About two weeks ago I received my new Microsoft Adaptive Controller for my birthday and I am pleased to say that it is a very good product so far. I have only played one game with it as of yet but it really has improved my gameplay experience. The controller is compatible with pc games so I fired up Star Wars Battlefront 2 to see how my setup would work, and it was great.
Using the Adaptive controller alongside my mouse and headset gave me extra buttons to press allowing me to speed up my responses to enemies in game. I normally use right-click on my mouse to move forward, so to aim I connected a clicker into the left trigger input on the controller which gave me an easier way to do so, quicker than using voice controls and saying ‘aim’ into the microphone. You might not think it much difference but it definitely helped me zoom in faster. I was also using another clicker for right trigger as well in my left hand which produced a similar result, faster shooting resulting in more points.
At first it was slightly confusing for me to get to grips with using so many different inputs at once (voice control, mouse clicks and controller buttons) but after 3 games I was adjusted to the additions and surprisingly was scoring more points and kills. Being more competitive definitely feels more fun as normally I’m can be just a little slower in reacting.
I am going to enjoy testing it further and pushing my limits on different games too. I am unsure if it will be compatible with all of my pc games but I imagine any game where you can use a controller will work. Adding more buttons and arranging them in good positions is my next challenge, but so far so good. Overall, I think it is a good addition to a gaming setup and hopefully more companies follow the lead in giving disabled gamers greater access to games.
DMD and Me 