms of more games becoming more accessible, as an industry we can’t so much as guarantee a game will definitely feature accurate subtitling for deaf and hard of hearing players, let alone any consistent application of more intensive accessibility support.
EA’s Making this Photosensitivity Software Open Source, and Four New Accessibility Patents Royalty Free
Around two and a half years ago, in August 2021, EA initially announced their Accessibility Patent Pledge, an initiative where the company would make available for royalty-free use a series of video game accessibility patents. The intent of the pledge was explained as allowing other game developers to learn from
Accessible Packaging Needs to Exist Outside of Accessibility Devices
Toward the end of last week I received a pair of PS5 Access Controllers for work, which will be getting their own dedicated review video early next week. While I can’t talk about them in any depth right now, I can acknowledge the unboxing process for the device. The PlayStation
Access-Ability Summer Showcase 2024 Announcement
On June 9th 2023, the first annual Access-Ability Summer Showcase was broadcast, showcasing recently released and upcoming video games made by disabled game developers, and featuring accessibility settings designed to help ensure more disabled gamers are able to play. In June 2024 the Access-Ability Summer Showcase will be returning for
Nintendo’s New Tournament Rules Limit Disabled Player Inclusion
On October 24th 2023, Nintendo announced that starting three weeks later on November 15th, Community Tournaments for Nintendo games such as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate would need to follow a new set of guidelines, or risk being shut down by the company. These new guidelines, which many have described as
Xbox is Cutting Support for Unlicensed Peripherals, Hurting Accessibility
Currently, if you’re an Xbox gamer, you’ve got a great deal of control over which controller and peripherals you use on Xbox consoles. While there is a list of companies who have officially partnered with Xbox to produce licensed controllers and peripherals over the years, the company has also not
How Xbox is Advancing Accessibility Outside of Its Games
A lot of the time, when discussing video game accessibility in this series, I focus on the accessibility settings and accessible design choices found in the video games we play. For many gamers, much of the time, whether or not a game is accessible comes down to the state of
Could the Leaked One Handed Xbox Controller Have Accessibility Uses?
Around a month ago, in mid September 2023, a large number of confidential documents regarding Xbox’s future plans for their gaming division were accidently uploaded, unredacted, to an FTC website, as part of the company’s bid to acquire Activision Blizzard King. While Xbox leadership has suggested these documents are out
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2: Accessibility Review
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been playing Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on PlayStation 5 for review. I 100%’d the game and got a platinum trophy, something I NEVER make the time to do when reviewing open world video games during the busy end of year season, which should go