According to former Nintendo Of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé, Nintendo was working on a cross-platform controller, designed for people with access needs.
Fils-Aimé said Xbox’s adaptive controller was used “as a jumping-off point to create something that would be platform-agnostic and adaptable by any consumer,” in a new interview with Inverse.
“Imagine an adaptive controller that you could play with your latest Xbox, PlayStation, or Nintendo platform. That’s what we were working on three years ago,” he continued. However, since he left the company in 2019, he doesn’t know if the controller is still in active development.
“My hope is that the effort has continued. I’m not sure if it has or has not,” he said. “But also, my hope is that the controller – and the ability for that controller to connect with all of the various systems – is launched and shared with consumers as quickly as possible.”
“I do believe the best solution is an industry solution that can work for all of the dedicated gaming platforms and for PC, and can truly be tailored to the player depending on their physical capabilities and what they can do,” he added.
Earlier this year, Microsoft announced a new range of accessibility-focused accessories aimed at assisting people who have problems using a traditional mouse and keyboard, created in partnership with people with disabilities. Typically speaking, accessibility refers to design choices or options that allow players with motor, cognitive, or sensory differences to enjoy games more fully.
Following the launch of Microsoft’s Xbox Adaptive Controller, a key figure in the creation of the controller said that he felt efforts to expand access had hit “a bit of a plateau”.
In other news, it’s been confirmed that the delayed Life Is Strange: Remastered Collection is finally coming to Nintendo Switch next month.
The two-game bundle brings together remastered versions of the original Life Is Strange game and prequel Life Is Strange: Before the Storm under the new title Life is Strange: Arcadia Bay Collection.
