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60-626: According to Phil Spencer , Microsoft had started to take more interest in accessibility features for gaming following the Kinect motion sensing input device first introduced in 2010. While it was successful on the Xbox 360 , the Xbox One version, released in 2013, failed to make as strong as an impression, and Microsoft eventually dropped Kinect for gaming areas, though has continued to use its technology in more productivity-related applications. However,

120-406: A 3.5mm jack for stereo audio output. The back of the frame has nineteen 3.5 mm jacks that allow multiple assistive input devices to be connected; each jack corresponds to a different button, trigger, bumper, or D-pad function on the standard Xbox One controller. The Xbox Adaptive Controller supports Windows 10 and Xbox One devices and is compatible with every game at a system level. Each port

180-408: A D-pad. For three generations, Nintendo's control stick was distinguished from analog sticks used in other major consoles by its surrounding octagonal area of freedom that only allowed it to be moved in any of eight different directions, with each one assigned to each of the octagon's eight vertices where the control stick could be pushed towards. Nintendo would eventually change this octagonal area to

240-553: A USB-A plug. John Helmes, an industrial designer at Microsoft, first customized an Arc Mouse by adding a customized extension that helped his daughter Jara, who has cerebral palsy, to keep her fingers on the buttons. Helmes later brought a challenge to the company's annual hackathon in 2020, proposing an adaptable mouse for people who are not able to use a traditional one. Microsoft announced the Adaptive Accessories line in 2022, initially including three core components:

300-612: A card with two of these and an associated analog joystick, the JS-1. This is the first known example of such a device for personal use. The first consumer games console which had analog joysticks was the Prinztronic/Acetronic/Interton series , launched in 1978. This system was widely cloned throughout Europe and available under several brand names. The 2 sticks each used a pair of potentiometers, they were not self-centering in most models but some, such as those of

360-715: A computer, and also has 3.5mm jacks for wired adaptive inputs. They were released on October 25, 2022. Sony announced it would release a similar accessible, customizable controller for the PlayStation 5 based on the Project Leonardo prototype shown at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2023. The prototype includes a large joystick physically connected to a domed panel with nine assignable inputs; eight buttons are arranged radially around

420-466: A controller, to allow for more functions. With the prevalence of analog sticks, the aforementioned limitations of the D-pad ceased to be an issue. Two analog sticks offer greater functionality than a single stick. On some modern game controllers , the analog sticks are "staggered", such that the left stick is positioned to the upper left of the D-pad while the right stick is positioned to the lower left of

480-620: A handicapped gamer known as Randy "N0M4D" Fitzgerald. The Xbox Adaptive Controller was announced in May 2018. The controller was released with a retail price of US$ 99.99 on September 4, 2018. The co-creator of the XAC, Bryce Johnson, emphasized the importance of making the controller affordable: "We did a lot of homework around other assistive technologies and were upset by how much they could be ... [we] made deliberate choices to make sure we kept [the price under $ 100]." In November 2018, Microsoft released

540-499: A holiday-themed television commercial entitled "Reindeer Games" to promote the controller, featuring a group of children racing to another child's home to witness him play a game with the Adaptive Controller. The commercial starred Owen Sirmons, a 9-year-old child with Escobar syndrome . A second commercial entitled "We All Win" was broadcast during Super Bowl LIII , which featured testimonials from Owen and his family on

600-534: A large D-pad , menu button, view button, and the Xbox home button that are featured on a standard Xbox Wireless Controller . In addition, a button allows the player to select one of three saved profiles. The controller features two USB-A 2.0 ports , one on each side; the USB ports are used to connect devices that map to left and right analog stick functions, corresponding to the side of the XAC. The left side also includes

660-528: A second analog stick and later the 3DS' initial lack of such feature have been criticized. Nintendo has since released an add-on for the 3DS that adds, among other things, a second analog "circle pad". The follow-up to the PSP, the PlayStation Vita , features dual analog sticks. It is the first handheld game console to do so. The New Nintendo 3DS line of systems added a second analog controller, known as

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720-577: A second analog stick, namely the Wii's standard controller (whose lone analog stick is implemented in the Wii Remote 's Nunchuk attachment), Sony's PSP and Nintendo's 3DS . While the Wii's abovementioned supplemental Classic Controller accessory and its initial backwards compatibility support of the GameCube controller allow for dual-stick control schemes in certain games , the PSP's complete lack of

780-408: A second function to any of the other ports or buttons on the controller. There are three machine screw sockets (one threaded 1/4"-20 UNC and two threaded #10-24 UNC) on its underside for mounting the controller. The XAC is equipped with an internal battery that is charged by a USB-C port on the rear panel. A white battery indicator light is provided on the face of the controller, just below

840-427: A self-centering analog thumbstick. In 1985, Sega 's third-person rail shooter game Space Harrier , released for the arcades , introduced an analog flight stick for movement. It could register movement in any direction as well as measure the degree of push, which could move the player character at different speeds depending on how far the joystick is pushed in a certain direction. Sega's analog Mission Stick

900-425: A step which would pave the way for subsequent leading console manufacturers to follow suit. An analog stick is often used to move some game object, usually the playable character . It may also be used to rotate the camera , usually around the character. The analog stick can serve a great variety of other functions, depending on the game. Today many analog sticks can also be pushed in like conventional face buttons of

960-477: A symmetrical configuration with a D-pad on the left thumb position and face buttons at the right thumb position, with analog sticks below and closer to the center on both sides. Sony 's PlayStation -series analog controllers—the Dual Analog Controller , DualShock , DualShock 2 , Sixaxis , DualShock 3 , DualShock 4 and DualSense —all use this configuration, with the remainder of

1020-456: A team of engineers at Microsoft's Xbox and gaming division began working on a prototype controller to help improve accessibility for video game input. Initially, the team developed a controller that used the Kinect motion-sensing technology to track the player's gestures and movements and translate them to controller inputs. Although the motion-tracking controller was not further developed, it

1080-420: Is almost essential for most modern first-person shooters such as Halo , where it controls the player's gaze and aim, as opposed to the left stick, which controls where the player moves. In Namco's Katamari Damacy and its sequels, both analog sticks are used at once to control the player's character. In spite of widespread adoption of dual analog sticks, a few modern video game systems are designed without

1140-415: Is also labeled on the face of the controller, and there is a short vertical groove leading to the port from the top of the rear panel, facilitating the installation of assistive inputs. The jacks are designed to require more force than usual to insert or remove a plug, preventing inadvertent disconnection of the assistive input devices. Any of the nineteen ports can be used for a "shift" function, which can add

1200-592: Is compatible with Windows computers. Like the Adaptive Controller, the Hori Flex Controller replicates controller buttons and is equipped with eighteen 3.5mm jacks and two USB-A ports for adaptive input devices, but the Flex Controller is compatible with the Switch and Windows computers only. The Flex Controller connects to the console or computer through a permanently-attached cable terminating in

1260-404: Is connected to is powered on, the current position of its analog stick(s) become the established neutral position. If the analog stick is moved away from its center during a time while it is established, the neutral position would shift to some place away from the center of the stick, causing the controller to interpret the center motionless position of the stick as in-game movement, since it is not

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1320-726: Is the first instance of a thumb pad-based joystick controller. The Quickshot Chimera 2 is another example of an early thumbstick controller available to the NES. In 1989, the Japanese company Dempa released an analog thumbstick controller called the XE-1 AP for the Sega Genesis console and several Japanese computers. It was intended to replicate the HOTAS controls found in Sega’s arcade games at

1380-466: Is used for two-dimensional input. An analog stick is a variation of a joystick , consisting of a protrusion from the controller; input is based on the position of this protrusion in relation to the default "center" position. While digital sticks rely on single electrical connections for movement (using internal digital electrical contacts for up, down, left and right), analog sticks use continuous electrical activity running through potentiometers to measure

1440-520: The Adaptive Mouse , Adaptive Button , and Adaptive Hub . The Mouse is a square-shaped core that provides two buttons and a scroll wheel and is designed to be clipped in to plastic accessories to enhance the physical interface. The Button is also a square-shaped core that accepts a physical input on top, such as a directional pad, discrete buttons, or joystick, controlling up to eight discrete inputs. The Hub connects up to four Buttons wirelessly to

1500-797: The Nintendo Switch , the launch of xCloud , and increasing the number of first-party development studios. Spencer received the Lifetime Achievement award at the 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards on February 24, 2022, and the Andrew Yoon Legend award at the New York Game Awards on January 17, 2023. Spencer attended Ridgefield High School in Ridgefield, Washington, and then earned a bachelor's degree in technical and scientific communication from

1560-743: The University of Washington . Spencer lives in the Seattle area with his wife and two daughters. He serves on the boards of the First Tee of Greater Seattle and the Entertainment Software Association. Analog stick An analog stick ( analogue stick in British English), also known as control stick , joystick or thumbstick , is an input device for a controller (often a game controller ) that

1620-478: The Wii U Pro Controller . With genres such as action , adventure games , platforming , and shooting , the left stick normally controls the character's movement while the second stick controls the camera. The use of a second analog stick alleviated problems in many earlier platform games, in which the camera was notorious for bad positioning. The right stick not only allows for camera control in third-person games, but

1680-432: The Xbox team in 2001. Spencer joined Microsoft in 1988 as an intern and has worked in a number of technical roles, leading the development of Microsoft's first CD-ROM-based titles (such as Encarta ), development manager for Microsoft Money , and general manager of Microsoft's online and offline consumer productivity products including Microsoft Works and Microsoft Picture It! During his early time at Microsoft, he

1740-410: The "C-Stick" to the right side of the device. To operate properly, an analog stick must establish a neutral position, a special, unique position which the stick must maintain that the controller would interpret as an intentional cessation or absence of in-game movement. Ideally, this would be the stick's very center when it is not touched or moved. Whenever the controller is activated or the system it

1800-604: The Adaptive Controller one of its Best Inventions of 2018. It also won the Innovation Award at the Italian Video Game Awards. Fast Company gave it Product of the Year for its 2019 Innovation by Design. Steven Spohn , the chair of AbleGamers, praised the affordability and wide availability of the controller comparing to existing assistive technology, saying that "a device specifically designed for

1860-580: The Gaming division, Spencer has advocated for cross-platform play , as well as launched key initiatives, such as reintroducing backward compatibility to the Xbox platform, the purchase of Mojang and Bethesda , the further development and support of Minecraft , the introduction of Xbox Game Pass , launching the Xbox Adaptive Controller , an increased focus on PC gaming, porting some Microsoft published games to other platforms including

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1920-552: The Interton VC4000 models did self-center. When the Apple II was released, it shipped with an analog paddle controller as a standard input, but these failed to meet FCC emissions guidelines and Apple Inc. was forced to stop selling them. This left hundreds of games unable to be used, and this problem was quickly rectified by 3rd party suppliers. Not long after, these same companies began producing analog joysticks for

1980-522: The Senior Leadership Team, gaining the title of Executive Vice President of Gaming and reporting directly to CEO Satya Nadella . In 2018, Spencer delivered the keynote address at the 2018 DICE Summit and spoke at the 2018 Game Awards . In January 2022, along with the announcement of Microsoft 's intent to acquire Activision Blizzard , Spencer was promoted to the role of CEO of Microsoft Gaming. Since taking over both Xbox and

2040-776: The View button; it flashes while charging, and stops flashing when the battery is full. When the battery is low, the light will turn orange. In addition, a coaxial power connector port (5 VDC, 2 A) is provided for attached USB accessories that require additional power, such as the QuadStick. The required AC adapter is sold separately. The controller is equipped with both the Xbox Wireless Controller communications protocol and Bluetooth 4.1 ( Classic Bluetooth HID profile ), allowing it to be connected wirelessly to devices other than an Xbox or Windows PC. Alternatively,

2100-474: The addition of required input switches and joysticks results in an "egregious price to assemble an appropriate setup [which] ultimately muddles the hopeful expectation of enabling everybody to play". In 2020, peripheral manufacturer Hori released the Flex Controller (NSW-280), which was designed by Technotool Co., Ltd. and provides similar functions for the Nintendo Switch . The Flex Controller also

2160-417: The affected analog stick's neutral position back to the center of the analog stick. For Nintendo controllers with analog sticks, this would involve holding down a certain combination of buttons while the affected analog sticks are untouched. Shortly after the introduction of the first microcomputers , Cromemco introduced a S-100 bus card containing an analog-to-digital converter , and shortly after,

2220-681: The circle widely used in other console controllers during the eighth generation starting with the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U , to allow for many more different movement directions beyond these eight. On July 5, 1996, Sega released Nights into Dreams for their Saturn console in Japan; bundled with it was the Saturn 3D control pad which featured an analog pad intended to give the player more fluid control over that game's flight -based gameplay. The analog pad used magnet-based Hall effect sensors , which

2280-471: The company was contacted by parents of disabled or impaired children that positively commented on the ability of the Kinect to help their children enjoy video games without need of a traditional controller. Matt Hite, an engineer for Microsoft, spotted a custom controller made by Warfighter Engaged on Twitter in 2014; Warfighter Engaged is a nonprofit started by Ken Jones in 2012 that provides gaming devices to injured veterans. Hite contacted Jones and in 2015,

2340-481: The controller has two large, domed buttons that can be mapped to any function using the Xbox Accessories app; these are each 4 in (100 mm) in diameter and their default mapping is to the A (left, closer to D-pad) and B (right) face buttons on a standard controller. Each of the two large dome buttons make a different sound when depressed to help players distinguish between them. The face also includes

2400-452: The controller layout closely resembling the original digital PlayStation controller . The Classic Controller for the Wii also uses this configuration. The original configuration of the Wii U GamePad controller had twin analog "Circle Pads" positioned symmetrically above the D-pad and face buttons, but was reconfigured to have twin clickable analog sticks several months ahead of the system's planned launch. This setup also carried over to

2460-519: The controller may be connected via the USB-C port on the back using the included 9 ft (2.7 m) long USB-A to -C cable. According to Phil Spencer , the Adaptive Controller is not hardware-locked to Xbox, and was developed with the intention to be used with any gaming platform, with Microsoft opening dialogue with Valve, Nintendo and Sony towards this effort. Further supporting that broad compatibility, Bluetooth LE ( HID over GATT Profile ) connectivity

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2520-455: The disability community costing $ 100 ... [is] a little like finding a unicorn hugging a leprechaun," all the while decrying the "disability tax" attached to devices that are considered "medically necessary." Grant Stoner echoed criticism of the total cost of the controller and required accessories, writing in 2020 that while the price of the Adaptive Controller itself was "not too outrageous, especially considering its overall use and compatibility",

2580-427: The dome, and the center of the dome itself serves as a ninth input. The size and shape of each radial button can be customized by interchangeable panels. Four 3.5 mm jacks are provided for additional input devices. Up to three controllers (two accessible controllers and one standard DualSense ) can be combined into a single logical controller, allowing friends and family to assist with specific inputs. The peripheral

2640-528: The exact position of the stick within its full range of motion. The analog stick has greatly overtaken the D-pad in both prominence and usage in console video games . The initial prevalence of analog sticks was as peripherals for flight simulator games, to better reflect the subtleties of control required for such titles. It was during the fifth console generation that Nintendo announced it would integrate an analog stick into its iconic Nintendo 64 controller ,

2700-495: The face buttons. The controllers of all of Microsoft 's Xbox consoles ( Xbox controller , Xbox 360 controller and Xbox Wireless Controller ), as well as controllers for Nintendo 's GameCube and Switch ( GameCube controller , the dual Joy-Con Comfort Grip and the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller ), utilize a staggered analog stick layout. Other controllers instead have the two analog sticks in

2760-609: The market: the DualShock . The controller featured similar twin analog sticks to the Dual Analog, although they featured convex rubber tips rather than concave plastic ones. It also removed the third analog (Flightstick) mode and added two rumble motors. In 1999, Sony's Ape Escape became the first video game in history to require the use of two analog sticks. In the console generations that followed , many video game console controllers have included two analog sticks, with

2820-408: The neutral position as it should be. This phenomenon, commonly called drifting , causes undesired gameplay effects, depending on the current game's controls, such as constant movement of the player character in a single direction or the game camera being skewed towards one particular angle while the affected stick is unmoved, and can only be corrected by performing particular actions that would restore

2880-417: The positive impact of the device. Microsoft's electronic voting system ElectionGuard includes an Xbox Adaptive Controller in its base alongside its touchscreen. The Xbox Adaptive Controller has a slim rectangular frame, measuring 292 mm × 130 mm × 23 mm (11.50 in × 5.12 in × 0.91 in) (L×W×H); the controller alone weighs 552 g (19.5 oz). The face of

2940-515: The studio's corporate vice president a year later. He has participated in Microsoft's E3 conferences since 2010. In late March 2014, Satya Nadella announced in a corporate e-mail that Spencer was to "lead the Xbox , Xbox Live , Groove Music and Movies & TV teams, and Microsoft Studios " as part of the Windows and Devices division. In September 2017, Spencer was promoted to

3000-493: The system, but these took some time to become popular. In 1982, Atari released a controller with a potentiometer-based analog joystick for their Atari 5200 home console. However, its non-centering joystick design proved to be ungainly and unreliable due to the filing, alienating many consumers at the time. During that same year, General Consumer Electronics introduced the Vectrex , a vector graphics based system which used

3060-456: The system. Initially announced in late 1995, Nintendo released their Nintendo 64 controller on June 23, 1996, in Japan. The new controller included a thumb-operated control stick which, while a digital stick (the analog stick operated on the same principles as a mechanical ball-type computer mouse ), still allowed for varying levels of movement and near-360-degree control, translating into far more precise movements than were possible with

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3120-595: The time, such as After Burner II . This controller included a thumb-operated control stick which allowed for varying levels of movement and near-360-degree control, translating into far more precise movements than what is possible with a D-pad. It was released twice, with a price drop upon its re-release in 1994. A few games on the Genesis (as well as the Sega CD and 32X add-ons) supported the controller’s analog stick functions, including some of Sega’s first-party games for

3180-519: Was a unique implementation of the technology that was carried forward into the design of the Dreamcast controller as well. The Saturn's analog controller was previously mentioned in the June 1996 issue of Computer and Video Games magazine. On April 25, 1997, Sony introduced the world's first dual stick controller for its game console, PlayStation . Based on the same potentiometer technology that

3240-440: Was added in a 2021 firmware update. In addition to the Adaptive Controller, specialized input devices that were developed as part of the project include: In 2019, peripheral manufacturer Logitech released its Adaptive Gaming Kit, which bundles 12 buttons and triggers with velcro mounting pads for the Adaptive Controller at a retail price of US$ 99.99; prior to this, individual inputs were priced around US$ 50 each. Time named

3300-458: Was designed and refined during several internal hackathon events where they built a controller that could use third-party accessories familiar to disabled gamers. In 2017, Microsoft decided to turn the prototype into a product and began collaborating with accessory manufacturers and nonprofit groups in the gaming accessibility field such as SpecialEffect , Warfighter Engaged, and The AbleGamers Foundation . The gaming division also collaborated with

3360-419: Was known by other employees to be an avid gamer, playing games such as Ultima Online in the office. With the launch of the Xbox in 2001, Spencer joined the Xbox team and served as general manager of Microsoft Game Studios EMEA, working with Microsoft's European developers and studios such as Lionhead Studios and Rare until 2008, when he became the general manager of Microsoft Studios, eventually becoming

3420-563: Was recognized by corporate leadership and inspired another employee team later that year to build a controller attachment with interfaces that allowed non-traditional input devices for gamers who had difficulty using the standard controller. In 2016, Microsoft released the Copilot feature, which linked two controllers to act in tandem as if it were a single controller, allowing one gamer to assist another; this further built momentum for accessibility features for gaming. The prototype device/input hub

3480-520: Was released for the Saturn console on September 29, 1995. On April 26, 1996, Sony released a potentiometer-based analog joystick for use in Flight-Simulation games. The Sony Dual Analog FlightStick featured twin analog sticks and was used in games such as Descent to provide a much greater degree of freedom than the typical digital joysticks of the day. The NES Max , released in 1988,

3540-591: Was renamed to the Access Controller that May and released in December. Phil Spencer (business executive) Phil Spencer (born January 12, 1968) is an American business executive and the CEO of Microsoft Gaming . Starting his career at Microsoft as an intern in 1988, Spencer has worked in various sectors within the company, including developing Microsoft's first CD-ROM -based titles. He joined

3600-504: Was used in the larger Dual Analog Flightstick, the Sony Dual Analog Controller featured rumble (removed in overseas versions), three modes of analog (Flightstick, Full Analog and Analog-Off), and dual plastic concave thumbsticks. It also added two new buttons, L3 and R3, under the thumbsticks, which could be used by pressing down on the sticks. On November 20, 1997, Sony released their third analog controller to

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